A 150-Man Spur for the New Fidelity Mill
Caughren & Woldson took the contract for three miles of Great Northern spur track to Fidelity Lumber’s new mill, with heavy rock cuts and a payroll paid through a Newport bank.
Messrs. Caughren & Woldson have the contract for constructing the three miles of spur track for the Great Northern, from the main line to the site of the new mill of the Fidelity Lumber Co. John Carlson is the sub-contractor, and he will employ about 150 men on the work. About 75 of this number will be on what is known as station work and the balance will be on general work. I. L. Busk is the timekeeper. The work will cost considerably more than $45,000, the amount generally reported, as there is some very heavy rock work. There are two cuts in the rock where 7,000 cubic yards will have to be removed from each. There are also several heavy fills. Mr. Busk says that the contractor will probably start another camp in the near future, so that work can be handled better. No time checks are issued, but the workmen are given checks on the First National Bank of Newport on paydays and whenever they decide to quit.
“No time checks are issued, but the workmen are given checks on the First National Bank of Newport on paydays and whenever they decide to quit.”
The spur was more than track: it promised a mill, jobs, and a payroll that would circulate through Newport. Infrastructure as economic development is an old story here, and the promise of 150 jobs still sounds like a modern booster pitch.
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