, 1874-01-22

How CITIES ARE BUILT.-Captain Bat
tersby, formerly of the British army and
for several years past an eminent mining
engineer in San Francisco, has just
completed the examination of Cedar
river coal mine and its proximities, to-
gether with the topography of the coun-
try with reference to : railroad connec-
ton between the mines and this city
and superficial survey Of our harbor
and wharfage facilities, for an incorpo-
ted company in San Francisco, which
proposes to make a large investment
here the coming season if the report is
favorable. In conversation with this
gentleman, who is an old acquaintance,
after he had completed the examination
for which he was employed and sent
here, he did not hesitate to say that he
found everything connected with his
object far better than he anticipated,
and to give it as his decided opinion,
that in all his travels over nearly the
whole habitable globe, he had never
seen place possessing so many of the
elements of great manufacturing and
commercial city as Seattle.
With land>locked harbor, safe under
every stress of weather, with abundant
anchorage, easily accessible from the
ocean and the nearest practicable port
to the great centres of commence on the
eastern continent on the American side
of the Pacific, surrounded In mex
haustable quantities by the three great
staples of commerce-iron, coal and
umber-what more could be required
for building up great city but the
capital and enterprise necessary to the
dsEelopement of these natural advanta'
ges ..t.,la sd sss
Some of the richest cities of the I'm
ion Pittsburg, for instance-owe their
entire growth and prosperity to coal and
iron, without any ocean commerce.
The enormous increase of the iron trade
which has taken place within the last
few years, and the constantly multiply
ing uses to which iron is applied, have
made the manufacture of iron the lead
ing industry of the world, with a demand
which outruns the constantly increasing
supply. This has been as noticeable in
England as in this country. The Scien-
ifc American of January 10, gives a
brief history, with illustrations, of the
town of Barrow, with its manufactures
of iron and hematite steel, which is now
used for rails, axles, tires, etc. Tbe
town is situated on the west coast of
Lancashire, and ten years ago had a
population of less than 400; commenced
its corporate existence only in 1867,
and now has 10000 Inhabitants and
produces 5000 to1s of metal weekly,
requiring 10000 tons of ore and lime
stone and about 5000 tons of coke. A
million of dollars has been expended
on harbor improvements. There is a
line of ocean steamers from Barrow to
Montreal, and another between Barrow
and Rotterdam. These are private en-
terprises. The profits of the iron and
steel works in 1872 were So 100000.
To give employment to the women
and children of their laboring' men, the
Company established a jute factory, for
the purpose Of spinning and weaving
fax and jute, and the manufacture of
coarse cloths, sacking, tagging, wrap
perings, etc. This is found very profit
able, gives employment to fifteen hum
dred hands, and the stock is imported
from India and China. Various other
large manufacturing establishments, in
cluding ship-yard which is to employ
six thousand, naturally sprang up. as
one successful enterprise always begets
others, and thus they continue to multi.
ply in geometrical progression.
Seattle has far greater natural facili.
tiles for manufacturing and comme-.
cial town than Barrow. The latter i'm
ror;s all the timber rsed in ship-build
ing from the forests of Canada, all th'
took for its cloth manu- factures from