, 1882-04-21
A BOOM FOR PORT TOWNSEND.

Port Townsend, together with the
favorable report thereon by the Con.
gressional committee on Public
Buildings. The Bill here given is
almost identical with the one intro.
duced by Delegate Brents, two
years ago, but is substitute intro.
duced by Congressman l.. deMotte,
of the 10th district of Indiana. The
report was prepared by Mr.. Brsnts,
and shows that he is attending to
his duties:
FOR THE ERECTION OF PUBLIC
BUILDING AT PORT TOWNSEND
WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
BE it enacted by the Sen
ate and House OF RepreSen-
tativeS Ofthe United States
of .AnoeTIcH in CONGRESS- as
SembLed, That the Secretary of
the Treasury be, and he is hereby
authorized and directed to purchase
a site Tor, and cause to be erected
thereon, a suitable building, with 6rs
proof vaults therein, for the accom-
mediation Of the custom. house,
bonded warehouse, post-office, and
other government offices, at the city
of Port Townsend, Washington
Territory. The plans, specifications
and full estimates for said building
shall be previously made and approx.
ed according to law, and shall not
exceed for the site and building
complete the sum of twenty.seven
thousand dollars: Provided,
That the site shall leave the build.
ing unexposed to danger from FIRE
in adjacent buildings by an open
space of not less than forty feet, in.
clsding streets and alleys; and no
money appropriated for this purpose
shall be available until valid title
to the site for said building shall be
vesIed in the United States.
REPORT;
THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILD.
ING AND GROUNDS HAVING CON-
sIDERED BILL Fl. r. 1882, BEG
LEAVE TO REPORT THEREON AS
FOLLOWS:
In its relations to commerce,
Port Townsend, the port Of entry of
the Puget Sound customs district,
occupies place of considerable
prominence.
The shipping Of this district al.
ready exceeds that of more than
one-half Of the entire States, and of
nearly four.ffths of such districts in
the Unitad States. During the year
ended June 80, 1878, 10S vessels,
with q carrying capacity OF over 81.
600 tons, were documented at this
place.
During the same time the tonnage
of American vessels in the foreign
trade which entered and cleared at
this port was exceeded by that of
only 4 of the 125 ports Of entry Of
the United States; the tonnage OF
foreign vessels in this trade was ex
ceeded by such tonnage at less than
fifth of these ports; the tonnage
of American ocean steamers in this
trade was exceeded at only 2 of these
l25 ports, and the tonnage of for.
eign ocean steamers in the same
trade is exceeded at only 10 of these.
A very large number Of entries and
clearances were also made of vessels
engaged in the general coasting
trade.
Over 3O0,OOo,0O0 feet of lumber,
100000 tons Of coal, 100000
cans Of salmon, large quantities of
farm and orchard produce, and va.
rious other domestic commodities
are annually exported from this dis.
trict. The value Of these sexports
for the last year is estimated at not
less than $S,000,000.
Within the last FIVE years the col.
lections made at this port have been:
Customs, $6S,S35.45; Marine hos.
pital tax, $l9,22l.93; steamboat tax,
$lO,659 So; fines. penalties and for.
FIXTURES, $4,479.03; emolument fees,
$6,3S5.02; making a total of $780,
5Sl.0l.
These statistics, derived from of
fetal sources, mark this as a port of
no small Importance to the com.
merce and revenues of the country.
Constituting the entrepOt of the
"Mediterranean of the Pacific" with
its numerous bays, estuaries, and is