Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-03-02
PUGET SOUND.
whas . Nsvsdsa says OF washisE.
ton TerritoPy.
Sarer State, FEB. 20.


.Siirer State, FEB. IS.
A correspondent Of the Eureka Leader.
supposed to be Fred Fisk. formerly editor
Of that paper, who had the tsmerity to
assert his independence by voting as q
member of the Nevada Legislature as he
promised to do before he was elected,
and was obliged to leave Eureka to es-
cape the prosecutions Of the owners Of
the narrow gauge, writes rs follows about
the Puget Sound country:
I was greatly disappointed inthe Puget
Sound country. The facts in regard to
its prospects for the immediate future,
and Its climate. resources. etc.. are In my
opinion greatly misrepressntsd abroad.
There were Aity.two inches Of SNOW on
the ground when I arrived in Seattle.
and for sever weeks previous II had
raiped and showed continuously. and
the two weeks ! spent there the sun did
not show himself. I met . gentleman
here last evening just from there who
said that the same state Of weather had
prevailed since I left, and he was in
formed that 1t was likely to continue the
same until june. I expected to find that
climate somewhat moist, but there Is too
much OF . good thing there for me. II
il 30 seldom that Old Sol makes his sp-
psarance there that when he does show
up the entire canine population set up Q
howl and continue to bark until the old
boy hides behind Q cloud. Seattle il q
very pretty town Of about $500 inhabi-
tants. but 1t 10 too dull for anything.
and how the people manage to make q
living I can't imagine. The forest sI.
tends from the waters edge to the SUM.
nit OF the Cascade Mountains and in
that space there Is no farming land. The
land upon which the timber grows is .
kind Of decomposed granite. and there
il no sod or soil to 1t. Along the banks
| Of the few streams which empty into the
Sound, there is some land that will yield
garden truck but II il all located. and
has been 10 for years, the making
Q fair living from 1t. Therefore. so far
a. my observation goes the Sound towns
can never derive any considerable amount
Of benefit from its agricultural resources.
The lumber interest is at u ~standstill,
and but little has been produced for two
years; but still the surplus on hand is
sufficient to supply the demand for two
years. The mills are located long dis
tances apart. and the manner in which
they are run. even when the trade Is
active, is such that the town people de.
rive little 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
II does not appear to contribute any.
thing. The Sound has q coast line Of
nearly 1000 miles, and Is an immense
body Of water. and As ships can lind
good anchorage in most any part OF 1t
they are not obliged to 60 to any par
ticular town for q load. The talk about
oysters. clans. ETC.. is all humbug. /
never saw an oyster there, except o few
shrivelsd up Baltimore canned ones
floating in chalk and water and called
soup at the hashery known a. the Occi.
dental Hotel. The only place on the
Sound where oysters are dug Is at
Olympia, and they are scarce there.