The Road Newport Was Promised—and the Colville Detour That Ate It

Work on state road No. 3, which was supposed to be constructed by state aid between Newport, Stevens County, and Orient, Ferry County, will not be started this year because, it is stated, all the funds available have been used in making surveys and some slight improvements between Colville and Metaline. It was originally planned for the road to run to Orient from this city, via Metaline and Northport. Through some thimble-rigging scheme the route was diverted so as to run through Colville, which town is nearly directly south of Northport, making the road longer and more expensive to construct. It was also originally planned to have the work of construction start at Newport, and the surveyor-general stated that this city would be the initial point of construction. However, the surveyor-general must have found things more congenial in the county seat town, as nothing has ever been done at this end of the line, nor at Orient either. Previous to the last session of the legislature there was about $3,000 in the fund available for surveys or other work. The legislature appropriated $10,000 more for the work, and it was recently said in this city by one of the most prominent men in the county, who resides in the vicinity of Colville, that the entire amount in the fund had been spent and practically nothing accomplished for the benefit of the territory which it was supposed would receive the benefits derived by the construction of the road. To be sure, some of Colville’s merchants have received some benefits—at the expense of Northport, Orient and Newport—but the fund has disappeared and there is but little tangible result to be found from its expenditure. The route to Colville from Metaline is absolutely impracticable. When the mountains in that section are not covered with deep drifts of snow, the lowlands are covered with water, making road building very expensive and the results attained poor. It may be that the engineers are still looking for an available route between Colville and Metaline. An engineer who could find such a route that would be either economical to construct or operate would be entitled to the Nobel prize. An effort will be made at the next session of the legislature to secure an appropriation to build the road, which is greatly needed. It is to be hoped that the plan as originally proposed—that is, the construction from Newport to Metaline, then to Northport and to Orient—will be carried out. Meanwhile the residents of the lower river country must return thanks to the Colville crowd for favors they have failed to receive.