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iVEL 0 PMBNT AND INDUSTRIAL EDITIONSECTION THREEOld Military Block HouseHistoric Building Is Viewed By dreds of People MonthlyHun.Centralia Meat Company .. Ignores the Beef Trust(lly Frank Drake, Jr.)A fovv people of. Central la, too few 'we are a fra 1:1, arc deeply 'concern e; about the danger of. the old .Block House,- which. Blands on the banka of the Chelialls river about a miit west of the corporate limits, falling into the river. Tho ■ liank is’ l6ing eaten away year by year under mining the slnielure, until now it stands on the brink of a perpendicular river bank 20 feet above the water. Whatever is going to be dene must be done (illicitly or the. only place of special interest possessed by Ceulra-1 in ami not common to other cities, llio thing lhaL creates a lasting impression upon all who. see It, will pass forever from us. Two plans have beeu advocated; one is to move the building 50 feet 'north; the oilier is to put .In a jetty and turn the river away from its present course. The -Forinor is the least expensive, anil is likely tlie one that will be sulo[ited. The building is private property and of course consent of llie owner must first be obtained -before anything can be clone.There are from 200 to 500 people vjsiling the Block’ House every week during the summer months, many of whom are tourists, as it is located about a (fuurtor of n mile from the Pacific Highway anil if there wev some klnrl of a sign on the road telling th e tourisLs wlie re to turn off the Highway to see it, it would be viewed by thnusands; as it is, all illoso who drive in to see it cause the people whu live cn the property more or less worry Tor fear the gates will be left op nil, so no encouragement is given to callers; but of course they are always welcome.Most of those who visit the. Block House come on Sunday in automobiles, while picnic parties arc -there more or less during the week, coming from Centralia and the surrounding country.Like any other place of interest, the Block House has its share of initials, writing, .etc.- Soine religious minded person has seen fit to write the 'following i if scrip lion: “Jesusdied to save sinners. Many names are well written, showing that the people are educated who visit there. One of Lhe most popular, girls-in Ceu-tralia lias her full name-written on tbe side of the Block TTonse, hut as it is written too’ high to have been written by a girl of her size, and as it is written .with chalk, an article not usually carried by girls, it is supposed that it was .written by un admirer; however, the girl was undoubtedly not far away watching the performance. TJie name of John N. Stevens, Elkton, S. 73., and of Mrs. Will Couch, Stonington, Colorado, show that .people from some distance visit this old historical structure. The name of John A. Church, C Troop,. 2nd U. S. Cavalry, appears on the south side of the Iniilrling. It is written high up where the rain can not strike. It was scratched in at first but recently some one has retraced it with a lead pencil, so It. now stands out. It is loo bad that the soldier did not fix the date as it was written long.ago and would add to the interest of the place. IIo undoubtedly belonged to some of the earliest troops that eve: reached this part of the country. He was a member of only one of many troops that passed this point, however, us it was on the old military road from Vancouver to Fort Slcilacoom.The military road ran between the Borst house and the- Block House; tlie government had a ferry at this point and the north end of the cable was anchored to a post near the Block House. The post still stands. It is about 8 feet high and 2 feel in diameter, while the marks made by the wire ralilc around it are still visible. On the south bank the cable was anchored to a tree. From'the south tlie ferry could fie reached'easily as the bank sloped gradually to the water’s edge; not so on the north side where the Block House stands, air a cut had to be made fn order to reach the ferry. This cut still remains and ia used by the stock bn the old Borst farm as the only means of reaching their watering place'.Part of the cable Is now used in holding the Block .House from falling apart. Among the famous sol-Local Men Build Up Big Business Despite Powerful Competition;eoiut where, a ferry wus ruiuon the Clielialia river, . ■ . - . . .; Tlio Blockhouse was built about 50- feet north of the. -Cliehulis and about 50 feet west of tlie Skookum-■ihuck rivers—in other words at their/junction, .One cun hardly be-tieve it now. as the Skookuinchuck Is fully a quarter of a mile away, while the Chchalis river is within 18 inches of the old building. What changes time has. wrought. ' Things, have changed since 185 6—yet -not' so much. This was Iho first thoroughfare and' at present this paint Ib no further from1' the Pacific Highway than the Skook uni chuck is from, itsi old bed. Then there are the railroads that followed tills old military road and they are not more than a mile away from it now, so mankind in following in the same course, only’ n little faster than It; followed, it in 1856. - ' '. The building must have been built by ea rc fill work men as every part fits to a “T. The lower part, which is 7 feet in height and 24 feet square, had no windows, and but a no door. In this pari there are S loop holes, two in each side, each one being four feet from the corners. . Tlie upper part projects out oyer.- the lower story three feet all around ns fihftwn' in the picture, making the upper story 30 by 3d feet. The upper- story has 3 loop holes in each side and at equal distances apart, making 12 loop holes fer tile upper story. The roof, which is 10 feet higher in the center than the'upper story eaves at their edge, lias -a 5 0 per cent pitch. A year ago Lhe roof was re-shingled and is bout $100 worth of work done on the bull ding In' order to make it firm rind dry. Thera are Tour loop holes in the 'upper floor where it projects out over the lower part. One loop hole on each side of the building that projects, out over the ground. These are so constructed that if an Indian should have reached the building bo could ha Vo been shot lt;while' crouching bpv side it, or., more probably, whije trying to set fire to it should lie succeed in getting across the open space around it.;' One.of'the loop boles is so cons true led '.-that It . guards the doo'r-froni above; On examining the building closely one can - easily . see that .nothing was left undone that could be done In. making.it .a place of safety, and that the men who built It were true pioneers and not amateurs at the business. All told (here are 2-i loop holes In the fort; This would have been enough for 48 men to have had room to light the Indians, as one loop hole was snfii-cient for two men aR one fired while the other loaded.The fort, was built of Iog3 about a foot thick, lie wed, and closely fit. They were cut on the south side of the Chelialis and ferried across. The building was built hundreds of feet from any object so that an enemy would have to cross’an open space In order to . reach it. This ioo yards in the early times was called the dead shot, distance. The Block House was never .attacked, but if it had been It is quite likely that a good many red ski.ng would have bit the dust while trying to cross ibis open space. On close examination of the outside wall one .finds bird eliot and a few bullet holes shot in there in target, practice but an enemy's bullets never lodged in its logs.Old1 Fort .Borst was quite a live place at one time. As one crossed the ferry going north on the left hand bank stood and still stands (ho old mansion of Joseph Borst; on tlieThe cause of the high cokt of living baa been variously attributed .to the trusts’’ and to the. pro til: hungry but non-productive.- middlemen. .. Un--doubtedly both of-them have more or le89't'o do;with the high cost of (bo necessities of-life, but In a few. rare Instances local enterprise lias robbed tlieEe-agencies of.their power to rifle the pocketbooks of the people: ■■ ;-.When a product goes directty from producer;' to consumer,; the .ultimate cost is as low; as it can possibly be made, and this Is the reason why the price - of .meat -and; by-products is su reasonable^ in Central ia. The. a n s w e r is tlie Centralia Meat Company';'which doesn’t fight, but simply.'ignores, .ths beef trust; -The Centralia'Meat Company, wltli retail shop- at 11 i) .North Tower Avenue,' and slaughter house, three miles west'of town, has only one profit to make; there Is no extensive,/state-.are constantly;at - work, payments -be*: Ing made'to the cashier at-the'office.' Tlio'Bhop Is. so clean It-Is sweet; its very appearance- is Inviting. ■ And I hi 3; cnrof ui -attention. to sahttatloit*/ extends 'to. the slaughter house; CJferi-tralla. Meat-Company products^ are pit r e' !ait (1. w h o’Icro me . The com pan y makes its own lard and smoke's’ considerable bacon.'- it is in no way dependent on ;the'“trust.-It was ttie- intention 'at- -first to confine tlie business ' to Centralia, bnt th e. comuphy’s'succoss. was greater than had been- anticipated'and it Is now handling fi county-wide trade. The delivery service -is perfectly or-ganizoil.aml every department is under the .supervision or an expert.■The company’s business'* has expanded amazingly in the four years ft has .'been established,'how being one of„the largest in 'Lewis .County. Pour .men own the company, Messrs. S. A. Reeves, F. S'. Mills , G. G.Celttrnlin Mont Company's Shop .wide organization to keep up. - The company buys its stock, does-its own slaughtering; in fact Lillies the beef from the hoof and puts it at your bock ilbor.- Its organization l£ highly e fli cien t u ii de jib no iiy c u 1 -; i u • o p 6r a ■-Lion. . .;Nor do'the poopteof-Cs-'ri.t ra liti pat-'ronize this:Bhop .merely: because it is not' In the'1 t'riist;*’'nnt1.1 ly a long way. ■ They .' patronize IJ.: because they ge t. better incat': for' loss'in oney;hpoai1.sg.it pays them td 'do RO.'The company's big .shop compares favorably with any- the trust’’ • can shew, being large, clean, sanitary and thoroughly; equipped,- with large cold storage vaults and storage rooms. .Three or four meat cutlersFierce ciiil:: GlinH;Devlin. Mr. Mills is p res I il cut; ; M ii- R lerce vice presi-dent, and Mr. lteeves secretary, treasurer and manager. Mr. Reeves was formerly employed, by IIoss Brothers and knows they meat business thoroughly.-The success of the company Is largely dim to .ills ability. T1 is a asc c i a te s ; a re a 11 wel I k ii own Lewis County residents,, being engaged In farming.'. .The Centralia Meat 'Conir pany... is owned mid' controlled by local men,’ it'is'strictly ra homo concern, an(1 - 11. salls_ home; produeta, nothing put (lie best with* prices .always ns low as they :can- bo made; . Continued growth anti - prosperity for the concern Is fin:absolutely safe prediction; if deserves it.right first was the Block House, then the store and warehouse and . then the hotel; The store has been taken down and-the hotel moved1 to' Centralia and used as a private dwelling but the two old buildings still stand —the old Borst home and the .Block: 7-iOliRO.When visiting the Block House otic will ace an old ox. yoke- lying - there that is an historical rejic and .'alap a plow', used by-Joseph Borst; which should be preserved by the Stale His-; toricai Society, as thc're is probably not another one as old'--In' the/state and as gigantic in striictflroy.*: The beam is 12 feet long;, the mould hoard 4 feet; while it plowed n 24-inch furrow.'. The handles, are rotted off but otherwise it'Is in'goad condition. Tho Centralia Commercial Chili should-have had it in their rooms lung ago. Without a question it can be obtained froni the Borst heirs, as it is now setting beside the road slowly decaying. ■.The .only marks, of;.historical significance that appear, on the Block House are the . following words:“Fort Borst, May 1856,’’ signifying the datcriL was built. While the settlers built this Tort io preserve, their lives from the. Indian who did hot hot come, they were not 'free from sorrow. Ag one leaves the- old fort . traveling north-he will .notice-on left hand side of the road, aimin'aquarter'.of rx mile from it,a a smallgi'aye yard: in which tliere arc several tonibstones, .monuments and uu-niarked ?graves; .;. One monument allows . th lit . death entered the Borst home, and tookr four children and an adopted 'daughter In less ^than a score of years hpsides D. Borst and Jennie. -.'.When-: ith'e writer'fioked at the graves In tlils little gra^'byavd ho saw that' the - G. A. R. .Hd been there and over-the grava of D. Borst stood a small, flag .rind another ovor aitollior grave, and - upon the tomb-stoiic of :the second was wi^tton,. “W. H. KinlcaUi, 1st Tenn. Mexican War.” These silent tongues tell tho lclnd of men who made up the bravo little group about the fort and what would have happened had they been attacked by tbb Indians. -'Many graves are unmarked, while sunken holes tell the story'of others. '■ At tho. west end of one of the unmarked sunken holes stands a rose bush' blooming and sending out Its sweet fragrance to the world, having bsen' planted by somo loving hand, which may now be still and whose grave may Itself be unmarked.In. the center of .the graveyard, among the graves marked .and' nn-marked.-lmlf bidden with vines and liushes stands a dark gray monu-inbht in keeping,with-all its surroundings upon which is written: Joseph Borst. Born in' Schahnrie County, New York, October 15, 1821. Died October- 20, 1885.”. .Tluis peacefully lies the.builder of the. Blook House, f.be nleneer nt ihn
Newspaper Details
Centralia Daily Chronicle Examiner
Centralia, Washington, US
Wed, Aug 26, 1914
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Timberland R.
WA, USA 02 May 2025
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