Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-09-23
HISTORY REPEATS TSELF m
WATER AND BRIDGE ELEC.
TON TO BE HELD SATURDAY
CONTINUED from page u

We sold the water plant to the city
at Is cents on the dollar; and finally
disposed Of the lighting plant at about
the same figure. The bridge we hand.
ed over to the city at cost"
The election at which were submit.
ted the questions Of the cityis acquir.
ing the Aberdeen Water company's
plant and of voting $4,000 Of bonds
for that purpose and for constructing
q water system to be fed by Stewart
creek, showed about a. decisive . re-
suit - did the water bond election
held few weeks ago. The vote, can.
vassed August 25. 1891. by Council.
men william Anstie. J. A. Taft, Eu.
gene France, T. c. Moulton, J. 8.
Thomas and 8. J.. White, and attested
by Mayor Samuel Benin and City Clerk
James White, showed 1855, for and IS
against both propositions.
THE bonds were sold in Chicago"
said City Clerk Peter F. Clark: "and
Mayor Benn had two days in which to
sign them all. In those days 1t was
customary to sign coupon and stub,
both. Mr.. Benin, on the second day,
got 20 weary in the wrist that he
had to stop writing several times. go
over to the washstand and let a
stream Of cold water run over his
wrist. That $4,000 issue finally was
retired in 1911"
First Bridge Of Wood.
The Heron street drawbridge, &C.
quired by the city year later, was
constructed of wood. It was not until
that bridge had been renewed cou-
pie Of times, and until, in July, 1905,
the structure finally was condemned,
that the council decided to build of
steel, at a cost not to exceed $50. 900.
BY the Spring of 1906 the Pacific
Bridge company of Portland had COM
pleted the bridge, practically as it
stands today, for $27,625.
"But wooden bridge looked good
to us in the early 'nineties," declared
A. j. West. WED had a surfeit of
boating. Before we built the Heron
street toll bridge, there was not a
stream in Chehalis county that could
be crossed except by boat or ford
l doubt If there was foot bridge over
creek even.
II recall my first trip into this coun-
try. 1t cost me more than $50 to
travel from Olympia to Montesano;
and that was largely because could
mt ford the Satsop in the livery rig
l had hired at Olympia, but must hire
another rig at Elma to use for the
drive to Montesano. From Monte
sano l took boat down the river to
Aberdeen. That was the first Of three
trips l made from Michigan before
settled here" .a,ss,,.
Mr.. West, native Of Ireland. came
to America as q child Of five years.
He resided in Ontario. Canada, until
his early manhood, settling in Mich.
gan in 1868. There he spent. the next
20 years, in the lumber business.
Found Ideal Climate Here. i;
II was looking for a healthful cli-
mate when l first came to Grays Har-
Dor in the Spring of 49," he said.
"A second trip, later in that year, al.
most convinced me that Grays Harbor
had the climate was. seeking, and in
February, 'S4,I made the trip that
finally decided me. l had seen this
country at all seasons. On that last
trip l acquired my. mill site. from
Sam Benn and built.
"Well, it was not until 1890 that
Charles R. Wilson, Sam Benn, John
G. Lewis and his partner, Reuben H.
Evans, and I were ready to build q
bridge. At any time in the two years
we operated it we were as anxious to
sell as was the Irishman in the old
story to be rid Of the mare; just
as anxious, in fact, as I have been,
any time in the past ten years, to
get rid Of the Chehalis river toll
bridge. Taking one month with an
other, we cleared from $12 to ST
apiece-say an average of SIS net a
month-from that old Heron street
bridge.
Il was regarded by the public as
toll bridge owner, and that per-
sonage is not apt to be popular in any
town. AS owner of the Chehalis river
toll bridge, Of course, I have been
just about as popular with those who
must pay the tolls. That was not
my reason for wanting to sell. l
built that bridge because there seem.
ed none other to build it. I had to
charge tolls, as we did over the first
Heron street bridge, because l was
not rich enough to make such an in
vestment with no returns. Neverthe-
less, the bridge ought to be free to
the public; and, while my franchise
was for fifty years, have always
stood ready to return that franchise
to the city and to hand over the
bridge, without holding the city up on
its purchase"
That Aberdeen city councils, in the
past were no more prone to suspect
Mr.. West Of anything but the fairest
of motives than was the present city