Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-12-05

Editorial in Oregonian Of Dec. 4th-

SEATTLE, W. Z.
Editorial in Orsgonian Of Dec. 4th-
The natural wealth of King county.
Washington Territory, consists Of coal,
timber, iron, and a fine body Of agri-
cultural and pasture Land. The natural
depot for the sale and shipment Of the
products Of this region. and for the re-
esipt and distzibution Of - supplies, II
Seattle, tbs largest Of the several pros
porous towns on Puget Sound. Begin
ming near Seattle, the rieh vallsys Of the
Dswamiah and the Cedar rivers extend
east for fifteen miles There d no bst-
tor hsld for agriculture. stock raising
and dairying anywhere than here. Be-
ginning at the. eastern end OF this
region, Ans belt Of Or and spruce tim
Der extends east twenty Ave miles TO the
Green river. Great deposits Of the bsss
quality Of Ignite undsfiis much Of this
timber belt, and ~ IL eastern limit vast
fields Of bituminous coal exist. Fur
thsr east and still in King county, are
inexhaustible beds OF magnetic iron ore
equal to the best found anywhere in the
United States. Thi rich region 10 as
yet bat partly developed. The river val
legs are settled, and thsir annual ship
ment Of farm and dairy products is
enormous. Their outlet is the DIVA
mish river, which 10 navicated by small
steamboats,. Three Ignite mines have
been opened and are connected by q
narro~ gage railroad line With Seattle.
where steam colliers receive their pro-
ducts and carry it 10 the markets of
San Francisco and Portland.
Bot this development Ia but q begin
ming. The bituminous fields Of Green
river are the most valuable in the Terri
tory, and the work of opening them is
now in progress. Capitalists of Seattle
hold large interests there, Chandler Of
San Francisco holds large acreage, the
Oregon Improvement Company has 60
cured a share. and the Northern Pacific
Railroad Company, BY virtue Of its land
grant, is also the owner Of several rich
sections The Northern Pacific people
propose to open their mines at onoe, and
with that view will the coming simmer
ran line Of rails into the heart of the
bituminous region. by the course Of
surveys made under the Northern Pacific
direction recently, tie people Of King
county are convinced that the proposed
line will terminate at Tacoma and not
at Seattle, the nearest deep water point
from the mines and their natural point
of shipment. They see that the North
srn Pacific can, by the use Of lines to be
built Independently of this special line,
put Green river GOAL into Tacoma
cheaper than into Seattle. and they are
convinced that il 10 the purpose Of the
company to consult its interests rather
than theirs in the matter, very natural
purpose indeed. They believe that un-
der the plans Of the Northern Pacific
the business Of their mines will 90 ~
Tacoma, and that even the products Of
the mines which they themselves own
will be compelled to find shipment at q
rival port. They realize also the posi-
bility Of disadvantage in shipping over
the lines Of a company like themselves
snga ged in tho coal business and in
the spirit Of sslf-protsotion propose to
build An independent line connecting
the ooel fields with Seattle. A line be.
ginning At Seattle and extending forty
miles southeast is contemplated, and .ns-
Rineers who have reoanii:. sAmined the
route, report tht sucR 4 line can be
built for &c3.coo.
Of Ae amount necessary half must
81 6xpended in the work Of grading and
tieing, and half for rails and rolling
stock. d. .. Mills, the we'll known
capitalist Of New York and California,
has engaged to furnish the latter II the
people Of Seattle will prepare the line
for the rails. taking in payment the
bonds ct Q per cent. The
thing for the Seattle mon to do il 70
raise the necessary quarter million, and
they have Get about doing il. Stock
books were opened week ago, and in
three days one hrndred Thousand dollars
worth Of stock had been subscribed, and
We arc assured that the full amount will
DO speedily taken. Tho local company
pledges itself to carry COAL to all parties
ut fixed and invariabls rate, and to
deal without discrimination with ship-
pers. The proposed line will pas through
tho river valleys, and will carry their
supplies and market their products.
The wide timber belt between the agri-
cultural land and the mines will afford
log frei9hts for half century, and the
iron bsds beyond the coal fields will,
when developed, draw the line further
EAST and add 10 it, business. And at
some future time the managers Of the
company contemplate extending their
limo across the mountains into tho Va
kima country. They are confident that
from tho first day they accept business
the road viii pay . handsome profit,
and in support Of the claim point to the
fact that the road which nov connects
Seattle with the Ignite fields paid, last
year. f'evsty.ser per cent diridend.
The people Of Seattle have gone into
this enterprise With good spirit They
nee danger ahead and propose 10 avert
it. They propose that the business Of
King county shall b dons at their city,
and arc not afraid to put their money
into enterprises which will hold il there.
This last enterprise u in keeping with