100 years ago in Spokane: Riblet planned to use 46 miles of wire to build a streetcar in British Columbia

The Riblet Tramway Co., an innovative company from Spokane, received the order to build the “longest single section of the tram ever built”, valued by Royal Riblet.

The tram in a mine in Stewart, British Columbia would travel 11½ miles. It would require a wire rope or cable that is nearly 2 inches thick and 23 miles long. In total, the project would require 46 miles of wire rope.

A crew was preparing to give way. Spokane foundries would supply most of the materials.

The Riblet Tramway Co. later became famous for building ski chair lifts.

Today Riblet is known for the tall Riblet Mansion that is now the Arbor Crest Wine Cellars Cliff House. It was originally served by a riblet tram from the Spokane River to the hill

From the AWOL beat: Major Roy A. Brown, former postal surgeon and chief officer of the Fort George Wright Hospital Corps, was “absent” and “likely abandoned” from his post, according to Army officials.

His absence was particularly suspicious as it followed an investigation into the disappearance of a $ 500 Liberty (War Loan) bond that was part of Fort George Wright’s hospital funding.

Major Brown had been transferred to a flight school in Sacramento, California a month earlier. As he was preparing to leave, he handed the hospital funds over to his successor. The bond, however, “mysteriously” disappeared.

Major Brown was banned from walking for four days while an investigation was in progress. The board could not pinpoint responsibility for the disappearance, so Major Brown was allowed to go to Sacramento. Still, the $ 500 bond was missing.

Then came the news from Sacramento that Major Brown had left his post and disappeared. The search was on.