The $10,000 Bet That Built Seattle’s Front Street

If this were only a leap year, the Front Street cable line would be operating before March 1st. But as the year has just an ordinary 365 days, and February only 28 days, the cable can't be started until after the last day of the short month. Mr. Thompson said he would be running a car over the line by March 1st, and some people have bet money that he would force the road in operation before that time. They will lose. Mr. Thompson told them to win, though, he has promised for March 1st anyway.

Mr. Thompson intends to take a ride over the line today with the aid of the Front Street Cable Company, and the public will be extended an invitation to a like privilege for a nickel a head next week.

The cable was successfully stretched yesterday, but it wasn't done in 35 minutes. Twelve big, stout horses hitched to the skeleton dummy grip of which was fastened tightly to the end of the cable, were driven from the turntable up Front Street at 4 o'clock yesterday morning. It was found, however, that some of the "travelers," which support the cable, hadn't been put in just right, and delays were caused by that and some trouble that occurred at the power house.

The trip out to the power house and back was completed at 1:30 p.m. When the 12 horses marched down Front Street, pulling the cable, they were met at the end by a tremendous crowd who had assembled partly in response to the fire alarm and partly to welcome them. The movements of the horse and men and final work that was done near the turntable during the afternoon occupied the attention of the great mass of people till nearly dark.

The round trip had now been successfully made, but it was necessary to splice the cable; so the horses at 5 p.m. were started out to the power house, where the work of joining the ends of the long wire began. Splicing a cable is an art that very few men are masters of. Mr. Johnson, who was for 12 years in the employ of Cable Road Hallidie, in San Francisco, is one of the few who has the skill for fastening the ends of the wire rope so that its surface at the place of juncture will retain its smoothness and strength, and he superintended the job last night at the power house. It took eight men, and the loose strands for 100 feet at one end of the wire were interlaced with the strands of the other end with a neatness, skill and despatch that were watched with interest by a large number of friends of the road who had assembled to witness the operation.

Superintendent Jackson said yesterday that if any one had $1,000 to bet that he wouldn't have the cable running by midnight he would run a car over the line before that time; but as it wasn't absolutely necessary to complete the road so soon, he wouldn't worry matters greatly.

There are those who say that Mr. Thompson had a little more than his word at stake when he said he would finish the line by March 1 and run a car over it. It is said that he has bet $10,000 in cash that the road would be in operation on that date. Others interested in the road are known to have wagered sums of clothing and various other articles of value on March 1. If true, Mr. Thompson has hardly had the winning of that $10,000 wholly in view when he has expended many thousands more in rushing the work that would have been saved if more time had been taken.

Anyway, the Front Street cable is practically finished, and nearly $75,000 more has been expended for the accommodation of the people of Seattle. The exceedingly rigorous work that has been done during the 28 days and 28 nights of the past month on the Front Street road has attracted public attention so generally that the work on the electric road has in a measure been lost sight of. But it is nevertheless a fact that the construction of the road and plant is almost completed and that cars operated by electricity will be running in within the next 10 days.

Meanwhile, another tide-flat difficulty occurred yesterday morning when Officer Terry and 21 men began their work of cutting down pile poles on a tract of land near the north end of the Grant Street bridge. The piles were driven there by Policeman Jones and others, who claim the property as tide-flat land by "squatter's rights." The land was within the city limits, and located in block 9, Terry's fifth addition, and has been in the possession of the Terry heirs and the Terry estate for 33 years, having been purchased by C.C. Terry of D.S. MacRae, who obtained a patent to the land from the government.

When the 22 men began operation on the piles with their axes, ex-Policeman Terry and four of the men, by name Jack Hughes, Charter Haines, George Boswell and Charles Gilbert, were arrested, handcuffed, and brought to the city. The axes used by Terry's men were also brought in and left in Justice Soderberg's court.

Terry's men were arraigned before Justice Soderberg, but as no complaint had been made against them, and the sheriff's course appeared to be authorized, they were discharged. Col. Haines applied to Judge Burke for a writ of habeas corpus for Terry, and he was released upon recognizance of George B. Kittinger until afternoon, when Judge Burke confirmed the writ.

"I don't clearly understand on what grounds Policeman Jones and his fellow experts expect to retain the land in dispute," said Col. Haines yesterday. "Its title has been vested in the Terry heirs for years, and they have always paid taxes on it. Even if there were any dispute about the title, it is a generally recognized principle of law that no outsider like Jones can raise the question of its validity. The property is outside the meander line of the harbor, where the government grants titles, which I have no doubt it will confirm if once the question of their validity is raised by the only persons who have any right to dispute them."