The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1880-02-28
: Puget ssssND.


:, "A correspondent of the Eureka
Leader, supposed to be Fred Fisk, for.
merly editor Of that paper. who had
the temerity to assert his independence
by voting as member Of the Nevada
Legislature as he promised to do before
he was elected, and was obliged to leave
Eureka to escape the prosecutions of
the owners Of henarrow gauge, writes
as follows about the Puget Sound
country. -
l was greatly disappointed in tia
Puget Sound Country. The facts in
regard to its prospects for the immedii
ate future and its climate, resources,
ETC., are in my opinion greatly misrep-
resented abroad. There were
FIFTY-Two INCHES OF sNow
On the ground when | arrived in Seat
tie, and for seven weeks previous it had
rained and showed continuously and
the two weeks / spent there the sun
did not show himself. l met a gentle
man here last evening just from there
who said that the same state of weather
had prevailed since l left, and he was
Informed that it was likely to contint 9
the same until June. / expected to
find that climate somewhat moist, but
there is too much Of good thing there
for me. 1t is SO seldom that Old Sol
makes his appearance, there that when
he does show up the entire canine popu-
lation set up howl and continue to
bark until the old boy hides behind a
cloud Seattle is very pretty town
of about $500 inhabitants; but it IL too
dull for anything, and how the people
manage to make living l can't mag
inc. The forest extends from the wat
er's edge to the summit of the Cascade
Mountains and in that space there is no
farming land. The land upon which
the timber grows is kind of decom-
posed granite, and there is no sod or
soil to it. Along the banks of the few
streams which empty into the Sound,
there is some land that will yield "gar-
den truck" but it is all located, and has
been so for years, the owners making a
fair living from it. Therefore, SO far as
my observation goes the Sound towns
can never derive any considerable
amount of benefit from its agricultural
resources.
sa1 THE LUMBER INTEREST tii
Is at standstill and but little has been
produced for two years, and still the
surplus OH hand there is sufficient to
supply the demand for two years hence.
. The mills are located long distances
apart and the manner in which they
are run, even when the trade is active,
is such that the town people. derive lit
tie or no benefit from them. The mill
companies furnish all the supplies to
the men and board them, and pay such
small wages that laborers make little
over their living. The fishing traffic is
so scattered that is does not appear to
contribute anything. The Sound has a
coast line Of nearly 1000 miles and is
an immense body OF water, and as ships
can find good anchorage in most any
part of il they are not obliged to go to
any particular town for load. The
talk about oysters, clans, ETC., is all
humbug. / never saw an oyster there
except few ''shriveled' up Baltimore
canned ones floating in, chalk and water
and called soup at the hashery Known
as the Occidental Hotel. The only
place ON the Sonnd where oysters are
dug is At Olympia. and they are scarce
there.
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=. Machinery.