Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-10-03

COuSlQeT1tlOu6 III ucCluluk 1dCOtud
as desirable place for the termi-
nus of the Northern Pacific Rail
road on the Sound. The Govern.
ment has wisely reserved Point Def.
ance at the Narrows, and other
prominent places on the bay for mil
litary purposes.
THE SCENERY OF THE BAY.
If beauty can be combined with
utility and material advantages, a
three.fold cord is made that cannot
be easily broken. This is what adds
to the attractiveness of Tacoma.
From the town site Of the Company
or from any part of the bay, Mount
Rainer, to be called in future Mount
Tacoma, l2,5Oo feet high covered
with perpetual snow, comes into full
view; and although it is sixty-five
miles distant, yet owing to the level
country intervening, it looks as ifit
were only a few miles from the bay.
1t is as grand and imposing sight
of the kind as the eye need behold,
aud is not surpassed in beauty and
sublimity by any of the great snow
peaks of the Cascade Range. In
the opposite direction from Mount
Tacoma, the Olympia range of noun
tains can be distinctly seen. The
Cascade Range, the Coast Range
and the Olympia Range of noun
tains form a grand circle of noun
scenery that can be seen with more
or less distinctness from many parts
of the bay and come into command
ing view from the heights where the
new town Of Tacoma is to be built.
These considerations of natural
beauty and sublime scenery had, no
doubt, considerable influence in de-
Gliding Tacoma as location for the
terminus and site for the town.
THE wHARvEs OF THE Il. Il. cos.
If Tacoma is to be the great COM
mercial centre of the Sound it was
of vital Importance to secure ample
water frontage for whaves and other
conveniences for railroad purposes.
This the Company have accom-
plished. They own nearly six miles
of each. Two miles of it will be
used for wharves, the construction
Of which will commence immediate.
ly. These whaves will be built with
great strength, durability, and on a
scale adapted to extensive shipping
business. There will be fifty feet
of water at high tide and thirty feet
at low water at these wharves, SO
that the largest ships can come to
them at any time and at all periods
of the tide for loading and unload
ing. The necessary portion Of the
water front will be appropriated to
buildings for the terminus on scale
corresponding with the general de-
sign. The upper end of the bay,
known as the fats, will be used for
erecting machine shops for building
cars and other rolling stock necessa
ry for the Pacific end of the road.
The Company intend to make these
wharvcs and terminus buildings
worthy of the great national high
way-the Northern Pacific Railway.
THE TOWN SITE
will be laid out early in September,
and lots and blocks will be ready
for sale by that time. The town
will be built on the heights over.
looking the bay, and will consist for
the present of 500 blocks, containing
six lots each. The main streets
will be eighty feet wide, and the
back st.'eets will be forty feet wide,
so that there may be ample room
for receiving and forwarding goods
by the back streets, and the front
ones kept clear Of all distractions.
There will be three grand avenues
running through the town north
and south, hundred feet wide, and
a splendid boulevard will be made
along the bluff in front of the town,
q hundred feet wide, at an elevation
of from 100 to $50 feet above the
bay, from which a magnificent view
of the bay and surrounding noun
tain ranges and snow peaks will be
had. This boulevard will be re.
served for the private residences of
the leading citizens. Twenty-seyen
acres will be appropriated on the
summit for a beautiful park, in the
heart of the city. The plan of the
town is in keeping with the design
of what may properly be called the
terminus, and, if carried out, will
be in harmony with the beautiful
bay, the grand surroundings, and
the great highway; the Directors
of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company will redeem themselves
from many reproaches, restore pub
lie confidence, and act worthy of
the nations unparalleled gift for the
for the construction Of the road.
The Company have secured 1000
acres Of land in connection with the
town site, and 4 900 acres convenient
to town. Part Of these lands were
purchased, about 800 acres the gift
of the people, aud the balance forms
a part of the immense subsidy
granted by Congress.
The Directors have shown great
wisdom in appointing Gen. James
Tilton Chief Engineer to lay out
the town site and all its details, and
Theo. Hosmer their special agent at
Tacoma.
THE RA1LRoAD-PARK AND LAKES.
A ride with Gen. Tilton and Mr..
Hosmer to see the level and back
part of the town site and the lake
districts, brought us to where the
grading of the railroad is going on
seven miles from town. There
600 Cinnamon rnd $50 white men
are as busy as bees. The grading
will be completed to Tacoma in q
and the cars will be running
from Tenino to Tacoma-forty miles
by the first of December. By that