The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-04-20
THE PROSPECTS, OF
SAN FRANcIsco's SUPREMACY EN-
DANGERED.
A Place Witch IL Likely to become the
Grentest City on the Pacific Const--Its
Position and Industries.

Position and Industries.
a correspondent at Tacoma, on
Puget Sound, Washington Territory,
says: The near approa III of the com
pietion of the Northern Pacific rail
road has given a new impetus to bust
ness in this new city, which is the
western terminus of the road. AS long
ago as September, 1873, Tacoma was
selected by the directors of the rad as
the terminus on the Pacific by formal
resolution, which was confirmed by the
filing of MAPS in the interior depart
ment at Washington, on which the
land grants to the road are based. The
selection was made only after the
most careful surveys IF 100 miles on
Puget sound, and Tacoma was agreed
upon chiefly because of it's excellent
harbor, which is one of the finest in
the world. A natural barrier protects
ships from the winds of the sea, and
the Great Eastern could lie alongside
the piers of the Northern Pacific Rail
roal company, and there would be
several fathoms # water under her
keel. This great advantage in safe
water communication over other
points was sufficient to have
made Tacoma a leading port, but
there are other reasons why the North
ern Pacific company did wisely in
making it the western terminus. 1t is
at the end of the Puyallup valley, a
rich agricultural region which, sparsely
settled as it is, does a large business
with the outside world. Sixty farm
ers raised hops last year on an average
of ten acres each, and they sent to
market over 100000 pounds, which
Melted them 100000. The great
wheat valleys of the Stuck and White
rivers are closely connected with
Tacoma, and are destined to support a
large agricultural population, whose
products will be loaded direct on ships
from the elevators here. The whole
region of country north, south and
east is heavily timbered, and already
the whir of the circular saw is heard in
the virgin forest, and the products of
the mills are shipped to ports in various
parts of the world.
Within ten miles of the city, and
from that to thirty miles distant, is the
most extensive field of bituminous coal
west of the Rocky mountains. A
number of mines have already been
opened, and cOal-bunkers of great
capacity have been built by the rail
road company. AS an illustration of
the amount of this business, it may be
said that the Central Pacific Railroad
company, which owns much coal land
has made arrangements to ship two
hundred tons per day from Tacoma by
a fleet of new collier steamers to San
Francisco.
Everything now points to the fact
that within ten years Tacoma will he
the san Francisco of the Northern
Pacific coast, the great export.ngdepot
and manufacturing center of the vast
region north of California. Her com
merce and manufactures will find their
way to market by the sea, but the city
will DE closely identified with the rail.
road development IN Oregon and Wash.
ington, and the great farming region
stretched away t. the north, which is
as yet almost u~ninhabitel.
Her %unequaled position and relations
an | the two lines of railroad. from the
south and the east, will make Tacoma
the local metropolis of an area of terri
tory larger than that which include.
Chicago, Buffalo, New York, Philadel
phia, Baltimore, Louisville and st
Louis, and back to Chicago. Nationally
it will be the eatrepot and outport fol
the trade with Japan and China. t.
which Tacoma is 600 miles nearer thar
San Francisco is.
The climate and situation of thu
town are all that could be desired. II
1882 the lowest temperature wa:
twenty-one degrees Fahrenheit in Feb
ruary, and the highest was seventy
eight degrees in June. Snow fell clever
times in January, February and March
but generally disappeared on the sam,
day. Frosts occurred five times il
April and twice in May. The rainfall
amounted to 44.54 inches during tn
year. The city is situated on what wa.
called Commencement bay, Puget
sound. and is built on grounds ascend
ing, by successive steps or p~lateaus
three hundred feet above the water
affordlng a most excellent opportunit,
for drainage. From the main stree
the view of the sound, a beautiful
sheet of water. is a grand one
Puget SCUM is a raviShingly beauti
full archipelago. There is not SO love
ly a body of wa.er on the earth
, Tourists by tens of thousands will g
: yearly to Tacoma, to sail on this pur
pie sea, through islands ever greer
with fir trees, the purple sea but
, tressed on the west by the snow peak.
of the Olympian range. and sentrie(
: on the east by the slumbering volcano
, Tacoma, IA so feet high, Il pyramid
} of eternal ice and snow. There is no
in all America such a superb specta Il
as this snow mountain. And alone o
) American mountains it holds in it
: heart a glacier, as grand and impress
i've as that of Mount Blank. Tn,
population has grown since 1868
F; when the city wa settled, to NOR
> than four thousand, and its street