The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-09-15
A Trip to Puget Sound.

| Leaving Fort Townsend at about seven in
| the morning, | was driven back to Port
Townsend along the beach, the tide being
low. In the absence of a regular road. this
beach answers good purposes; it is firm, al
though little muddy. Many gulls crows
and other birds walk along the sea shore,
enjoying an easily procured breakfast, for
the shore is literally filled with the food they
desire and all they have to do is to gorge
themselves, which they seem to do with all
their might. About midway between the
two places we walk our team across salt
stream made by the return of the tide from
4 large level marshy space flooded few
hours before, which makes a stream, alter
nately flowing in or out, every six hours.
This stream, or salt creek, is usually spanned
over by a bridge, so that it may be crossed
at all hours and seasons; but few days be-
fore the visit OF our party, some boys who
had gone to it te battle, conceived the brilli-
ant idea of building fire close to one of the
piles of the bridge, either with the intention
of roasting clans, which are very plentiful
here or for some other like purpose. When
they went away, they left their fire burning
and it communicated from one dry pile to
another, burning the bridge completely, to
the great Inconvenience of the people of the
town, as well as of the barracks After con-
sultaton between the interested parties, the
bridge was restored by the towns people fur
nishing the lumber aud other materials,
whilst Col. Pollock supplied the labor and
transportation from the barracks sand so
every body is happy again, for the two
places are quite interdependent. About
nine o'clock A. NJ. the Annie SelcdH returned
from Victoria some 30 miles away and
took the back track to New Tacoma. The
Annie Ste,can is good boat. excellent in all
its appointments. Again have chance to
admire portion of the wonderful inland
sea, several hundred miles long, commencing
at Queen Charlotte Strait north of Van
CONVEX Island and ending in the neighbor-
hood of Olympia. What resources this sheet
OF water offers for nav cation, fisheries, man
ufactures of lumber, iron, coal aud shipping
and ship building and many other in
terests! One is inclined to regret that these
beautiful channels do not run east and west
into the heart OF the continent. III the same
direction as the great lakes, shortening the
overland transportion by several hundred
miles, even to the vicinity of the Yellow
stone: but the direction of the mountain
ranges including the Rocky Mountains, the
Cascade and coast ranges, which run north
and south, makes this impossible. In this
age of grand transcontinental railways, the
loss is perhaps not as important as it might
have been formerly. Railway transportation
is now followingclosely in point of cheapness
upon the heels of navigation and is more
rapid also; but then navigation will always
be preferable for bulky agricultural produce
and heavy manufactures, which do not abso-
lutely require quick delivery; that is to say,
not being either very valuable or perishable.
Besides the sea furnishes food. Population
and wealth always centre near navigable
waters; never in the interior of countries
far from the sea or ocean.
Having at last arrived at New Tacoma,
was taken from the dock up long road cut
with great skill along the flank of the bluff
to the upper level. on which is situated the
hotel called the Halstead House. owned and
kept by Mr.. Jacob Halstead. 1t overlooks
the important sheet of water, part of the
sound, called Commencement Bay, AS well
AS the Puyallup flats. The latter are evil
IDENTIFY formed by the silt brought from the
mountains by the river and are left dry at
ebb of the tide Indeed it is evident that
the whole valley of the Puyallup. up to and
even above Puvallup station, for ten or
twelve miles was formed in the same way,
by aluvi, and like all alluvial soils they
are very rich and destitute of stones. The
Halstead house is said to be 100 feet above
the waters of the bay. | readily believe it;
from the bank it looks even more than this
height. The view is fine and will some day
he very fine when animated by the life and
motion of a great commerce and when, villas
shall dot the opposite shores. At present
the scene lacks life, movement and variety,
only few boats and vessels visit Commence
ment bay and New Tacoma as yet. The
great artery, which is to infuse the life blood
into this quiet place is the railroad which
will or should some day be built from Aims
worth to this point across the Cascade range
Of mountains according to the charter and
the conditions of the land grant to the n. F.
X. r., which provides for two termini, OF
which one must be on the waters OF the
| Sound
Having taken a comfortable dinner at the
hotel strolled down to the Office of the
Ledger, where found the editors. Mr..
Radebaugh and his associate. Mr.. Patrick.
These gentlemen edit paper remarkable
for its ability. 1t has long time been a
talented advocate OF Tacoma and opposed to
the combination which threatens u divert
the great land grant made by the nation to
the Northern Pacific from its original pur-
pose and to turn it into an engine of power
for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF Portland and the
commercial enslavement of the sound; a to-
tally different object from that intended by
the peoples imperial gift; piece of legal
piracy which, but for its want of lawlcssness,
would be somewhat akin to the operations
of the James brothers and far more serious
in its ultimate consequences to the people OF
Tacoma aud the Sound. Against the Willard
arms and combinations the talented editors