Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-08-31

con Improvement Company and Presi-
dent of the Seattle Coal and Transpor-
tasion Company, has been in the city
for the past two days looking after i'm
portant business interests here. A Posi-
reporter called ON him
last evening, and during a very pleasant
interview obtained the following inter
esting information.
The coal business in San Francisco
during the present summer has been
very fiat and prices have ranged cores
pondingiy low. This state Of things was
occasioned partly by the heavy stocks OF
foreign coal carried over from last year.
and partly by the unprecedented amount
of Australian coal brought to California
this season. Australian coal that cost
& 30 per ton on board vessels at the
foreign port and 20 cents per ton duty
has been sold in San Francisco as log as
3 G0 per ton by the cargo, thus leaving
but & 60 per ton freight on voyages ex-
tending over a period Of sixty days. For
some purposes this coal il superior 70 the
productions of the Pacific Coast.
"When our company foresaw this COL
dition of AFFAIR."" said Mr.. Howard,
they adopted the pulley Of curtaiiinR
the production of our mine 10 ~ 10 pro
duco only what we were able to dispose
Il without forcing an exceas on the
market, and reducing too much the pm
oes on ell our sales. The outlook, how
ever, il very much more favorable now.
~ tue stocks Of coal In San Franc'sco
are greatly reduced"
"By the first Of October" continued
Mr.. Howard, "onr coal bunkefs at Fort
land will bs ready to receive Seattle coal
from our steamers. These bunkers are
20 feet long, 40 feet wide and ~ feet
high, and have capacity OF 4.Oo tons,
and are so arranged that steamers, bar
Qes, locomotive tendsrs, carts, Cars, wag-
ons, etc. can he loaded without handling
the coal. This coal will be used On all
| the various systems of railroads In Ore
gon, ~ we'll ~ GU steamboats, and steam
vessels of all kinds plying on Oregon
waters. 1t will also be Introduced fOl
| domestic purposes in Portland aud
| throughout tho Willamette and Walla
| Waila vnlleys NJ far az possible. This,
| together with our San franclsc0 trade,
| We expect will make u market sufficient
| to keep Our mine, railroad and steamers
regularly and constantly employed"
1.-The steamship Willamette II in San
| Francisco, temporarily out OF service,
and among other improvements, il hav-
ing an additional water ballast tank
placed in her"
"rhe UmatiIla is on her way TO Seat
tie from Portland to load coal for San
Francisco. She may be expected here
on Thursday"
'rhe Mississippi il now loaded and
ready for sea. sne will be Oh before
your paper is printed in the morning."
1.-The Walla Walla Is engaged in deep.
ening the channel ON st. Helen's aud
Walkers Island sand bars, IN the Co
lumbia river, below Portland. The sea-
son il approaching when the low water
in the Columbia makes it necessary for
vessels drawing over eighteen fest OF
water to lighter their cargoes up to Port
land at a heavy expense. 10 avoid this
MIR. Prescott conceived the idea of using
the propeller Of one Of our large iron
steamships To stir up the sand in these
shallow places, 50 that it can be- carried
off by the outgoing tide, and TINS deepen
the cnan col. The steamer Is made fast
by anchors, raised forward by filling the
after tanks with water, and she prOpel-
Ter revolved at the rate Of fifty or sixty
revolutions per minute. In twenty-fOur
hours the Walla Walla, by this process,
made channel 5O feet long, iUO feet
wide aud deepened it from IL to "a feet.
so we'll pleased with the success of this
happy Thought, MIR. Prescott will keep
the steamer ON the river till the work IL
completed.
"ihe delays Oh our new freight wharf
at Seattle are owing to our inability to
get yellow metal with which..t0 cover the
piles; there being mono this side of New
York. Al soon IN this fact was disc0v-
cred, We telegraphod an order for the
copper, and had it shipped ~ fast
freight. 1t has arrived and the piling is
about completed. From this time on the
work will be crowded as rapidly as pos
sible. and by October LIST we expect to
have the entire structure completed.
There will be two rOadways to this
wharf, one from Main and the other
from jackson street. On the outer end
Of the wharf will be the main freight
warehouse, 20 feet long by GO feet wide.
At right angles from this will be two
wing warehouses, each 100x4O feet. The
driveway will extend all around the rear
Of these warehouses, 30 that teams can
go ON and receive or deliver freight
without interfering with the freight ON
tue wharf,"
ssSome of the Seattle merchants have
small warehouses to be con-
structed on the wharf to facilitate their
own business. II there arc enough APP
plications Of this kind made to Justify
our company, We will put up number
Of small warehouses for those who may
wish to rent them."
In reply TO a question 40 70 how long
he expected to remain ON tho Sound, MI.
Howard said:
II am going to Victoria in the morn
ing, and will return to Seattle on Friday
afternoon to remain at least several
days.'
Then the interview ended.