The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-08-17
daily INTELLlGENCER.
friday, August II. 1877.

ORR PorrLArroS.-The Assessors of
n, three districts into which our coun-
a;v,aed, have made return OF
-. oopulation and property, from
~. inch il appears that we are not IS nu-
snI .s az We thought we were. In as
De- s,srk's district. the population
- ssund to be s5s; in Smart's it is
!, Ia. and in shoudy's, which embraces
i..' .;,y Of Seattle. it is s.l24. making
w .o,.i Of 5,si9. Last year. in compil-
> w. cuy directory. Kirk c. Ward
ny the white population out to be
: m Of which 800 is set down as con-
s floating population. He also
- the Chinese population out at 200
"a me Indians so more, making total
Zoo If there has been a decrease
u u s16 during the past year. which we
=. .,s much doubt, it is easily accounted
ss'' The extension Of railroad up the
p.,.llup valley, last spring, carried off
1T III, al the large body OF street la
H.. 49,. yho we're working on the Front
o .. Grade when the directory was
".r;isd. We had forty ship carpen-
rorting on the barkentine Katie
r,;.s.recr. last year, and they are oil
slsevbere. Scores Of laborers.
H. ssd saved the hard earnings of
,hree or four past years work 10
.he logging camps and saw-m'lis.
Nv. taken their rifles and axes and
.ro1.ed the Snoqualmie Pass to lay the
sooudstion Of new villages in the kitti-
80 valley and await the coming OF the
;,op horse from Puget Sound. Astoria
,ook big shoot ahead about six months
400 md PERHAPS in her flotilla of l.120
ssb;pe boats, she may have enrolled
.ome Of our Seattle boys as disciples OF
q Peter. That our city is not growing
j. very evident. 1t never will grow
lille men who paid nothing for their
town lots, ask San Francisco prices for
them For example. friend of ours
tho moved down here from Walls
Wslls about two months ago, left
neat little cottage and garden behind
him. Shortly after his arrival here, he
rsosiyed al offer of 81 400 for his house
ana lot. but before accepting it, he con-
cluded TO see what could be done IN Sc
attic. he went up on Fifth street. back
Of the University. aud the cheapest lot
he could find was 81 $50. with over fifty
big stumps on it. For half cleared
lot adjoining it. that would cost $l75 to
trade. the modest price Of 81 400 was
demanded. Hence the Wslls Walls
man concluded to wait till common
sense reduced the prices of lots to fig
ures xhich the business OF Seattle will
Justify. In this way, hundreds OF thou
ssnds Of dollars have been turned away
frsm Seattle during the past year: The
three principal lot-owners OF this
city were donated their land by
by the Federal Goyern .nent. to induce
them 10 settle here AID these three men,
Who always want their pound of flesh
in advance, are men whose exorbitant
demands are driving out transient CAPT.
tai by their prohibitory valuations OF
land which cost them nothing. Rents
are FROM seven to nine per cent. per
month on the actual cost Of two-thirds
Of the business buildings in Seattle.
Tho rents must come down and prices
Of lots must tumble or transient CAPT
tal won't stay here. Capt. Ainsworth
once said to the writer. "Ycur Seattle
pioneers are very peculiar people
They want to have big city there. but
they don't want any one to live in it ex-
cept themselves"