History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I, Part 91

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1134

USA > Washington > Benton County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 91
USA > Washington > Kittitas County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 91
USA > Washington > Yakima County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 91

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One important fact regarding this fund should not be lost sight of, namely, that it will be expended in a broad and generous spirit characteristic of miners. Primarily it is intended to relieve miners and their families in distress but it may also be used for the relief of others in needed cases. President Flyzik will be here Saturday morning from Seattle to consult regarding the distribu- tion of such funds. The miners have suggested to Mayor Balmer that he name a committee of citizens to act jointly with their committee in distributing relief funds, throwing all relief money sent here into one general relief fund. This is their plan. The Northwestern Improvement Company has offered a $2,000 contribution to the relief fund with the sole stipulation that the miners shall have equal representation on any board distributing it and other contributions will likely come to Cle Elum. We can see no reason why such a plan for co- operation between the miners and others for relief purposes cannot be worked out in a satisfactory and mutually advantageous way, particularly as many people besides miners suffered from the fire and need and must have assistance. Some counter proposals have been made, including the decision of the mayor that the civic relief committee of the local Red Cross organization shall have charge of all relief work in future.

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As the United Mine Workers in this state have between 4,500 and 5,000 members and more than 400,000 in the United States, and every one of whom has received official notice of the fire here and a call for aid, the power of that organization to help Cle Elum at this time is worth serious thought.

The coal industry is the foundation of Cle Elum's existence, and it is therefore of interest historically to recall that in 1894 a company consisting of Oscar James, Isaac Davis, Charles Hamer, and James Smith, made a bargain with Mr. Gamble to run a shaft on his place for the purpose of a test of the coal deposits. They had a forty-year lease on the place and did a considerable amount of construction work. In 1900, the Northwestern Improvement Com- pany acquired the lease, and immediately made large improvements, as a result of which the mines have come to be one of the greatest factors in the busi- ness of the county.

CLE ELUM HISTORY

We learn from the city clerk, O. O. Haltern, certain valuable and interest- ing facts about the municipal history of Cle Elum. The city government was organized February 19, 1902. The first officers and councilmen were as follows :

Date of formation of city government, February 19, 1902. First mayor, clerk, treasurer, and other officers, and council: Thomas L. Gamble, mayor ; councilmen : M. C. Miller, Robert Thomas, D. B. Burcham, Elijah Kermeen, Maro P. Kay ; treasurer, Alonzo E. Emerson. The last named was also clerk.

The present mayor and officers and councilmen are these: J. A. Balmar, mayor ; O. O. Haltern, clerk ; F. Duffy, treasurer; J. V. Hoeffler, attorney ; D. B. Perrow, street and water commissioner; S. E. Bunker, chief of police; L. Bunker and J. Arnold, policemen : councilmen, J. Lanigan, J. Schober, J. Wol- cott, M. Kauzlarich, S. E. Enright, M. P. Kay, A. Reese.

We obtain from the "Echo" of November 8, 1918, a statement of the results of the primary election just closed.

"W. F. Lewis, who in the past has served the city several times as mayor, will in all likelihood be Cle Elum's next mayor, as with only one ticket in the field he defeated A. J. Schele Tuesday at the primaries by a vote of 264 to 115. Neither candidate made his stand on a regular election platform and the cam- paign was devoid of exciting features on this account. The regular election, December 3d, will present only one candidate to vote for and if there is any further falling off in the number of voters who express themselves, election clerks will be put to it to keep from believing that they have not been deceived as to the date of the election. When Judge Trucano, inspector of the Second ward, finished counting the ballots last Tuesday night in the city hall, he could scarcely believe that only 251 votes had been cast for mayor in view of Clerk Haltern's assertion that 732 were registered in that ward. With no opposition on election day it will be dull indeed, merely a rubber stamp endorsement of the primaries.

"Quite a contest started a few days ago for the clerkship but Gwynn Davies found the sticker path a most difficult one to follow and Oscar Haltern was renominated by about the same majority as Lewis. R. A. Wilcox polled a

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much higher vote against J. V. Hoeffler but was still behind fifty-seven votes at the final count. C. L. Kelso had no opposition for the treasurership.

"For councilman there were two contests and both were won by decisive majorities. In the First ward Lou Carr defeated M. A. Schultz by twenty- seven votes and in the Second ward Dom. Crosetti won handily over E. F. Davis by even a larger majority. John Lanigan was renominated councilman- at-large without opposition and James Wolcott had no opposition in the First ward for the two-year term as councilman. Both are now on the council. In the Second ward Aaron Reese, now on the council, and Mike Padavich were nominated also without opposing candidates. Both are up for four-year terms. Carr gets the four-year term in the First ward.

"The registration in the First ward was 280 according to the city clerk's figures and in the Second ward 732, with a total of only 379 votes cast for mayor, or practically thirty-seven per cent.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

"First ward-Mayor, Schele, 35, Lewis 93; city clerk, Haltern 94, Davies 30; city treasurer, Kelso 97 ; city attorney, Hoeffller 79, Wilcox 47; councilman- at-large, Lanigan 110; councilman, four-year term, Schultz 49, Carr 76; coun- cilman, two-year term, Wolcott 95, Schober 1, Miller 1.

"Second ward-Mayor, Lewis 171, Schele 80; city clerk, Davies 79, Haltern 166; city treasurer, Kelso 207, Ben Pays 1, Mrs. Pays 1; city attorney, Wilcox 118, Hoeffler 143; councilman-at-large, Lanigan 236; councilman, four-year term, Padavich 179, Reese 176; councilman, two-year term, Davis 65, Crosetti 173.

"Matt Kauzlarich is the only councilman now in service who holds over. He is from the First ward."

We derive also from Mr. Haltern some miscellaneous information of valtte. Cle Elum has a municipal water system derived from two sources. One, com- pleted in 1903, conveys water from mountain springs four miles distant. The other, established in 1907, carries a supply from a point on the Cle Elum River, nine miles distant.

We find several churches, though they suffered sadly in the great fire and are at the present time somewhat disorganized. The Catholic Church, of which Rev. Father Alfred Gendreau is pastor, lost their building in the fire, but are rebuilding. Rev. E. L. Powlesland is pastor of the Baptist Church. There is a Methodist Church, but at the present time without a pastor. Rev. Mr. Stewart is the Presbyterian minister, but the church was destroyed in the fire. There is also a Greek Catholic organization, but the building was burned and there is now no pastor.

"THE CLE ELUM ECHO"

There is a fine local weekly paper, the "Cle Elum Echo," from which we have already quoted, edited and managed by Harry B. Averill, and published by The Miner-Echo Publishing Company, a paper that would be a credit to a much larger city.

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LODGES

Several fraternal societies have lodges, but all of them lost their homes in the great fire of July. The Masonic Lodge No. 139, of which J. Williams is secretary, is now rebuilding its lost place of meeting. The Odd Fellows have a lodge, of which J. Brown is secretary. The Knights of Pythias are also repre- sented and J. Schober is secretary. The Red Men have a lodge, and Joe Schober is secretary. H. Burge is secretary of the local aerie of Eagles. The Foresters, Italian lodge, Slavonian lodge, and Moose Lodge No. 683, are also found.

SCHOOLS

Cle Elum has schools which are a just object of pride to the town. We learn from Prof. G. I. Wilson, city superintendent, that the high school was initiated in September, 1909. The building bore the name, High School-1904, but as a matter of fact there was no work beyond the grades until 1909. The present school board consists of M. W. Davies, C. S. Enright, and Joseph Schober. The principal of the high school is Herman Pfeifer. In the year closing with June, 1918, there were enrolled 685 pupils. The fire was the cause of so many people leaving the place as to diminish the opening attendance of the Fall of 1918 by nearly two hundred.

The traveler sees on every side in Cle Elum signs of the ravages of the fire, but the courage and enterprise of the citizens are equally in evidence, and the town is steadily rebuilding. Before the fire the population of Cle Elum was estimated at 3,650.

One of the most interesting features of Cle Elum is the rose garden and greenhouse of Mayor J. A. Balmer. This is the foremost enterprise of the kind in the entire Yakima Valley. Professor Balmer was for several years one of the faculty of the State College at Pullman. His department was biology and he was an authority on floriculture. Becoming convinced that a profitable and attractive business might be created in the production of roses he studied the question of location and decided that Cle Elum had advantages over any other point in the state. He therefore established himself there about eighteen years ago, and has found his judgment amply vindicated by the results. The peculiar advantages of which Professor Balmer availed himself were these. He secured a tract of land on the south side of a rocky hill, thus insuring heat, with a fine stream flowing through.

His place is within a quarter of a mile of the mouth of a coal mine and he can secure coal at the lowest wholesale rates. By the Northern Pacific Rail- road and more recently by the Milwaukee, he has quick and frequent transit both ways, to Spokane eastward and to the Sound cities westward. His main market is Seattle. His specialty is the choicest of rose buds, and he has never yet been able to keep up with the demand for his rose products.

ROSLYN

From Cle Elum we may proceed by rail or auto, or as we may please, on the highway, to the larger twin of the King Coal family, Roslyn. A branch of

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the Northern Pacific Railroad was completed from Cle Elum to the earlier coal mines, about four miles distant, in November, 1886. There has been a paved highway for many years joining the two towns. But though twins to all intents and purposes-though Roslyn is somewhat older and larger-these lusty offspring of their sooty-faced progenitor are as unlike as twins well could be. The traveler rubs his eyes as he penetrates into the environs of Roslyn and wonders where he is. Cle Elum, though a lumber and mining town, was laid out and built after the usual American fashion, but Roslyn-one would certainly think that he was in a Pennsylvania or Colorado mining center. The narrow, crooked streets, the little houses perched up on top of rocky hills, the sidewalks upon stilts or twisting around the sides of gulches, the cosmopolitan population,-all the sights compose a view so utterly unlike anything else in the entire Yakima Valley as to be like a section of another world accidentally dropped down.

Roslyn has had essentially the same reason for existence and the same basic industries and largely the same racial composition as Cle Elum, but con- ditions of site and growth have caused the wide divergence in building and appearance.

A creek, with not so foreign a name as many of the inhabitants, being nothing more singular than Smith Creek, descends from the ragged hills to the Yakima. In the broken region onward toward the lakes there was much prospecting in early days, at first for gold and silver. Indications of coal appeared, but they seem at first to have attracted little attention. According to J. B. Menzies in an article in the "Coast" for May, 1908, which we have quoted elsewhere, the first prospecting was done in 1881 under the supervision of Mr. Baily Willis, "though coal had been discovered some years earlier." Nis Jensen mined the first coal in 1885 and hauled it to Ellensburg. In 1886 a party of Northern Pacific Railroad engineers explored the region, finding prospects that encouraged them to locate the branch line and make all prepara- tions for handling the output of the prospective coal mines. By the terms of the railroad land grant the company owned every other section. In pursuance of the usual policy of locating townsites, Mr. Logan M. Bullitt, vice president of the Northern Pacific Coal Company, platted a site on Section 17, Township 20 North, Range 15 East, just at the mouth of the mine which had been opened up. The filing papers were presented at Ellensburg on September 30, 1886. The name of Roslyn was selected by Mr. Bullitt, from the Summer home of William Cullen Bryant. The coal company was thus the practical proprietor of the new town, and of course made every effort to draw business and population.

A store, with its then indispensable adjunct, a saloon, was built by the company in August, 1886. Rather curiously the deeds of the company pro- hibited using any of the new lots as locations for saloons. The reason was not, however, to preserve the morals of the community, but to preserve their own monopoly. Other drinking places speedily grew up on lands outside of the company site, and as a final result the company ceased all efforts to enforce its original undertaking.

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FIRE AND STRIKE

It seems to be a part of the necessary history of mining towns that they have eras of crime and calamity. Roslyn has been no exception. The year 1888 was signalized by a destructive fire on June 22d, entailing a loss of $100,- 000. Later in the year the great strike in the mines, engineered by the Knights of Labor, shook the coal region from center to circumference. There was much loss on both sides and many acts of lawlessness which spread to Cle Elum and even affected conditions as far away as Ellensburg. Many negroes were imported as strike-breakers, and the traveler is surprised even now at meeting so large a number of negroes in Roslyn and to some degree in Cle Elum and even in Ellensburg, an unusual sight in eastern Washington.

In May, 1892, a terrible explosion of gas occurred in Mine No. 1, by which forty-five men lost their lives. Though it was claimed that the mine was pro- vided with every sort of improved safeguard and that the accident resulted from the criminal carelessness of a certain miner, the jury found the explosion to be due to deficient ventilation. The coal company finally compromised the damage suits brought against it, suffering a severe loss thereby.

BANK ROBBERY AT ROSLYN

A most spectacular tragedy occurred on September 24, 1892. This was the robbery of the Snipes' Bank, accompanied by murder. We find in the "Register" of Ellensburg for October 1st, so circumstantial an account of this that we incorporate it here.

"Register," October 1, 1892.

ROSLYN BANK ROBBED

$5,000 TAKEN BY THREE MEN IN BROAD DAYLIGHT-TWO MEN SHOT, THE CASHIER BEATEN-125 MEN ON TRAIL-TWO HORSES FOUND-$2,500 OFFERED FOR THEIR CAPTURE

Last Saturday afternoon at about 2 o'clock word was received here that six men had robbed the bank of Ben E. Snipes & Company at Roslyn. The robbers rode up to the door, three of them entering the bank, the others stand- ing guard outside.

Cashier Abernathy was writing when the first robber entered, and turned to wait on the supposed customer, but found himself facing a .45 Colt's revolver. Doctor Lyons, who had just entered after the highwayman, turned to go out, but instead dashed against a pair of Colts in the hands of the second robber. A third confederate entered, picked up Cashier Abernathy's revolver and knocked him down with it. He rose, his head streaming with blood, and was told to keep quiet if he wanted to live. The third man then walked to the safe, which was open, took out the coin and bills, shoved the money in a canvas bag and threw it over his shoulder. The three men then went out, joining two more men who had been stationed so as to guard all approaches.

F. A. Frasier, the assistant cashier, who was outside, grabbed a shotgun and made for the bank, but one of the robbers stopped his progress by placing

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a bullet in his hip. A colored man was shot in the leg and several others had narrow escapes. One of the robbers hield the reins of five splendid horses and as soon as the vault was looted, all mounted, fired up and down the street, put spurs to their horses and dashed away, disappearing on the trail over the moun- tains north of Roslyn.

The sheriff was notified and organized a large posse that immediately started in pursuit. Manager W. R. Abrams, of Snipes & Company, immedi- ately offered a reward of $1,000 for the apprehension of the robbers. This is supplemented by an offer of the same amount by Cashier Abernathy, and another of $500 by Governor Ferry.

The robbers were dressed as cowboys, and showed themselves to be expert horsemen and gun handlers, executing their plan in a manner that would have done credit to the James Boys.

Saturday was pay day at the Roslyn mines, and forty thousand dollars arrived from Tacoma that morning, which the robbers supposed had been deposited in the bank for distribution, though fortunately it had been taken to the company's office.

Three of the robbers were noticed by coal company officials at the depot in Cle Elum on Saturday morning at 5 o'clock, when the money to meet the payroll at the mines was transferred from the Northern Pacific car to the coach on the Roslyn branch. If the car had been raided at this time the band would have secured $40,000 more.

Pursuing parties were quickly organized at Cle Elum and Roslyn and took to the mountains on the trail of the robbers. At 7 o'clock three of the robbers came in contact with thirteen of the posse when an exchange of shots was had, but owing to darkness it is not known whether any of the robbers were hurt. The next morning three horses were found on the trail taken by the robbers and marks on them evidenced that they had been hard ridden. Later in the day two of them were identified as among the animals ridden by the robbers Saturday. The other horse was a pack animal equipped with a pack containing provender and wearing apparel.

The sheriff's posse with that of Detective M. C. Sullivan, numbers 125 men, organized in small detachments which have been moving on all the trails during the past week. Thursday the party consisting of P. C. McGrath, J. L. Banks, C. B. Pond and others returned, having been unsuccessful in finding any new trail of the robbers. The Roslyn party also returned the same day, reporting that they had followed the trail of the robbers, which followed the high ridges to a point east of Mount Stewart, where they found the remains of a fire where clothing had been burned, the ashes being yet warm. Pro- visions having become exhausted, the party were forced to return. The trail as far as followed went almost directly toward the east.

On Wednesday a man was arrested at Kent, who bore the description of one of the robbers, and by his seeming anxiety to sell a splendid horse at half price, evidenced that he was wanted for something. He was subsequently released upon its being found that he was a horse trader.

The two horses captured will be brought here, and if possible, the brands traced to some source that will identify the robbers. Detective Sullivan Is

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satisfied that the robbers are not west of the Cascade Mountains, but have headed toward the Okanogan country.

A long and remarkable search for the robbers followed, and an equally long and remarkable trial, into the curious details of which we cannot enter. It appeared, however, that the robbers were a regular gang of professionals who had "pulled off" several similar performances. One of the most curious features of it all was a letter received by Attorney H. J. Snively from Rose Lewis, who stated that she was the wife of one of the criminals, but that she had become tired of the gang and was determined to assist in convicting them. She stated the criminals to be these, with their secret names: Tom McCarty, Walluke; Billy McCarty, Fire-foot; George McCarty, Craps; Fred McCarty, Kid; Ras Lewis, Diamond Dick; Nellie McCarty, Sparta, Queen of the Forest.

In spite of the testimony the members of the gang who had been captured and tried were discharged by reason of the inability of the jury to agree. The next year two men were killed in Colorado while attempting to perpetrate a robbery, and were identified as being members of the McCarty gang.

One result of the robbery was to lead, with other untoward events, to the failure of the bank of Ben E. Snipes, and that in turn added to the general widespread financial disaster in the years 1893-94. Of that we have spoken at length in an earlier chapter.

As detailed elsewhere the Northwestern Improvement Company has be- come the leading operator in the coal mines. For some years past the usual number of men employed in the mines has exceeded 1,500, with a pay roll of $80,000 per month.

ROSLYN CHURCHES

Roslyn has at the present time a population of about 4,000. In spite of the mingled population, there are several excellent churches, one of which, the Presbyterian, contains the only pipe organ in the upper valley. The pastor is J. K. Stewart. W. A. Sharp is pastor of the Episcopal Church, and Rev. Father Constantine is pastor of the Catholic Church. J. P. Brown is pastor of the Colored Baptist Church. There are Methodist and Latter Day Saints organi- zations, but no regular pastors at present.

There is also an excellent school system in charge of Prof. Wilmot G. Whitfield. We learn from him that the high school course was established in 1901. The enrollment in all departments for the past year was 950. The value of the school property-grounds, buildings and equipment-was reckoned by the state bureau of inspection at $56,000. We have given in the chapter on County Schools a list of the teachers. An excellent weekly paper, the "Cas- cade Miner," is one of the institutions of Roslyn. It is ably edited and man- aged by Harry B. Averill, who has the same connection with the "Cle Elum Echo."

Roslyn has a live Commercial Club, of which J. E. Morgan is president and James Ash is secretary.

We learn that Roslyn has had the rather unusual experience of two in- corporations. The first was effected in 1889, prior to statehood. In pursuance of petitions drawn up and presented in the usual manner, according to the

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Territorial law of that time, Judge L. B. Nash of the fourth judicial district granted the charter on February 4, 1889.

The first trustees were W. A. Mohr, Charles Wertz, David Bryant and Thomas Bailey. Charles Miller was first mayor, C. F. Bonsel was first clerk, and T. F. Meyer was first treasurer. That first charter, however, proved nuga- tory, for it was subsequently decided by the Supreme Court that legislative power alone could grant a charter.

ROSLYN INCORPORATED

In 1890 a new charter under state law was secured, and Roslyn became duly incorporated as a city of the third class. The municipal issue of special prominence was that of water. After much contention and cross-purposes a system of pipes was laid out under municipal ownership which derived a supply of water from springs in the Smith Creek canyon. In 1898 a larger and more permanent system was laid out, drawing water from the Cle Elum River. With this and subsequent improvements the water system became adequate and reliable, and Roslyn can now be said to be well provided with the vital neces- sity of water.

A clipping from the "Cascade Miner" of November 6, 1918, will serve to record the latest results in the history of municipal politics in Roslyn.

HEAVY VOTING AT PRIMARIES

The city primaries yesterday brought out a strong vote, much larger than usual at the primaries, due to the contest for the treasurership and for council- men from the First ward. As a fair basis of the total vote cast, that for city clerk may be taken. George T. Wake, the present city clerk, without opposition received 490 votes. The polls opened at eleven o'clock and closed at eight o'clock and voting took place under separate election boards at the regular polling places, the city hall and the "Cascade Miner" office. All voters were required to wear masks on entering the polls.

For the three councilmen to be nominated in the First ward, Joe Trucano, Richard Hart and James A. Miller received the highest votes, John E. Morgan and Frederick Seddon being the other candidates. The regular city election will be held the first Tuesday in December, the 3d, but it will likely be but a mere formality, since there is only one ticket in the field.

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History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I, Part 91

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920 Publication date: 1919 Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke Number of Pages: 1134

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1134