Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-02-25
YELM PEOPLE
WANT St. CLAIR
ROAD CUTOFF
Community Is Isolated From
County Seat and State
Capital
HAS BETTER TACOMA
ROAD CONNECTION
Will Have to Resort to Secession II
Communication Is Not
Improved
Yelm Wash, Feb. %, 1921.
olvmpia Daily Standard.

Yelm Wash, Feb. 20, 1921.
Olympia Daily Standard.
Gentlemen:
We have been told that the columns
of your paper are open to the Yelrl
people for discussion of the Yelm-
Olympia road controversy. II this is
true / desire to inform the citizens
OF Thurston and Pierce counties just
how the Yelm people feel on this sub
statements which are floating around
the country.
From Yelm to Olympia via air line
is 1871 miles. Via Chambers Prairie
is 20 miles of dirt and gravel road,
IL miles Of which is very bad. Via
present st. Clair route is 81 miles,
nine miles of which is very bad dirt
road and IL miles Of pavement. Via
St. Clair cutoff is Is miles, consist
ing Of eight miles Of dirt road and
10 miles OF pavement. Some OF our
citizens are using this route now and
with the exception of the one mile
section on which the Thurston coun-
" commissioners cancelled the con-
tract, tbs is our best route at the
present time.
Figuring one thousand dollars per
mile for repairing dirt road, the
Chambers Prairie road will cost $751;
900, and the present st. Clair road
$4,000. Either one is longer than
the cutoff, while the Chambers road
IL all dirt road and the present St.
Clair route has dangerous 25 per
cent grade approaching the highway.
We figure the cost Of the st. Clair
cutoff us follows: One and one
fourth miles of new road at $1,000
per mile and six and three-fourths
miles Of dirt road repaired at $1,000
per mile, is $4,000, and by using
the present grade crossing over the
Northern Pacific double track tempo
rarily this is all that is necessary TO
expend at present and would shorten
the route by more than two miles and
have maximum grade Of per cent
when the Embarrassing is completed.
Now you have been told that this
crossing must be concrete, at an esti-
mated cost Of more than $4,000.
This may be true, but there tea sim
liar crossing operating less than two
miles above this location which is
built on piling, and costing only a
fraction Of the amount named In the
above estimate. Pr &
Assuming that the structure must
be Of concrete, the estimate referred
to is made by the N. P. railway on
the basis of wartime prices, and fur
thermore the railway company must
pay at least so per cent of the cost
Of this structure. There is an over
head crossing approximately one-half
mile above this point and two grade
crossings nearby which can be elm
mated by the construction OF the
contemplated new embarrassing.
BY eliminating these crossings the
Northern Pacific can no doubt be per-
suaded 70 stand a much larger per-
centage of the cost of the under
crossing. Reduce this estimate to
present costs and eliminate the three
crossings and you have a structure
costing not over $4,000. of which
the railway company will pay at
least so per cent, leaving only $4,000
Tor the county. II this amount can
not be appropriated for this purpose
In two years 1t is because the men N
charge Of the funds do not want 1t
DONE
The Yelm people. are not divided
on this subject and they are not
blufing. They want the St. Clair
cut-oh. They want the one and one
fourth miles of new road built at
once and the balance of the road re-
paired and embarrassing built as
soon as funds can be had to do SO.
AT mass meeting on February 10
70 persons present voted unanimous
~ to stick for this road or support a
petition to annex this community to
rlerce county. II further proof OF
the attitude of the Yelm people is
necessary, we will have petition
bearing the signatures OF 500 voters
VI this community lining up solidly
!or the st. Clair cutoff, in very few
days
The first four miles of the three
routes mentioned in this letter, start
ing from this end, are identical. The
next four miles more persons are
served by the st. Clair route than via
onambers Prairie. Putting the bulk
VI the traffic over the short line Will
make the other roads much easier
maintained, offsetting to some extent
sne cost Of construction. The 1920
'e'y agains this district for road and