The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-10-12
Official Press Of King County
Friday. October IL. 1877.
Editorial Cor.espondsncel
ALL ALONG THE COAST d.
BOUND DOWN.

From Portland W.: gave IL" notes
of observations in that locality up to the
sailing of the City of Chester. The
voyage down was without special incl
dent except that we were detained nine
or ten hour. at S, Helen's bar in the
Columbia.
We were rather disappointed in the
showing Of Astoria as q city. Can rest
assured that it is not the chosen site Of
destiny oil that has been said to the
contrary notwithstanding. People will
not deliberately choose to settle IN any
great mum bcrs to liye and enjoy life in
. spot where mountains are piled on
mountains, aid there is hardly fiat
land enough to level a billiard table Oh.
even allowing that some may have .
fancy to dwell in a perpetual drizzle OF
rain.
The river, in the vicinity of Astoria
and above is lined with salmon Gamer
les splendidly built and well-appolEted;
showing the investment Of ample cap
ital; but outside and on the river we
saw little signs Of fishing activity. In
the wheat trade Astoria has hardly
realizsd her anticipations The grain
still flows up the Willamette to Port
land, and still the little British iron
ships. not bigger than some of cur three
masted schoeners, work their way up
that classic stream to receive it. They
take on what they can carry over ST..
Helen's bar, and then drop down to As
toria to finish loading from lighters.
But fer NIL that. the expenses Of this
route are so great that great deal OF
the Oregon export is carried down to
San Francisco by the steamers, and is
thence shipped across the sea, San
Francisco has an open sea port, which
admits the passage Of large vessels
with their cargoes without danger or
difficulty.
Reaching Astoria in tho usual shower
we managed to drop over the Finest
bar in the world" without delay. but
only by scratch. for we only got fair
ly over when it breezsd up aud blew
great gus. by Friday afternoon,
though. tho wind turned in our favor
aud Sunday noon found us along side
the dock in Frisco.
SAN FRANCISCO
We were prepared to hear cam plants
OF dull times in San Francisco in con-
sequence of the blighted crops occur
ring conformity with tho decline in min
ing stocks: yet we were agreexbly sur
prissd to note the degrne of activity in
improvements tn be- noticed both in the
city proper and in Oakland. In both
cities many largo buildings Of brick
and stone are in progress. which will be
when completed, among the fines, on
the bay. Ia the city. the most conspic-
nous is the new Stock Exchange, on
Pine and L,edesdorf streets-an impos-
ing structure with its polished granite
front. BY tho way. since the accession
of the new bonanza regime, the seat of
financial empire. has rather taken step
southwark, and Pine instead of Califor-
MIA street, is the locality where stock
brokers 'most do congregnte" The
Nevada Bank. corner Of Pine aud Mont
gomery has superseded the California
Bank, on California and Sapsome, and
to-day the first building improvements
are going up on Pine.
Still. the hill at the Powell street in
tersection Of California street. is the
seat where are clustered the
palaces of the California railroad
kings--thc sumptuous millionaire
mansions Of Stanford. Hunt gton, Hop
kins and Colton;-thst is the Belgravia
Of San francisco. Az the Palace and
Grand are said to be the finest hotels in
the world, 20 these magnificent piles
Of masonry aud architecture. thrown
togsthar utterly regardless Of cost are
probably the grandest, " ct least the
most costly, private residences in the
world. We question both the judy
ment and the taste displayed in invest.
ing % much money just in this way.
Any way you can ok it up. it locks like
dispropoytion 20 marked - to b un-
pleasant in its effect on the beholder
and 50 enormous . to sugeest irrssisti-
bly, the idea Of robbery somewhere or
somehow.
Speaking of the Palace Hotel. that
monstrous seven. story pile Of brick and
mortar is said by those who ought to
know. to be . tirst-clsss abortion. as
much 70 in its way ~ the Great East
ern steamboat. Il draws custom enor-
mously, but still it does not pay inter-
est. Only the other day the owner ap-
piled for renewal Of a million dollar
mortgage upon It.
CITY DEVELOPMENT.
The growth Of the city has been
steadily away from the grounds where
il 6rst began. Tho heights Of Tele-
graph Hill are still . goat clsmber,
aud its slopes a perch Tor the rookeries
Ut poverty. North Beach is bathing
place, and the grand wharf which
Harry Nsigs built TO accommodate IN
imperial con msrcs has now mostly fal-
len down. IL resolves and delivers no
freight. notwithstanding that the docks
10 the southwark are jamwed aud
crowded ovcr-full. 50 that vessels mns;
IL for days on expense awaiting their
turn 20 haul 70. The city has stretched
away over the lswer sand fats and hills
TO the westward and southwark. and
hss colonixed Oakland ACROSS the bar
eastward. The Oakland ferry, owned by
! the Ccntrsl Poetic Company. Is the
bsst paying property they have. The
boats which cross the seven mile transit
every half hour. ore floating palaces
and are usually crowded. Often the
passengers by siagle trip exceed .
thousaDd. Fare 10 fifteen csnta or
season tickets three dollau . month.