Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-01

81 ,Uio.9o tons; In lSo2, LIZ vessels, of
4, Az. "A tons.
Estimating for the years complete
upon the basis of the quarter named, we
find the whole number of vessels docu-
mented in 1850 to have been about 45a,
of 135, $50 tons; in 1881, 4S0 vessels, of
14s, 800 tons; and in 1882, 53S vessels, of
1863, 6S3 tons.
THE COMING COUNTRY.
Denver Daily Times, Dec. 49,
"It's big country, isn't it?''
Mr.. Robert f. Strahorn, who has Just
returned from a two months tour of the
Northwest, smiled. 1t was compla-
cent smile, not unmixed with pity, and
perhaps little contempt.
"Big, do you say? Well, yes, should
say it is rather large" Crossing his leg
comfortably, and looking at the reporter
thought ally, he continued: "The
drainage of the Columbia River covers
an area of four hundred Thousand
square miles. That doesn't look very
big, does it? No, it doesn't convey
very graphic idea of the extent of the
Northwest. But you'll understand it
better when you look in your atlas and
learn that it is larger than all of the
New England States, New York, Penn
sylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana,
illinois and Iowa. That's about the
size of the Northwest; comprising Ida
no, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
There's enough room up there for al
most everybody, for the country is more
adapted to and is more susceptible of
close habitation than even thickly-s set
tied New England is. Why. if its val
leys we're settled as those of France,
they would contain g, OOO, 900 people, or
as those of England ,OOO,OOO-about
5000 900 more than we now have in all
of the United States. There is no limit
to the greatness of the future which
this country has the qualities to achieve.
1t has been two years since made
tour of the Northwest. Did see any
change? Yes, more than Car tell you
of, and more than you would have room
to print. can mention one change
which will give you general idea of
the development of that country in that
short periOd-and that, toO.a before the
era of railroads had dawned. On this
trip saw miles and miles of farms
along the Columbia River on land
which, when l was there two years ago,
was considered absolutely worthless. 1t
is surprising to me how that far oil
country made any advance. The OBJ
stacles which stood in the way seemed
insurmountable. In the first place, it
was comparatively unknown. and not
at all correctly known. Added to this
was the difficulty which the settler had
tempt a man to travel 500 miles by
oSo in tevxv rhSnt,
port said was wet enough to drown him,
should escape death by the first evil.
But in the face of these supposed dan
gers 5000 persons have settled in the
Northwest in the past year."
81 understand that the railroad COM
panies have had agents in Europe for
several years advertising the Northwest,
and using every effort to direct emigra-
ton to that part of America" said the
"That's very true; but the Is 600 who
went there this year did not come from
Europe. They were of a much better
class of men to build up a new country
than could be found in Europe, or in
many parts of the United States. They
are pioneers-men who knew what a
wild life was and went prepared to en-
dure it. Many of them had few
thousand dollars in their pockets. They
were from all parts of the country, but
principally from Iowa, Wisconsin, ILL
| nois, Missouri and OhiO-States which
were not very long ago considered out
West by the stay-at-home New England
ers. And there were not a few from Kan
sas and Nebraska. / said moment ago
4 %, <,f no 80, 1,
80 egregiously misrepresented that ]
it has. / don't believe there is a more
delightful climate in the world than
that which belongs to almost the entire
Notwithstanding of course, at some
seasons, the dampness of the coast and
we found roses and other flowers bloom
ing in the open air in December. If it
had been a very severe climate / think
cent trip. We left Denver on the twelfth
of October, and were gone two months
lacking a day. During the coolest
my wife and slept on the ground with
| the nights; and / assure you / didn't
take cold until slept in San Francis
CO hotel. No one could ask better eli
mate than one which will permit him to
sleep on the ground in winter.
| 1.-The beginning of the country q
growth will date with the coming year.
The year which will end in a few days
has been an era of railroad construction
| in the Northwest. The Northern Pa
cific has built line of road across the
northern borders, and the Oregon Short
Line of the Union Pacific has been
pushed into the heart of Idaho, and be-
| fore the end Of another will have made
connections with the Oregon Railway
4 Navigation Company's road at Baker
City, which will furnish q direct line
from Omaha or Kansas City to Port.
land, Oregon. What is there in this
country that should warrant so much
railroad building before immigration
has fairly begun, do You ask? Serious
| ". / think it would be easier to tell you
what there is not in the country than
what there ia.
There are four pursuits which man
can follow in the Northwest with more
show Of success, think, than any
where else-namely: wheat raising,
mining, numbering, fishing. The great
| wheat belt extends from Boise in Ida
no, to Walla Walla in Washington Ter
ritory, and North into the British pos
sessions. In this belt there are fifty
million acres of land. You can calcu-
late the capacity Of this gigantic wheat
field by estimating the yield at twenty
bushels to the acre, and you will have
one thousand million bushels az the re-
suit; more than is required to feed
America, France, and Great Britain.
Everyone in Colorado knows something
about the mines of Idaho and. Mon
tana, and in regard TO this industry
will only say that there are $1,000 tons
OF ore lying in the vicinity Of Haley
waiting shipment. In fast with the
Oregon Short Line up there early next
spring would not be surprised to SEQ
the population, production and general
activity, which characterized Leadvilie
in its second year. The timber intef-
eGts in the Northwest arc Rreater than
0nn vouh hnlSeRa Thn fxndn thia voar