The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-02-16

wealth OF the Pacific Coast.

The s. +. journal Of Commerce says
that the developed and undeveloped
wealth of the Pacific Coast Is sonIe-
thing wonderful in its way. "rhe
wealth of Ormuz and OF Ind" has long
been a poetic smile for fabulous
riches, but both Ormuz and Ind have
long been famous as absorbers rather
than creators of treasure. Here we
have wealth in all imaginable ways
that the mind of man can conceive,
developed and developing. The treas
ure stOre-hOuses of the Sierras aud the
Rockies, and the Sierra Madre of the
MOntezuma, have only ~ yet been
pecked ut. Superficial writers speak
Of their exhaustion, but practical men
of science-miners and geOlOgists-
know that there IL as much gold in the
foothills Of California as has ever been
extracted, while many ancient river
beds remain yet to pour forth their
hidden stores rs literally as hundreds
OF years since they poured forth their
waters. 1t IL known that there IL
enough gold In the deposits that have
been traced to yied SO cOpiOusIy as
now for hundred years to cOme-that
. couple Of thousand million dollars
awaits the miners hand and eye.
Aud what is known is In all probable
ity nothing to what IL unknown.
The wealth Of the gold aud silver de-
posits Of the coast from Fraser river to
the Isthmus must equal untold mil
lions. And 1t only awaits the miners
skill and toll to make It available for
the wants of the world. The tabled
Ell Dorado Is on the Pacific Coast, and
1t Is not entirely beyond the bounds of
possibility that some mighty city and
some, mighty potentate found their
habitat In the mountains and in the
wilds of New Mexico or Arizona,
which contain the ruins Of populous
ancient cities which most probably
subsisted on the profits of mining.
Mineral wealth seems to be usually
the most attractive form In which
wealth Is found, but THIS is only
small portion Of the possible riches Of
that portion of the continent whose
hills and valleys slope to the blue wa
ters Of the Pacific. Cur great staple,
wheat-is produced from the same
fields every year, and with proper
treatment can be so produced for un-
told centuries. The area capable OF
producing wheat in California is In
round numbers twenty-five million
acres, and on the Pacific coast, one
hundred million. With proper cul-
ture that would yield year after year
not less than 20 bushels to the acre, or
q total Of two thousand million BUSH
els, three hundred million more than
10 now raised on the whole earth.
The value of this at 81 a bushel would
be yearly two Thousand million dol
lars-mOre money than Croesus ever
dreamed Of. In u score ofyears II will
equal forty Thousand million dollars.
The immagination fails to grasp fig
ures like these.
The value Of lumber on the coast cut
yearly is six million dollars at the
port or place of shipment, vt the rate
II $40 per thousand feet. A thousand
years would not exhaust the giant
woodlands from Alaska to Santa Cruz
80 that on q very rough estimate
this portion Is worth At least six
thousand million dollars.
Let us take the vine In the same
way. California has fifteen million
acres of the finest vine lands on earth
the coast thirty million acres. At
q cents per gallon, each acre the pro-
duct would be worth one hundred
dollars; at twenty cents per gallon,
eighty dollars; making the value Of
the possible product OF California one
thousand two hundred million dol
lars per annum.
The editor might have gone on and
In the Same manner estimated the
products of the sea. Of the coal and
iron mines, Of the sh;pyaris and man
ufactures, each and every one Of
which In twenty years will amount
annually to not lesS than fifty million
dQllars, and moro likely . hundred
million.
The future of the Pacific Coast In
the matter Of commercial greatness
will be no less than that Of the At
lsntic, and its growth and Develop
ment Of the next decade or two will
he more astounding than anything Of
the kind yet witnessed In Europe,
America or Australia.