USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 68
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 68
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 68
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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ware stores, two tin shops, three agricultural imple- ment stores, two photograph galleries, one gun- smith shop, two jewelry stores, two harness and saddlery stores, two inillinery stores, one boot and shoe store, three cobbler stores, two tailor shops, one sash and door factory, three furniture stores, nine ice houses, five blacksmith shops, three wagon making shops, two printing offices (hand power), one printing office (steam power), three job print- ing offices, one fire engine house, one brick court- house, one public library, one coal yard, two wood yards, three carpenter shops, two paint shops, two butcher shops, one fish market, one bank in opera- tion, one bank to begin operation January 1, 1888, one express office, one telegraph office, one rail- road depot, Northern Pacific Railroad roundhouse and machine shops, one flouring mill, three lumber yards, two sewing machine agents' offices, two Chi- nese stores, seven Chinese laundries, one real estate and mining office, one real estate and insurance office, six doctors' offices, ten lawyers' offices, four dressmakers, one loan and trust company's office, three express wagons, three drays, seven fire insur- ance agents, two hospitals, two billiard halls, one dental office, one Masonic hall, one Odd Fellows' hall, one Presbyterian church building and acad- emy, one M. E. church building, one Christian and one Catholic church building, one public school.
"There are seventy pupils in attendance at the academy ; 250 children of school age in the city, and 150 in attendance at the public graded school.
"The following churches and fraternal organi- zations are represented in the city: Methodist church, membership 25; Presbyterian, 50; Chris- tian, 60; Catholic, 173; Masonic lodge, 47; chap- ter Royal Arch Masons, 22; Odd Fellows, 43; G. A. R., 45; A. O. U. W., II; United Order of Honor, 21.
"Among the most important improvements of the year may be mentioned the water ditch, three miles in length, constructed by Messrs. Shoudy & Tjossem to furnish water power for their new flour- ing mill. This ditch is supplied from the Yakima river, and affords. a motive force of 300-horse power, 80-horse power only being necessary for running the mill. The remaining 220-horse power can be easily applied to various beneficial city pur- poses. This, taken in connection with Wilson creek, running directly through our city, and the large Ellensburg ditch, taken from the Yakima river and passing within less than half a mile above our town, constitute resources of water supply excelled by few if any cities in our territory."
It was during the second month of the year 1887 that the present brick courthouse was finished. The work was done by Contractor John Nash for a consideration of $15,000, and was accepted by the county February 28th.
The achievements of 1887 were, however, dwarfed by those of 1888. During the latter year the population more than doubled. The real estate
transfers for the first ten months aggregated $560,- 000. The number of houses erected in the same period were 213 and it was thought that twenty more would be added to the list during the fall. Nine brick blocks and one of cut stone were erected, namely, the Ellensburg National Bank building, two stories, costing $8,000; Shoudy & Cadwell's, 60 by 120 feet, $2,000; E. P. Cadwell's brick store- room, west of the Johnson house, $5,000; E. R. Cadwell's brick hotel, three stories, 60 by 120 feet, $25,000; Ben E. Snipes & Company's stone build- ing, two and a half stories, 30 by 70, cost $20,000; the Masonic temple, 35 by 70, to cost $10,000; the Odd Fellows' brick block, 60 by 70, to cost $12,000; Mrs. Durgen's building, 32 by 62, cost $6,000; the Lynch block, 60 by 120, $20,000; the new opera house, three stories, 60 by 120, $25,000. The amount expended for dwelling houses during the same period was estimated at $175,000.
But Ellensburg's career of rapid development suffered a sudden and terrible check during the summer of 1889, the same year in which Seattle and Spokane had their awful baptisms of flame. At 10:30 P. M., July 4th, the dread tones of the fire bell called the attention of all to the fact that J. S. Anthony's grocery store on the east side of Main street, between Fourth and Fifth, was on fire. Forthwith the people began the unequal battle, but as a furious gale was blowing at the time and water was scarce, the fight was hopeless from the start. The store melted like wax; the adjoining build- ings, all frame structures and às dry as tinder, soon caught and shared a similar fate. Nothing with- stood the progress of the flames toward the north, until they reached Nash's brick building, which effectually stayed their progress in that direction. The buildings to the southward and eastward of the starting place did not escape, however. By the time the fire had reached the brick and stone build- ings, it was hot enough to consume these like so much straw. "On the south side of Main it soon swept over Armstrong's and Imbrie's offices to O. B. Castle's keg house; thence across Fourth to the Localizer office, carrying everything along Main on either side of the street with the exception of Blu- mauer & Son's store, Spencer's lodging house, Gass & Ramsey's and the saddlery store. Main street was swept to First, but the gale being from the northwest, the fire spread more rapidly to the south- east. All the saloons on the north side of Fourth above the keg house crumbled before it like egg shells, as did Gross's and Davidson's offices, Louis Herman's store, the old Johnson house and the Ashler. Here the fire was terrific, the roar of the flames being as deafening as a storm at sea." The Geddis block, Snipes & Company's bank and the Davidson block all inelted away before the fury of the devouring element, and the only hope of the buildings south and east was gone. They soon be- came enveloped in a sea of fire.
"By superhuman effort," says a paper of the time,
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"the Lynch block, the Ellensburg National Bank, the old City hotel and all that portion of the city between Pearl and Fifth and the Presbyterian Academy was saved from destruction. The great- est effort was made to save the City hotel, directly opposite the Masonic temple, on Fourth and Pine. The water supply, meager enough at first, was now almost exhausted, but men got on top of the build- ing with hose and a constant stream was kept flow- ing over the roof and down the sides until the Tem- ple fire had ceased and danger from that direction no longer threatened. This effort saved the north side of Fourth street, the Baptist church, the pub- lic school building and at least fifty other build- ings.'
While it is hardly possible to compile a complete list of the buildings destroyed, such a list would certainly include the following :
The Ashler brick block, old Johnson house, Ged- dis block, Odd Fellows' hall, Masonic hall, Snipes & Company's bank, Willis & Bryant's store, Oak Hall restaurant, Becker & Cox's meat market, Kit- titas meat market, Ames drug store, Bull block, Ifstiger house, Shurer's blacksmith shop, Meagh- er's house, former residence and office of Dr. Hen- ton, Leonard & Ross's real estate office, City bakery, the old post-office, the Oriental, Kreidel's store, Ad- ler's barber shop, Stevenson's gun store, Davidson's block, Davidson & McFalls block, Davis & Adams's meat market, Anthony's store, Elliott's residence, Imbrie's real estate office, Armstrong's office, the keg house, Localizer office, Ramos & Meagher's office, Caro's clothing house, Round's barber shop, DeBord's barber shop, grocery store, Capital res- taurant, Lyon's saloon, New Corner, Old Corner, Shoudy's block, Chinatown, Capital drug store, Perry's drug store, Lapointe's real estate office, John Geiger's tailor shop, Wood's barber shop, Wynmann's confectionery, Rehmke's jewelry store, Bushnell's photograph gallery, Peed's harness shop, Peterson's saloon, Cascade saloon, Gross's insur- ance and real estate office, Davidson's law office, Louis Herman's clothing store, Davidson & Mc- Falls' law offices, Board of Trade rooms, Walter & Company's offices, Stewart, Wilkins & Company, Dr. Richardson's, Dr. Newland's, Dr. Gray's, Hare & Wallace's, Dr. Musser's, Dyer's agricultural warehouse, Fish block, new post-office, Johnson's stables, Tacoma lodging house, four small dwell- ings belonging to W. W. Fish, Isabella block, Fogarty's store, Bennett's store and warehouse, D. G. C. Baker's two residences, Oldham's blacksmith shop, the Beebe residence, Lloyd Mercantile Com- pany block, Mrs. Schnebly's residence, Holbrook boarding house, four Chinese wash houses, Chaf- fee's residence, Thompson's residence, Crawford's cigar factory, Harmon's dry goods store, Klein- berg's clothing store, Travers Brothers' hardware establishment, Pearson's place, the old Senate, the Tivoli, Delmonico restaurant, Dexter stables, Cali- fornia stables, three houses of Walters & Company,
one stable of Walters & Company, the county super- intendent of schools' office with all records and papers.
A partial list of the various losses by individ- uals and companies, with the insurance in each case, was compiled by the Ellensburg Capital at the time, as follows :
E. C. Price, $500. insurance $500; S. Pearson, $4,000, insurance $2,100; Dr. Bean, $600; D. Dammon, $100; Alsip & Son, $250; W. H. Old- ing, $1,000; Henry Weinmann, $1,500; W. W. Fish, $2,000; A. J. Gaumer, $200; M. E. church, $6,coo, insurance $1,500; Rev. Maxwell, $500; M: Sautter, $4,000, insurance $1,000; Chaffee, $2,500; J. E. Donney, $1,500; Mrs. McMillan, $1,500, insurance light; Bossong & Company, $3,500, insurance $1,500; D. W. Morgan, $2,500, insurance $1,500; post-office, $500; Patrick Lynch, $1,200; Thornton & Canfield, $1,200, insurance $600; M. C. Sprague, $1,000; W. H. Kanouse, $1,000, insurance $500; Ramos & Meagher, $300; Eaves & Company, $1,000; Mrs. DuFault, $400; Welty & Brown, C. W. Rhig, $3,000; O. Cote, $500; O. Croup, $400; Ames & McCarthy, $800; Hobdy Bros., $2,500, insurance $1,000; J. P. Flynn, $5,000, insurance $1,500; Henry Shuk, $1,000, insurance $500; John Burmaster, $500; Andrew Jenson, $800; T. Wilson, $2,500; W. Hall, $200; The Corner, $8,500; Delmonico res- taurant, $2,000; John Geiger, $5,000, insurance $2,000; Tivoli Theatre, $2,000; Dr. Musser, $150; Dr. P. P. Gray, $500; Odd Fellows, $15,000, in- surance $8,500; A. Wood, $2,000; Pruyn & Ready, $500; Willis & Bryant, $8,000, insurance $2,500; Price & Rhoads, $1,200; W. J. Dyer, $150: C. A. Bushnell, $1,000, insurance $400; Henry Rehmke, $16,000, insurance $8,000; C. F. Schroeder, $550, insurance $300; Dr. Hare, $600; J. E. Ryan, $3,000; W. A. Bull, $8,000; Mires & Graves, $3,000, insurance light; Waterworks, $1,000; L. W. Nestell, $550, insurance $500; L. A. Vincent, $200; Dr. I. N. Power, $400; L. Har- mon, $25,000, insurance $12,000; J. Estep, $400; Tacoma House, $1,000, insurance $400; Chinese houses, $2,000; I. C. Helm, $500; John Parrott, $4,000, insurance $3,000; Harry King, $500; Lyons & McCarthy, $8,000, insurance $2,500; Born- stein & Company, $3,000; Soda Works, $300; S. Caro, $9,000, insurance $2,500; O. B. Castle, $6,000, insurance $3,000; O'Meare & Williams, $3,000, insurance $1,200; G. A. Bailey, $200; W. L. Webb, $8,500, insurance $3,500; M. Weber, $1,000; Carruthers, $2,000 ; Dau, $8,000, insurance $2,000; D. G. C. Baker, $3,000, insurance $1,500; Mrs. F. A. Baker, $200; S. C. Davidson, $1,100, insurance $900; Gem restaurant, $2,500, insurance $1,000; S. L. Ames & Company, $5,000, insurance $2,000; R. Gowan, $1,200; J. T. Armstrong, $500; Judge Frank Rudkin, $200; J. B. Coleman, $14,000, insurance $7,500; J. S. Anthony, $6,000, insurance $4,000; Davis & Ad-
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ams, $1,000; Sullivan & Smith, $1,500, insurance $800; Joseph Adler, $1,000; John H. Smithson, $1,750; Jack Lyons, $5,000, insurance $1,500; A. Reustle, $800; Dan Richards, $300; L. Herman, $15,000, insurance $5,000; D. S. Crawford, $500; G. B. Henton & Company, $28,000, insurance $12,000; Field & Meyer, $1,000; S. R. Geddis, $30,000, insurance $16,000; Peterson & Company, $7,000, insurance $1,000; A. Stevenson, $2,000, in- surance $500; John Scott, $600; J. E. Belyea, $35,000, insurance $10,000; Jackson & Maloney, $1,000; McNeil & Wallace, $1,000; F. W. Ewing, $2,500; Dr. Croup, $400; J. B. Fogarty, $25,000, insurance $20,000; N. N. Brown, $5,000, insurance $1,300; Dr. E. L. Perry, $4,500, insurance $3,000; Simms & Boyle, $700; S. Creger, $10,000, insurance $5,000; Sig. Stencel, $11,000, insurance $5,500; P. Peterson, $5,000, insurance $2,000; J. J. Imbrie, $200; William Peed, $5,000, insurance $1,000; Mrs. Westfall, $700; Williams & McGuire, $10,000, insurance $5,000; Alfred Wood, $1,200, insurance $500; Capital band, $250; A. Long, $13,000, insurance $7,500; Charles L. Collins, $3,000, insurance $2,000; J. R. Love, $10,000, in- surance $2,000; W. G. Porter, $800, insurance $200; M. Gilliam, $1,000, insurance $500; G. E. Dixon, $2,000; Hinman & Geddis, $24,000, insur- ance $12,000; N. Todtman, $4,000, insurance $2,000; S. Kreidel, $25,000, insurance $18,000; Dr. T. J. Newland, $1,000; Benjamin E. Snipes, $35,000, insurance $10,000; Walters & Company, $7,500; Nelson Bennett, $38,000, insurance $15,000 ; Fred Agatz & Mrs. Wilson, $2,000, insurance $650; Fred Leonard, $7,000, insurance $3,000; Travers Brothers, $6,000, insurance $2,000; M. A. Schnebly, $15,000; Friend & Flynn, $5,000; Davidson & Mc- Falls, $500; J. B. Davidson, $4,500, insurance $2,500; Kleinberg Brothers, $20,000, insurance $15,000; Lloyd Mercantile Company, $40,000, in- surance $35,000; G. W. Hornbeck, $600; John A. Shoudy, $40,000, insurance $15,000; Electric Light Company, $3,000; J. Carter, $200; J. H. Grider, $500; J. Zounger, $200; W. H. Elliott, $1,500; A. S. Gross, $5,000, insurance $3,500; Localizer office, $2,500, insurance $1,000; E. P. Cadwell, $50,000, insurance $32,000; Spencer saloon, $1,500; Mrs. Schnebly, $4,000; Suver & Shingby, $1.500; J. T. McDonald, $2,000; Ifstiger House, $3,000; Mrs. Dr. Henton, $2,700; Dr. Beebe's dwelling, $3,000; Mr. Scow, $1,000; Wil- liam McGuire, $1,000, insurance $250; W. C. Bry- ant, $800; Mrs. Durgan, $300; MacMasters & Company, $1,800; W. W. Wolf, $2,600, insur- ance $1,500.
It has been estimated that the two hundred houses and ten brick blocks with their contents and all the other property destroyed by the fire were of an aggregate value of not less than two million dol- lars. Of course the distressed city was the recipi- ent of much sympathy and substantial assistance in the form of money, provisions, etc., from other
towns of the territory, so that actual want of the necessities of life did not exist.
Every disaster has its hero. The hero of the Ellensburg fire was D. A. Holbrook, who at the imminent risk of his life climbed to the third story of the Ashler block, while it was a mass of flames, for the purpose of rescuing a stranger supposed to be sick in one of the rooms. Holbrook escaped by descending a burning electric light pole, though not without serious injury to arms and face. But the Ellensburg fire developed more than one hero. In- deed one would almost conclude that the town pos- sessed a citizenship of heroes from the fortitude and courage with which all received the blow and set about recuperating from it. July 6th, the peo- ple held a rousing street meeting, at which several enthusiastic speeches were made, strongly urging the rebuilding of the city at once. By the 10th, carpenters, bricklayers, graders and laborers were busy in the burnt district clearing away the debris and laying the foundation for new blocks. Within ten days after the fire, work either on the plans or the actual construction of forty-three business blocks, averaging in cost $12,000 each, was under way, and the resurrection of Ellensburg had fairly begun.
It would seem that the courage and energy which would prompt a people to attempt the task of bringing a healthier, handsomer, more substan- tial city out of the wreck and ruins of past achieve- ments ought to meet with an abundant reward. Unfortunately, however, conditions are not always just in their treatment of individuals or communi- ties. For some time previous to the fire, Ellens- burg business men had been eagerly reaching out for the trade of the Big Bend country and the Con- connully region. While they were rebuilding and re-establishing their trading houses, their patrons to the north and east had to seek elsewhere for sup- plies and trade relationships were thus created which could not easily be broken up. But the fire occurred during a period of prosperity and overspeculation throughout the west. All over the state men were borrowing money freely and boldly banking on the future. The business men of Ellensburg naturally fell in with the spirit of the age, and erected costly buildings, filling them with heavy stocks for which, as time proved, there was no adequate demand. The result was commercial disaster and hard times.
Thursday, December 26, 1889, the large whole- sale and retail mercantile house of Lloyd Brothers closed its doors. Immediately afterward came the failure of a small confectionery business owned by Shaver & Brown. February 13, 1890, the doors of George B. Henton & Company, dealers in general merchandise, were closed, and early in April two more failures occurred. Nor was there cessation of losses by accident in the town. February 24th the public school building was burned to the ground, entailing a loss of about $4,000, $2,500 of which was, however, covered by insurance. On
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April 14th, the roundhouse and machine shops caught fire and before the department could reach the scene the flames had gained such an advantage that nothing could be done but to wet down the surrounding buildings and prevent the spread of the fire. Throughout all these multiplied disasters the people battled bravely against depression and busi- ness stagnation. The railway company rebuilt the roundhouse and the city at once sold its bonds for money to build a new schoolhouse. It also boldly purchased the electric light plant for $34,000, and voted the issue of $200,000 worth of municipal bonds for the purpose of constructing water works, a sewerage system, etc. By this activity, the erec- tion of new buildings by lodges and individuals, the organized efforts of the board of trade and everything that could be done by the friends of Ellensburg were insufficient to stem the tide which was setting in against them, and throughout the year 1891 dull times prevailed.
The year 1892 was no better; indeed, the con- ditions were far from good in the valley generally. The assertion has been made and frequently reiter- ated that in 1892 there were only twelve pieces of deeded land in the county that were free from mort- gage. The year 1893, as everybody knows, brought widespread distress and disaster and financial strin- gency. Ellensburg was especially ill prepared for the hard times and suffered perhaps more than most other towns of the state, the Snipes failure, hereto- fore referred to, adding immeasurably to the gen- eral gloom. Progress of any kind was out of the question; indeed the four years of hard times were a period of retrogression rather, in Ellensburg, as in most other towns of the west.
With the general business revival in 1897 came a commercial quickening in Ellensburg also. Crops and prices were good that year and of course the business men of the town came in for a share of the benefit. They showed their readiness to join the forward march in good earnest by organizing a commercial club to look after the local interests. The officers of this body were as follows: Presi- dent, R. B. Wilson; first vice president, E. C. Wheeler; second vice president, W. H. Talbott ; treasurer, H. S. Elwood; directors, G. E. Dickson, T. W. Farrell, F. Hart, J. Van Dyk, O. M. Lati- mer, C. V. Warner, E. T. Barden, M. R. Weed, P. H. W. Ross, I. N. Power.
The record of 1898 was still better than that of its predecessor, though its advent found the juvenile population of the town and some of the older people suffering from an epidemic of measles. In February a chinook wind blowing over the foot and a half of snow which covered the valley caused a sudden flood which occasioned much inconveni- ence to residents on the flat between Water street and the depot, but nothing of serious consequence' occurred to mar the happiness of the people or cause a halt in the progressive march. During the fall of 1898 the Northern Pacific Railroad Company
did a larger volume of business from the Ellens- burg depot than ever before, the shipments aggre- gating 257 cars in October as against 107 for the same month of the preceding year.
A memorable event of 1899 was the robbing on November Ist of the jewelry store of Henry Rehmke & Brother on Fourth street. At 12:20 o'clock, P. M., William Rehmke locked the store and started to dinner. Fifteen minutes later, his brother Henry returned and discovered that in the interim a robber had effected an entrance and car- ried away some valuable jewelry. Investigation showed that he had bored three auger holes near the knob of the outside back door with intent to reach in and slip the bolt, but failing in this, had pried off the casing. Thus he entered the room in the rear of the store, whence, by similar means, he made his way to where the valuables were. Having helped himself to the high priced goods in the front of the store, he departed without molesting the cheaper articles in the least. A few solid gold watches were also left and a small number of charms and lockets set with diamonds, also the cash in the drawers. The gold, silver and gold filled watches, the watch movements, the diamond and plain gold rings, with all the other jewelry taken, aggregated in value about $3,000.
Sheriff Brown was immediately notified and soon vigorous efforts to capture the midday burglar were inaugurated. Next day at Cle-Elum, the sheriff arrested a man who was pointed out to him as having pawned two watches and some rings. Having landed the suspect in jail at Roslyn, he sent for Mr. Rehmke, who soon arrived. After a vig- orous cross-examination by the jeweler and the sheriff, the man finally admitted the crime, telling where the plunder was hidden in a sack. It was found, identified by Rehmke, and brought back to Ellensburg.
The burglar, who gave his name as John Her- man, was in due time arraigned before the superior court, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.
The second month of the year 1900 was fruit- ful of one serious disaster to Ellensburg. The evening of the 13th, Tjossem & Son's flouring mill, an excellent, well-equipped plant, was completely destroyed by fire. Nothing was saved except the books and a few other articles that were in the office, but by heroic efforts the fire was prevented from spreading to the warehouse or to the several cars loaded with hay which were standing near. In the mill at the time of its destruction were 1,300 barrels of flour, and between six and seven thou- sand bushels of grain. The total loss was esti- mated at $17,000, insurance $5,000. The mill had been entered on the 17th of the preceding month and robbed of about $300 in cash, besides some val- uable papers.
This was the last serious conflagration in the town, though during the night of July 10, 1901,
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there was a fire of some magnitude in the furniture store of Trip & Jackson, in the Honolulu block, which did considerable damage to the stock and the building. At one time during 1902 apprehension was felt lest the railway should strike a serious blow at the town by making Cle-Elum the division ter- minus in its stead, but the company on mature de- liberation concluded to let things remain as they were. It is needless to say that Ellensburg has been making the most of the good times of the past few years. Its growth has been steady and substantial, though not phenomenal. The country around it has enjoyed many blessings, in the way of splendid crops and high prices, and the effect on the town's prosperity has been immediate and pervading. It would seem that Ellensburg has conquered the evil fate with which it at one time seemed to be strug- gling, and that it is now ready to enjoy in peace the development and prosperity which belong to it as the central city of so rich, extensive and well favored a valley.
The Ellensburg of to-day is a substantial, pros- perous, modern metropolis, with approximately 3,000 inhabitants, within whose gates progress and stability are at once strikingly apparent. The city is favored with the same healthy climate which blesses the remainder of the county. According to the report of the United States Geological Survey, it is 1570 feet above sea level.
Perhaps no two things contribute so much to a community's healthfulness as an abundant supply of pure water and good drainage, and in possessing these Ellensburg is fortunate. In 1889 the first water system was installed by the Capitol Hill Water Works Company, consisting of B. E. Craig, president; C. A. Sanders, vice president; W. R. Abrams, treasurer; and P. H. Ross, secretary. This company was succeeded in 1892 by the Ellens- burg Water Supply Company, which at present owns the system, supplying the city with most of its water. The gravity system is in use. Water is taken directly from Wilson creek, two and a half miles northeast of town, though the company has three reserve reservoirs on Craig's hill, capable of storing between three and four million gallons, which water is conveyed into the city through twenty-inch wooden mains. An average fire press- ure of 65 pounds to the square inch is obtained at the corner of Pearl and Fourth streets. The com- pany receives no pay from the city for the privi- leges granted. Julius C. Hubbell is manager of the water company. In the year 1889, also, City Engi- neer W. P. Mason began installing the fine sewer system which thoroughly drains the city. This sys- tem is modeled after that adopted by the city of Memphis, Tennessee, after the yellow fever scourge of 1877, which converted that city from one of the unhealthiest into one of the healthiest cities in the world. Ellensburg is said to have been one of the first cities in Washington to adopt a sewer system.
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