Five Hundred Men and a Steam Shovel: Newport Becomes a Railroad Town

The long expected letting of the contract for the construction of the extension of the Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad from Newport north along the Pend Oreille river to Ione has finally materialized. The contract has been secured by Grant Smith Co., general railroad contractors, who have had many large contracts in the west during the past few years. The papers were signed last Friday and construction work will be started as soon as the necessary camps can be established for the accommodation of the men.

The work will be pushed as rapidly as the weather will allow. Nothing but the grading and rock work was awarded the firm; the balance of the construction will be done by the road itself. The contractor will use the two steam shovels belonging to the railroad and will also have two smaller shovels on the works. The railroad shovels have recently been overhauled at the Spirit Lake shops and will soon be in readiness for service.

Camps will be established at various points along the line of the route, the nearest camp to Newport will be at Ashenfelter bay just north of town. A large warehouse 24x80 feet in size is being erected near the steam hoist at the Navigation Co.'s docks. The building will be used for the storage of supplies to be used along the route. A building to be used as the general offices of the contractors will also be erected in the same locality, and Old Town will be the general headquarters of the contractors. All bills will be paid at this point and all of the business conducted from here.

A party of 15 sub-contractors arrived in Newport on Wednesday morning and left on the steamer Ione to look over the work at points north of town. The sub-contracts will be let in a few days and the actual work of construction started. It is expected that about 500 men will be employed at an early date and this number will be increased if the weather is favorable for the work.

No team work will be attempted this winter as the conditions are not right for this class of work. The four steam shovels and the rock workers can prosecute their work as well in the winter as during other seasons of the year.

The contract for furnishing the piling for the trestle across Ashenfelter bay and at other points has been let to the D. & R. Mill Co., and that company is now engaged in getting out the material, having established a logging camp last week.

Coulter Brothers have secured the contract for supplying all of the bridge timbers necessary for use in construction, and their mill at Lenora will be started running early in the season on the contract, as well as to saw timber for their trade.

The trestle across Ashenfelter bay will be built substantial enough to carry the heaviest trains and will not be filled in at present, as was the Great Northern trestle at the Meadows east of town. There will be a large amount of heavy rock work to be done near Newport and near Blueslide. The balance of the line does not present any great difficulties in the way of construction. The public does not know whether it has been decided to construct the road along the river front through the Calispel valley, or whether it will run back to the foothills in that section. This matter will probably be made public within the next few days.

President Blackwell, of the railroad, has gone to New York and Chicago on business connected with the road and on his return more details will be obtainable.

The letting of the contract will stimulate the business interests of Newport and vicinity. Thousands of dollars will be expended in this district for wages and supplies. Sawmills that have not operated for a year will start up and give employment to many men in the mills and woods. Tie contracts will be let to the ranchers along the route and this will allow them to dispose of their stock. The purchasing department of the road is now preparing specifications for ties and these will be posted down the river as soon as finished.

In addition to the number of men actually engaged on construction work on the line, it is estimated that nearly as many more residents of this district will receive employment on account of the starting of this work. Ranchers, mill men, loggers, lumberjacks, steamboat men, railroaders and others engaged in getting out supplies will all be busy. This, in turn, will increase the number of men engaged in other lines of work in the city and vicinity and will consequently prove a benefit to all.

Now let everybody get together and pull for Newport. With the proper efforts several mills or factories should be landed here, now that we have as good railroad connections as any town in the northwest. "Stop the hammer noise and blow the bazoo," should be the cry of all loyal residents.