Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-11-08
More Anecdotes Of Early Olympia
Continued from page ~

cross town on Seventh street on rail-
! road grade provided the excavation
should be bridged on level with the
street grade the whole width of the
street.
The Olympia Iron Works was incor-
porated this year. and vote on court
house bonds carried by 1,116 to 1893
against. The bonds were sold the sue
ceeding year to the state land commits.
siOner.
Another effort was made to
float the railroad bond-and 1t was by
the simplest way-and thus get q
movement on" the purchase of iron
and rolling stock. Mr.. Oennette, q
leading merchant, while in San Fran
cisco to purchase goods. incidentally
made an order for an engine and roll
ing stock for the little road, which
was then backed by q graded track,
Congressional permit to issue bonds
and q vigorous and determined incor-
poration. He was its secretary and
found no difficulty In getting just what
he wanted; which shows the difference
between business methods and political
forms.
The road was at once pushed and by
August l, 1878. was completed, and OH
that day free excursion was given.
1t was gala day. The capital city Of
the territory was connected by bands
of steel with 1.-The rest of mankind"
Eight cars Quilt at Tumwater) start
ed out with over 300 excursionists in
the morning and the same number by
an afternoon train at o'clock. How
they all got back. nobody can now tell,
and probably would not If 1t was by
brake beam"-but then walking was
good"
This and many subsequent trips
were operated by members of the d.
rectorate. who almost lived around the
train and made themselves useful by
carrying baggage. collecting fare and
entertaining passengers, creating no
little diversion for the crews of the
connecting Northern Pacific trains.
The president might sometimes be
seen putting under trunk or the SUI
perintendent wheeling crate of chick
ems or sacks of potatoes consigned to
some Tacoma firm. The directors of
the road held almost nightly meetings
at their Office in the Miller building
just north of l.. Bettmans store on
Main street. 1t was from here that
orders emanated and the cash was
counted. A ridiculous incident may be
related. Soon after the train service
was inaugurated, a regular railroad
engineer had charge of the engine, and
in obedience to request Of some pa.
irons an order had been given for him
to sound series of toots of his whis-
tie, to indicate Is. ten and five minutes
before departure. This figuratively
speaking, put the engineer on his ear.
Appearing before the board at one of
its meetings he under much excite
ment declared, Il resign my position.
will not sound the whistle as direct
ed. I would be the laughing stock for
all railroad men. l want you to un-
derstand I'm not running a blamed
old steamboat WHISTLE" The directors
all quailed before this bomb shell. It
was decisive and final, and the direct
ors Immediately rescinded their order,
and with the apology that they did not
know any better, the king of the asso-
citation was appeased and resumed the
throttle.
Early In 1870 the Pacific Mail COM
pany determined to make Olympia the
Sound terminus and place two steam
ers on the line, the Panama and the
Dakota. =. J. N. II.