The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-03-06

Congressman Smith presents the
facts in a manner that should impress
the department with the justice of
this demand for daily mail service
and insure the acceptance of one of
the bids now on file. The letter from
the people of Murray to Congressman
Smith follows:
The Need Is Urgent
The undersigned residents of Muir
ray, Shoshone county, Idaho, beg to
call your attention to our urgent need
of a daily mail service to and from
this town, with the earnest wish that
you may he able to present condi-
tons to the proper authorities in such
a manner that they will let mail
contract covering such service.
Murray, once the county seat OF
Shoshone county, the center Of bust
ness and mining activity of the fam
Gus Occur d'Alene, suffered a relapse
when the placer deposits were no
longer easily worked by individuals
was transferred to Wallace, and Muir
ray became isolated surrounded by
mountains and shut in by heavy win
ter SHOWS.
"Then came the period of prospect
ing for the deposits in hard rock
gold silver, lead, zinc, tungsten, etc,
and their gradual development re-
Iquiring capital and improved trans
portation facilities With the build
ing of railroad into Murray and to
the promising lead mines further up
Prichard creek capital was more
readily interested in the Murray field,
and the historic old town took on new
life, and proceeded to come back
Flood Destroyed Railroad.
The flood of May 1917, took out
much of the railroad between Murray
and Prichard, but the railroad was re-
built during the summer and Murray
enjoyed mail service and good trans
portation facilities until December
1917 when an unprecedented flood
practically wiped out the tracks from
the mines at the upper end of the
branch all the way to Prichard sta
ton, six miles below Murray. There
appears no immediate probability Of
rebuilding this IL miles of the line.
TN summer we enjoy good wagon
roads to Prichard, with its irregular
~, 80 i,, ,,,l,;1 he
two divides in the 20 miles intervening
between Murray and Wallace are
readily negotiated by automobiles.
However, in winter the SHOWS shut Us
in; with no regular traffic to wallace
the roads drift in and become at times
impossible. If a person is called by
urgent business or sickness to Wal
lace on Friday. he must wait until
Monday noon to get the train at Pri-
chard, and then is perforce absent
from Murray for three days before
train service and slow freight stage
from Prichard bring him back to
Murray
Why Service Is Needed.
Besides the unquestioned need of
daily mail for its own sake, which is |
keenly felt by the various active en-
terprises, OF Murray, and for shipmen. |
of gold bullion, express and perish
ables; the daily travel of the mail !
stage in winter to Wallace would of |
necessity keep road open over the |
SUBMITS, and facilitate transportation |
of supplies and passengers at all
times direct to and from Wallace. AS
the train service is subject at times to
long Interruptions, an open sleigh road /
to Wallace is essential 1t required
over a week after the flood of De-
cember, 1917, destroyed the railroad,
Murray provisions had dropped close
to the zero mark
Apparently realizing some of these
the postoffice department
recently advertised for bids for mail
service six times a week between
Murray and Wallace. Apparently the
bids submitted We're considered too
nigh, and were not accepted, new bids
being called for at the present writ
ng.
Costs Are High.
1--WE trust that the postoffice depart