The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-02-02
You Should Investigate the Routes Of the Proposed State Roads
Examine This Map
Carefully and Then
Decide Which Route
Would Be the Most
Beneficial to the Public
Port Townsend, Jan.30

Port Townsend, Jar. 80
Tribune Readers: l wish each one
of you would get map of the county
and See If what L am telling you is nc
correct, and then, if it is, wish each
one OF you would set down and write
a letter to Whatcom county senators
and representatives asking them 10
work and vote for the Guide Merid
ian, Sumas-Blaine route for the state
road. l believe even Senator Ed.
Brown will agree with us, after a
look at the map, that this is by far
the best route.
In the first place trace the sug
gested routes on your maps. The Sen-
atQr Brown route cuts across certain
sections. and the first impression one
gets is that it is much the shorter
route. But, if you will notice there
7 are many curves and in one place
the route even doubles on itself half
. mile. That is necessary in order TO
get grade that is suitable for all
sorts of vehicles.
The Guide Meridian-Sumas-Blai
route is straight north and a
straight west road. There Is absolutely
no zigzagging backwards and forwards
in it anywhere.
Actual measurements on map pre-
pared by the county engineers show
that the difference in length OF the
two routes is only two and one-half
,1,~1 <1tetn nnIt-
ingham to Blaine over the longest
route-the Guide Meridian routes
only a little over "a miles.
This proposed Guide Meridian road
would be straight and level, with no
noticeable grades in it.
This proposed route by Senator
Browns farm and Ferndale is the
shortest by two and one-half miles
but
1t has one stretch of straight and
comparatively level going six miles
long. The balance OF the going is dodg
ing around or over hills, and by dodg-
ing sufficiently the grade is not near
ly so bad as one would expect from
a casual examination OF contour
map.
g, But, any farmer will tell you that
he would rather haul SO bushels OF
wheat "a miles over a straight and
level road than 81 1-2 miles over
crooked and hilly road. Any automo-
blist will tell you that he would rath-
er travel 30 miles on a straight and
level road than 15 miles on a crook
ed hilly road.
Why do many of the autoists going
from Bellingham to Blaine travel by
the Guide Meridian now, over roads
that are not nearly so well finished
as the Ferndale route to Blaine? Why
Ask the autoists? 1t is because they
don't have to slow down every 10
minutes for a curve.
But. there is still greater reason
than these given why the Guide Mer-
idian- -Sumas- Blaine route should be
chosen. 1t is our money that is build
ing these roads--yours and mine-the
money we pay into the state treas
ury as taxes. Well then when The
roads are built they should be built
to accommodate the greatest possible
number of tax payers.
Isn't that true?
Well. If the road is to be used al
together by automoblist. and the ma
jority of them live north of Blaine or
south of Bellingham, then, obviously
the shortest and fastest route posi-
BILE should be chosen. Well, the Fern
dale-Brown route is two and One-half
miles shorter, and the Guide Meridian
Sumas-Blaine is fifteen miles faster.
The latter would have to be chosen
IL the road was being built exclusive
ly for automobiles, but 1t isn't
The presumption is that the :oad
is being built as much for the pene-
tit OF the tax payers of the county
as for the autoists of Seattle and
Vancouver. Such being the case the
best route, all else being equal, would
be the route that would accommo-
date the greatest number of county
tax payers. Even Senator Brown must
agree to that. Well then, We may
eliminate Bellingham and Blaine lax
pavers-they have the benefit which
ever way the road goes.
The Ferndale-Brown route VIII
s.rve the farmers living along the
Northwest Diagonal road. who now
have the best road in the county
for a distance of six miles. 1t Will
serve the town of Ferndale- 1t Will
sorva Senator Brown and other scat
tering farmers between Ferndale anu anu
p,aine The town of Custer-the ohiy
town besides Ferndale that it passes
anywhere near will be almost as w wei, III
served by one proposed route as oy III
other.