Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-11-24
WASHINGTON TERRlroTY.

WARRINGTON TERR1T0TY.
Notwithstanding the reports of news
papers and periodicals., it remains
curious and important fact In the men
tai structure of the average inhabitant
of the States" that he knows little,
very little, more of Washington Terri
tory than what he learned in school
that ii lies between the Columbia river
and the British line, and that Its capt.
tai il Olympia, on Puget sound Hence
We propose in this initial number OF our
papar under it, new management, to
give, Tor the benefit Of our Eastern sub
scribers, very brief sketch OF the geo
graphical and physical aspect OF the
Territory, to be followed by series OF
more elaborate articles on its vaflous
sections and their commercial and m
dustxial development.
In the 6rst place, the Cascade Noun
tains traverse the Territory from north
TO south, dividing it into two parts as
radically Different in soil and climate a.
though they were located at Opposite
sides of the continent. East OF the
| mountains the country ia one vast roll
| ing prairie; west of them it Is gigantic
| ir forest. The Northern Pacific Kali
road, interesting the eastern boundary
| of the Territory about midway between
| its terminal points. runs sOuthvesteriy
| IN diagonal to the Oregon line, and
then due west to the SEA. North and
northwest of the railroad extends the
great plateau of the Columbia Tlver,
which stream, rising in the British pos
sessions, flow along the base OF the west
Cascade foothills in the form of hoise-
shoe curve to the Oregon line, and
thence west TO the sea. South and
southeast of the road lie first the Pa
louise country, second the Walla Walla
Valley.
The whole of eastern Washington pre-
sents, with some triAing exceptions, the
same physical characteristics through
out. Il is rolling, bunch grass prai-
RE. The soil is q rich, vegetable mould,
slightly tinged with alkali, on clay and
bssaltic subsOil. It is of q whitish color
when dry, but when turned up presents
the dark, mucky appearance OF the
Kansas farmlands. Its phenomenal
grain Yields and magnificent staying
qualities" will be the subject of sub
sequent article. In the Walla Walla
and Palouse countries some of the far
mers have been culiivating their lands
for the past ten years, and find their
yields now as large As ever. The Column
bia plateau, ON the contrary, is c0mpar-
atively unsettled, vast tracts of land,
equally az good as that farther south,
still lying open to the adventurous emf
grant at nothing per acre. 1t is not 30
we'll watered, however, and the climate
is perhaps a trifie more severe, the two
sections bearing about the same relation
to each other in this respect as northern
illinois and northern Ohio. Tue prin-
cipal town of the Walla Walla Valley is
Walla Walla; of the PalOuse Valley,
Colfax; of the Columbia country, SpO-
kane Falls.
Leaving tho snowy prairies behind
him, the traveller CROSSES the mountains
and at once finds himself in the Puget
Sound basin, that forest-clad land of
cool summers and warm, rainy winters.
An intelligent and observing writer for
the Eastern press, Mr.. JANUS Henri
Browne, of New York city, thus de-
scribes this climatic phenomenon in the
columns Ct the Herald:
| 1.-The whole northwest coast of the
American continent is washed by a
wnrm current from the China seas.
THIS gives a temperature mid and
balmy. Great evaporation is carried on
and the air charged with humidity. II
it were not for the mountains the air
would be too hot and humid ON the
coast for comfort, but the high noun
sains cool it and make this one of the
most delightful climates in the world.
Tue coast winds naturally carry the sea
vapOr inland, but the first obstacle o.
countered by these masses Of vapor is a
range of mountains high enough to
cause, by their altitude and lower tenn
peratuie, the precipitation of a large
amount of moisture upon this seward
slope. Still, considerable portion of
moisture is carried over this first range
and through the gaps in the mountains
and falls in rains and mist upon the
level prairie country beyond. Not 80,
| however, with the second or Cascade
range. These mountains by their hight
force up the humid air again and COM
pletely intercept the sea fog. While
great masses of vapor overhanR tho
western slopes, on their eastern slopes
not drop of dew falls"
The Puget Sound basin, the 'level
prairie" referred to by Mr.. Browne, as
lying between the Coast range and the
Cascades, is no prairie at all, but vast
timber belt LEO to 200 miles long by 30 to
50 miles wide. Its famous fir timber is
the best shipbuildiug material ever dis
covered, and for general carpentering
purposes is superior to white pine. The
soil Of this section is Rravelly, and ill
adapted to farming purposes, except on
the tide fats of the lower Sound. where
the oat yields are larger than in any
other part of the whole northwest. South
of the Sound the Chehalis and COwlitz
valleys offer rich tracts of river bottom
and timber soil, which, when cleared,
form excellent farm land. Concerning,
finally, Puget Sound itself, that bright
est jewel on the crest Of American CON-
merce, We cannot do better than to
quote from an interview with one of
the most experienced Atlantic naviga-
tors, recently published in the Cincin-
natl COmmereioI:
Puget Sound2"
1T 10 the most remarkable inland sea
have ever visited. ] am stranger
hero. l had never sighted Cape Flattery
till yesterday morning, and yet sailed
from that point down the Straits OF
Juan dc Fuca 70 Port Townsend, q dis
lance Of seventy miles In six hours,
without pilot"
O0t yo0 toWeO III A1OAu TUT AOWu-
send?"
II did, but it was not necessary. II I
we're to go over it again should sail
fair. ! tell you Puget Sound 10 a won
der. It is one long. deep, shoalless
harbor. The largest ocean ships even
navigate its waters with perfect ease
and drop anchor anywhere"
The principal city of western Wash
ingtnn Il Seattle. often called ''the Liv-
srpool Of the Pacific. "-Spokane Chron-
icle.
HAvg veg SEEN rmEMf
Those elegant nov ranges Just received
by Waddell 4 Miles direct from the
manufaotories-the Brighton and Ber-
wick. They are the fnest, most econom