The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-11-21
BlNGEN BOOMING
ON NORTH BANK

The Glacier man dropped into Bin
gen one day last week and found that
lively burg making q eat plans for the
future, and optimistic in regard to
what the North Bank road was going
to do for the place. tuesday, NovAm-
Der IL, marked the date of the FIRST
train into Bingen, following the ma
chine which lays track as fast as a
slow walk. 1t was a greet day for
Bingen. The whole country turned
out to celebrate the event, and it did
certainly look good to the old settlers
who have waited for a railroad for
thirty years White Salmon was in
evidence and shared In the joys Of the
community. 1he schools of White
Salmon and Bingen closed for the day
and allowed the children to watch the
wonderful machine lay track.
At Bingen a mile of sidetrack was
laid first and then followed the main
track, after which the track laying
was continued to Under God, which
was reached Friday afternoon. The
crew was beld up for a day by not
having timbers for the culveIts. Tenn
porary timbers and trestles are being
put In over culverts and streams, the
steel bridges to be put in after the
load bed ia ballasted. so that the
work can be handled more economic
ally.
While waiting for the temporary
bridge at Underwood, a number of
side tracks will be put in at Bingen.
1t is said that about twelve miles of
sidetIack will be laid at that place.
This leads the residents to believe
that great things are In store for Bin
gen. This will give Bingefi more
trackage than any place between
Vancouver and Pasco. The situation
of Bingen is ideal for a town. The
land Is practically level, there is good
spring water in abundance, and is
one of the few places on the North
Bank where the railroad company
have room for tracks and buildings.
Ii any one outside OF the officials of
the company have any knowledge Of
the Intentions of the company, how
ever, they are not saying much, but
from the moves that have been made
around the town number have either
positive knowledge or great faith in
the future. One instance is the big
prices recently obtsiued for choice
business property. j. h. Reynolds
last week purchased the corner lot
west of his present store building, and
thu considers alton named in the deed
is $500. This gives Mr.. Reynolds six
business corners and In all he is now
the owner OF fourteen choice lots.
The Joslyn Improvement Co. have
also spent large sum of money in
the purchas of the Byrkett property,
have built fine saw mill aud either
have unbounded faith in the future or
have inside information that would
warrant them in investing 70 heavily.
While it is not expected that a
through regular schedule of passenger
trains will be run through until
spring, arrangements are being made
to ges ready for the business that will
come with the establishment of pas
senger traffic. M. Morris is new.
conner and has purchased the new
store building of the Swan Hannah
Lumber Co., which was built last
spring but never completed. Mr.. Nor
ris is finishing up the front and VIII
put in stock OF furniture and hard
ware as soon as completed.
L. e. Fisher, who owns couple OF
business lots, but is now in Seattle.
exptc cts to return in the spring, put
up a building and start newspaper
Mr.. Fisher is an old printer and
newspaper man from st. Paul, MINI.
and hustler.
Penn Conser, a bar ber, who recent
ly arrived here from Bultrog, New,
has opened barber shop in the old
bowling alley building. MIR. Reynolds
is putting up a new building at the
Ienr of his store building, one room
or which will he occupied Ey Mr..
Couser with his barber shop and bath
rooms, and the o, her store room will
Ee used as butcher shop.
Mr.. and Mrs. DR.. Cooper, of Mani
tou, Colo, arrived in Bingen week
ago and are investigating the PROPOSE
tion of putting in sanitarium on
tie first bench back of the town. 1t
ls an ideal site for an institution of
ahis kind. There is large level tract
.at an elevation OF a hundred feet or
more above the town, and but q quar-
ter of a mills rom the depot, where
fine grounds could be laid out, and
cold spring water piped to the build
ings. A magHifce view can be had
of Hood River and Mt. Hood, while
the mountain at the back rises up
sheer 100 feet, an imposing sight,
and sheltering the place from the
north and west winds.
Dan Mears has been working steadi-
ly putting in concrete foundations
and plastering new buildings, and has
become an optimistic shouter for the
new metropolis.