A $25,000 Depot to Put Newport on the Map

Last Thursday afternoon a Great Northern extra gang arrived to start the work of removing the old depot from its present site, to make room for the new $25,000 structure that is to serve Newport and its tributary country. The old building was moved west 150 feet to clear the grounds, and after the completion of the new depot the old one will be wrecked and removed from the premises.

The contract for the erection of the new depot has been let to H. J. Skinner, of Spokane, one of the largest contractors of that city. Mr. Skinner was in Newport Monday and Tuesday of this week, looking over the situation and lining up material and otherwise preparing to start construction. Much of the material is being shipped from the east and will begin to arrive within a few days. Work of excavating will be started at once, and the depot will be completed ready for use in about four months.

Mr. Skinner had with him the complete set of plans for the new structure, and a look at which gives The Miner an opportunity to tell the character of the building. The plans give the assurance that Newport will have one of the best depots on the Great Northern system, practically the same as the ones being erected in cities of eight to ten thousand people.

The foundation is to be of concrete and measures 32x150 feet. An eight-foot basement, 23x32 feet, is provided for the steam heating plant and storage room for fuel, etc. The structure will be one story in height, the ground floor being partitioned off as follows: On the east end is a women's waiting room, 21x32; next is the ticket office, with a passageway to the wickets, and on the north side of the passageway are ladies' and gents' lavatories. The men's waiting room is also 21x32, and adjoining it on the west is the express and baggage room, which are equipped with closets and warm room. The freight room occupies the west end of the building and is 67x32 feet.

The ceiling is 14 feet high, with cove effect. The interior of the waiting room and ticket office is to be finely finished, and is to have a wainscoting five feet high of Tiffany enameled brick. Above the wainscoting the finish will be hard plaster, and all interior woodwork is to be finely polished birch. The floors of the waiting rooms, ticket office and lavatories are to be reinforced concrete inlaid with mosaic tile.

The exterior is to be Minnesota repressed red brick, with water table and cross sills of Minnesota cut stone and panel work of hard cement plaster. The building will have an overhanging roof that will extend five feet over the platforms. The roof is to be of black slate. At each end of the building handsome signs will indicate the name of the station.

The east end of the building will be flush with the east side of Washington avenue. The platforms will cover 630 feet, approximately extending from a point opposite the alley between Washington and Union avenues to the east end of Spokane avenue. The depot will be set back 28 feet from the rails, the platform in front being of vitrified brick, as are also 12-foot platforms on the east and west ends and a 10-foot platform extending the full length along the north side, facing the business section of town. From the east end a cinder platform will be extended 170 feet and on the west end 286 feet. The track side of the whole length of the platforms will be enclosed with a concrete curb. On the other three sides the curb will be stone.

The plumbing, which includes a handsomely designed drinking fountain, the steam heating fixtures, interior decoration and, in fact, everything about the building will be strictly first-class and modern. The new depot will be a credit to the town and a recognition by the road of the splendid business it enjoys from this point and what it expects from the town and its territory in the future. It cannot fail to attract the attention of overland passengers to this point and lead them to an investigation of a town deemed worthy of such treatment at the hands of the railroad.