Cedar River Watershed Education Center and Taylor visit

Originally published in the MVHS Bugle, June 2007

Story and photos by Barbara Nilson

Paul Bartholomew and his daughter, Karen Lindquist, stand in front of the foundation for the press factory that made clay pipe.

The daffodils are blooming in Taylor as they do every spring to welcome back those who have fond memories of living there when it was a booming coal and clay company town. Taylor existed from 1892-1947, when the Seattle Public Utilities formed the Cedar River Watershed and closed the area to the public.

Each April the Utility District and Friends of the Cedar River Watershed offer the walking tour into Taylor for two weekends at a cost of $15. Participants gather at the Cedar River Watershed Visitors/Education Center for a slideshow of early day Taylor, then climb into vans for the 10-mile drive to the site.

The Education Center has interpretive exhibits that show where our water comes from and historical materials about the watershed area. It is an interesting place to browse anytime of the year. I especially like the musical artwork in the rain drum court where drops of water play tunes on the various drums.

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Will visit the mines: King County teachers will make excursion Saturday

Originally published in The Seattle Star, May 26,1902

Franklin coal mines

W.G. Hartanft, county superintendent of schools, has made arrangements for the teachers to spend a day at the Franklin and Black Diamond coal mines. These mines are situated just at the entrance of Green River Canyon, among delightfully interesting scenes of the Cascades.

The excursion train will leave from the Ocean dock at the foot of Washington Street, Saturday at 8:30 a.m., and all the teachers and their friends are invited. The fare is $1 a round trip. This is one-half the regular fare. Mr. Hartanft suggests that rubbers and a mackintosh will be necessary in going through the mines.

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Walter Burnum

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, March 26, 1925

Walter Burnum, recently elected president of The Pacific Coast Co.

As is generally known among the employees, the Pacific Coast Coal Company is owned and operated by The Pacific Coast Company, of which Mr. Wm. M. Barnum of New York has for many years been president, and Mr. Walter Barnum, treasurer. Mr. E.C. Ward is president of the former and vice-president of the latter. Mr. Walter Barnum has now been elected to the presidency of The Pacific Coast Company, and Mr. Wm. M. Barnum continues as a director of the company and in close association with its affairs.

Both of these Eastern officials have been in Seattle for the past week on their semi-annual visit of inspection, and they will probably remain here until the end of the month. They, with Mr. Ward and other local officials, are visiting each of the mine operations.

The new president is intimately familiar with all of the company’s activities, and enjoys a wide acquaintance among the employees, having been a regular visitor at the mines for many years past. On this, as well as former trips, he has extended his personal inspection into the underground workings of the mines, in the activities of which he takes a keen interest.

He is also closely identified with the larger coal problems of the nation, being vice-president of the National Coal Association which embraces in its membership most of the principal operators of the United States.

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Asphalt binder for briquets

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, March 19, 1925

Here is shown a shipment of asphalt on the pier ready for loading into Pacific Coast box cars for shipment to the Briquet Plant. Asphalt is used in the manufacture of Diamond Briquets to bind the finely pulverized South Prairie and Black Diamond coal together. It is shipped from California by water in barrels.

When ready for melting at the Briquet Plant the barrels are broken up and the staves burned, as there is no method by which the hardened asphalt can be removed without destroying the container.

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Miner entombed as hidden flood deluges shafts

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, September 23, 1910

Blow of pick pours torrent into Occidental Mine No. 3 at Palmer, ruining coal workings

Heroes volunteer to save unlucky workman

George Brinn doomed, if not already dead, despite efforts to reach victim of rising water

Rising on the slope at the rate of eight inches an hour, water from an underground river which was tapped by the pick of George Brinn, a miner, has completely flooded Occidental Mine No. 3 at Palmer, King County, and now stands at ninety feet on the slope. Brinn is missing and doubtless lost his life when the flood descended on him and in the heroic effort of fellow miners to rescue him dead or alive, two of them, Pit Boss William Barringer and Abner Farmer, a miner, just escaped drowning.

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Railroad rapidly works way to Coast

Originally published in The Seattle Sunday Times, September 20, 1908

Track-laying rushed in five different places on Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul in Pacific Northwest

New towns spring up along route

Rich agricultural and fruit districts heretofore remote from traffic opened up to development

1—Columbia River bridge, under construction. 2—Steamboat St. Paul, used in construction of Columbia River bridge. 3—Completed piers of Columbia River bridge. 4—Water wheel furnishing power for sluicing, Snoqualmie Valley. 5—Scene in the timber, Snoqualmie Valley. 6—Flume carrying water to wheel to furnish power for sluicing, Snoqualmie Valley.

Records for fast work in the construction of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway in the Pacific Northwestern states, when the line is finished next year, may, and doubtless will, be found to establish a new mark in the “winning of the West,” to use the phrase employed as the title of one of his most interesting works, by the President of the United States.

A summary of present day conditions on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul may be gained from the following.

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Northern Pacific work

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, September 14, 1899

New steel rails from Lester to the mountains

M. Dempsey, superintendent of construction of this division of the Northern Pacific, in speaking of the physical condition of that road says:

“We have just completed putting in new steel rails from Lester to Palmer and from Easton to the foot of the mountain. We do not anticipate any more trouble in the tunnels. No. 1, just west of Easton will be permanently abandoned, and the work of construction brick arches within the other is being pushed. There are four tunnels which remain to be arched, and the work on all of them will be completed before winter sets in.”

Mr. Dempsey says that the Northern Pacific is being handicapped in construction work along its line on account of the scarcity of railroad laborers, and that some of the work now In hand has been practically suspended until laborers shall have returned from the hop fields.

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