The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-01-10
LETTER FROM .LnlsITsrNG.-
TAcoMk W. T.. I
Jan. Ath, 1874. !

|
nus of the much talked Of Pacific Rail
road.
We left Albany New Years day
and after laying over that night a
Portland, took the steamer Fanni
Troupe for Kalama. where we arrived
at u O'Clock. Here, asis,well known
is located the headqMTcrs, offices
machine shops, round hoAses. etc.. o
the n. p. r. r. After adoing" thu
city, we struck the II. r.. Co. for. ant
succeeded in obtaining free passes tc
Tacoma and return. Leaving Kalama
at ! ?. NJ, we started over some o1
the worst looking country it has been
our fortune to look at for q long time,
/ The country from kalama to q. point
about ten miles south of renino, is
very marshy, the road running down
the Columbia and up the Cowlitz river.
The stations on this road are all In
dian names. and the conductors and
brakeSmen have to insure their jaws
every time it is necessary to cry the
station to the inmates Of the ears, the
names are such iawbreakerS.
From Tcnino to Tacoma, forty
miles, the country is more level, with
some prairie; but the land is not very
good, the soil being very gravely.
Two miles from Tacoma we strike the
big grade" OH this road, 1t being 1lG
feet to the mile.
Wishing to visit Olympia, we laid
over in renino Friday night, and next
A, NJ. chartered private conveyance,
driven by Charley Nfabie, an old stage
proprietor on the Sound. Weather
terrifically cold; snow on the ground
to the depth of thirteen inches and
freezing hard. About five miles from
Tenino we descended the hill in safety
where the terrible stage accident oc-
cured few days ago, by which ares
ident of Tacoma named Jemison, was
killed outright, and two Others badly
injured. Seven miles from Olympia we
entered the first real prairie we had
seen in Washington Territory. 1t is
four and half miles long by one and
half wide, and is the only one in this
part of the country that amounts to
much. After crossing it, we entered
the town of 1'umwater-what does
''tllm" Inean9 Here is 4 small town
Of ofprobably $50 inhabitants, two flour
ing mills, three saw mills, several
stores, blacksmith shops, and a large
manuiactory for wooden pipe. The
town Is located on the extreme head
of Budds Inlet at head of tide waters
A drive of q mile and a half brought
us to Olympia, the capital of Washing
ton Territory, also situated on Budd,
Inlet. The city is built in 4 sort OF
semi-circle. Oh both sides of the Bay,
and also OIL Il little cape that projects
out into the Bay or Inlet. the different
parts Of the town being connected
with bridges. The ground upon which
Olympia is built, rises gradually from
the tide flats in front to an elevation
to probably one hundred feet, so that
there is hardly a house in the place
from which You cannot get fine view
OF the Bay. A splendid view Of that
grand old mountain, Rainier, can be
had from this point They claim for
Olympia population of 3, 900 people,
but we think it would take some work
to find 1000. 1t being the capital, all
Of the Territorial, as well as a good
many OF the Federal offices, are located
here.
Next morning at ) o'clock we took
the steamer Zephyr for Tacoma via
Steiiacoom. Probably nowhere else
has steamboat opposition been carried !,
to such an extreme as on Puget Sound. |
They frequently carry passengers from
Olympia to Seattle, a distance of so
miles, for % cents. There is a good
deal of local travel ON the Sound, to
and fiom Olympia. The boat we went
ever on had 81 passengers. aud on ar
tiving at SteilaCOOnS about half past