The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-08-24
Letters from the Pacific.
Correspondence of the Journal.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. IL, 1S7

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. IL, 1871.
Leaving Portland, Oregon, we passed
down the Willamette river, - miles to
the Columbia, thence up the river six
miles to Vancouver. Here we visited the
military station with our friend Whitney,
before named, and listened for an hour to
the music Of the military band, which has
attained to a great degree of perfection
from its long drill and constant practice
Vancouver is situated on quite an eleva-
ton of land on the north side of the river,
and the inhabitants are confident that they
will share some of the benefits of the
North Pacific r. R. by its passing on that
side Of the river, through the town.
We were obliged to return to Portland
to make connection with overland stages
to the Sound, and having time to spare,
we sailed down the river to St. IIelens,
which was the steamship landing for the
Pacific Steamships, before it was changed
to Portland. At St. lIelens there are
good mills for the manufacture of lumber
OF almost every kind, and the place has
taken quite a start within the last few
years. This place is on an elevation, Sc
cure from overflow by water, which is
not the case with any other place on the
rivers in this vicinity, with the exception
of Vancouver and East Portland, as the
land for many miles along the William
cite and Columbia rivers is very low and
flat. 1t was under water from three TO
four weeks the last of June, and the first
OF July, to the depth Of from two to six
| feet. Such an overflow is not within the
| recollection of the oldest inhabitant, with
| the exception that in 1862, about the same
time OF the year, when the water was from
| two to three feet higher than the present
year, and the most of Portland was under
| water
| Again starting from Portland, we sail
| ed down the rivers before mentioned, TO
| Kalama This is the place where SO
great a stir was made by the North Pa
| citic II. Il. Co., creating the belief that
| here was to be a terminus or something
else, they knew not what. The first
grading done this side of the Cascade
Mountains, commenced here, and twenty
| five miles of the road tow ard the Sound
| put under contract This j. all that is
known at the present time in regard to
any other part of the railroad on the Co
| lumbia river or on the Sound. This city
| of kalama, which for time went up like
| a rocket, has for many reasons gone down
| like stick. The grade of the road
| proved, from the late overflow, TO be too
| low, and is now being altered. Those
who invested and built houses and stores,
| found them for some time under water,
and no security Ton the future. Many
who came from the east and were willing
| to wait a while and labor on the road be-
fore making any investment OF outlay,
have come in competition with the
''heathen Chinee," and left in disgust.
| From this place we proceeded to Mon
| to Olympia, ninety miles. The distance
from Portland to Olympia is 40 miles.
For most of this distance the land is
mountainous and covered with very
heavy growth of timber, mostly of one
kind resembling the southern hard pine,
| though containing much less OF the hard
pitchy substance Here and there we
, came tn small patches of bottom land, fit
for cultivation and some few grayrlly
prairies, almost destitute Of Ncgctatiou of
any value. The billy timber land was
most Of clay soil, and very poor. Arriv-
ing at Olympia, we tried hard TO feast our
eyes on Carleton's Paradise, but somehow
it would not satisfy. We tried it oyer
and over again, but with the same unsat-
isfactory result We visited all the prin-
cipal places on the Sound Olympia with
1900 inhabitants, SteilacoOm 400, Tecoma
800, Seattle 1900, Port Madison 215, PORT
Gamble 800, Port Ludlow POO, Port
Townsend 400, Port Discovery 100, Cor
very nearly these numbers,) and many
other smaller places. We examined the
soil, timber and other productions, mills,
&c, but found the great foundation of
prosperous county and people waning.
The soil and face Of the country are not
and never can be adapted 10 farming to
any great extent. To give you some idea
of the opinion of others as well Us myself,
| will state that after leaving the Sound,
we proceeded to Victoria, on Vancouver
Island, there to wait for the British steam
ship, Prince Albert, bound TO san Fran
cisco Here we fell in with men enough
to constitute respectable Jury, who had
visited every part of Washington Terl
tory. Some had been in the country iit-
teen years, and many others quite a length
of time and We're intelligent, observing
men, and strange TO say, their average
verdict was only three and half per cent.
of farming on tillage land in the Territory
It will he asked what becomes of the
other ninety six and a half per cent.
answer that it is made up of mountains
so steep and hard TO clear, and soil so
poor. that it cannot be made available tor
farming purposes. One man whom we
saw in Olympia said he owned small
piece of bottom land 25 miles from that
place, and comes IS miles to market. Such
is the difficulty in getting over the coun-
try. As general thing the land around
the Sound Is covered with very heavy
growth of timber, good for all practical
purposes, except finishing lumber. Still
there are some kinds that answer we'll for
planning, but these are not plenty.
For many reasons i consider an invest
ment in timber lands at the present time
very unsafe. One great reason is the
danger to The timber from fire. In tray
cling more than a hundred miles through
heavy timber, found more than one half
l,1 I,,,,