The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1912-06-06
Held A Meeting at the Com.
mercial Club Last Friday
Listened to- Arguments for
and Against the Long
Bridge Route.

DcHdCOT y. n. I1dZclWOOu, CIldlI
man, w. d. Hotchkiss, secretary, and
III. A. Van Buren, members of the
State Highway Commission held
meeting at the Commercial Club
rooms in this city last Friday after
noon to hear arguments for and a.
gainst the abandonment of the bridge
at the head of the bay known as the
Bridge of Sighs". A large delega-
ton from the town of Barkesdale was
present at the meeting and the Bay
field county board was represented
by w. E. Trippe, Peter Soronen,
George Curry, Pat Gallighan and I.
H. Robinson.
After the meeting was called to
order the Commission listened to the
members of the county board who
were in flavor of abandoning the
bridge route. Some very good
reasons were set forth by w. E.
Trip, chairman of the town of Tripp,
and I. H. Robinson of this city. 1t
was shown that over $4O,OOO had
been expended on the bridge route
up to the present time and that with
this large amount of money expended
yet the route was in an impossible
condition. The board members did
not feel that any more money should
be wasted in trying to keep up this
road but favored putting the addition
al money into the Canal route
running west of the bridge route.
The county board members stated
that it was their opinion that this
road could be put in fine condition
for less money than the bridge road
and that the expense of keeping it
up would be far less than the other
road. The members were fair, how
ever, and stated that if the COM
mission, through their engineers,
could show the board that the old
bridge road could be put in good
condition without too heavy an ex-
penditure of money and that it could
be maintained as cheaply as the canal
road, that they would favor putting it
through.
After listening to the board mem
bers, the commission then heard
arguments from the people residing
at Nash who favored the bridge
route. The Nash people were rep
resented by Attorney Shea of Ash
land. They attempted to show that
the canal route was impossible at
certain seasons of the year, besides
being over mile longer than the
bridge road. In all there is about
thirty people residing at Nash who
are Accommodated by the bridge road,
yet these people demand that the
road shall be put through. The
Ashland people are taking up their
side of the question and are trying to
force the Bayfield, county board to
put through the road.
The Commission held meeting at
Ashland Friday evening and listened
to arguments from the people at the
other side of the pond. The Ash
land people stated that they were
willing to keep up their side of the
road and to offer financial assistance
in keeping up the bridge route
| These same people have made similar
propositions time and again but have
always failed to do anything when
called upon.
Previous to the meeting here two
members of the Commission made q
trip over the county system of high
ways in the northern part of the
county. The commission is to take
charge of the work to be done in
this county this season and will see
to it that the taxpayer gets value for
the money expended. The Com
mission was not very well pleased
with some of the work done in the
county, stating that money was being
worse than wasted on road now be
ling constructed near Sioux River
Road Commissioner Olson stated tha