The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-08-25
DAILY INTELLIGENCER.
Thursday, Aug. IS, 1881.
TAN BARK.
EDITOR IsTELLTGEScER:

Editor lS1ELLiGkNCER-
The natural resources of Western
Washington are 50 great and diversified
that men hardly know what to take
hold OF first or most. The great Lead
ing interests OF the country ara iron,
coal. lumber and commerce But there
are items which could and should enter
into the commerce here. which some
times are overlooked. The export of
tan bark from the Puget Sound coun-
try could be made Of great profit. /;
is estimated that one million flet Of
lumber Ii cut daily ct the mills on these
waters. A large proportion of the saw
logs used at these mills are or should
be peeled. For the sake of conve>
Dience in handling the logs in the
forests and at the mills, all the logs
should be peeled. The tan bark sea
son 10 from May lst to July 25th.
Trees might be cut and peeled during
that time for the whole years con-
sumption in saw logs. The amount of
tan bark which would be taken from
ell this timber would be very great
Hemlock and fir timber afford superior
tan bark.
When first peeled, the bark should be
piled in shelving stacks. 50 as to ward
Of the rain. II could be brought to
the water and shipped to suitable
points. where it could be ground and
packed for shipping. Tan bark has
become very scarce In many parts of
the old and new worlds, and the tierce
bark sells at very high rates. In the
concentrated form Of ground or tierce
tan bark. freights would be low in
comparison to the worth of the article.
This view of the case only refers to ex-
port tan bark. IL is certainly a fact
that there is no better country in<the
world for good and successful taDaeries
than Northern Washington is. The
hides are superior and plenty; the
skins could be had 10 abundance, for
book binderies, for saddlers. and other
uses. The water is soft and climate
mild. There would be no freezing up
here of the teaches and watts IN winter !;
no injurious. electrical changes to
injure the hides in the yats. The
amount of leather brought and sold to
the people on this northwest coast, an
Dually, is enormous. And the amount
of boots and shoes, made of foreign
leather, and worn out here, amounts TO
great sums. All this leather should be
made here. and all these boots and
shoes should be made here. All of the
leather for saddlers and harness shops
aud oil the leather belts for machinery
should be made here.
This matter OF the tan bark and of
tsnneries and shoe and boot factories
here should be talked about, thought
about, and, If favorably considered, i'm
mediate steps taken to utilize the tan
bark, and incidentally erect tanneries
and shoe and boot factories here. 1t
may be said that there are not men aud
capital enough here to do so many
things. This we admit, but il is to
induce the men and capital to come
here, and enter into the many indus.
tries that will insure safe and profit.
able investments. There is not sec.
ton in North America that there are
grander openings for varied and extern
sive developments of the natural re-
sources OF the country than in Western
Washington.
New and wonderful discoveries of
ores; new rich districts of arabic
lands great fisheries excellent routes
for trans-contineatal and local rail.
roads are being found, and marvellous
harbors. straits. inlets. bays and chan
nels of deep waters in almost the whole
district of Western Washington are
lately found. A bright future awaits
this northwest corner of our repu bile.
DAVID NEwsoME. (.