, 1883-10-11

anywhere town the approach
to which imprcsses the visitor more
favorably than Port Townsend. The
man who located il knew what be was
about The same Is true Of the sur
Tsyor who laid II out, The special
merit of the first named consists IN
the fact that he chose to place 1t at
the head of one of the finest bays III
the world Lest be held guilty of
the sin most abhorTed by the iOurn
ist-eIaggeration, let me Justify
my assertion by a brief descriptive
statement of the salient features of
this vast harbor On every side 1t Is
sheltered So much so, III fact, that
it might be called landlocked. In
deed, except for the lighter kind Of
craft, no sea could rise of sufficient
strength to be formidable. In the
case OF southeast gale some dam
age might be done. but considering
that the anchorage IS good all over
the bay, and that there is neither
mud bank, shoal nor reef, it will be
seen that the damage could be only
inconsiderable at the worst. Ship
masters tell me that in all weathers
(excSpt,o of course, a dead calm) vessels
can sntor this harbor without the aid
of tug. The same, it must be own
ed, cannot be said of all the haTbors
Oh Puget Sound.
THE SCENERY
Surrounding the bay combines the
beautiful with the sublime. The
Olympic range raises its snow-clad
peaks over the foreground of pinecov-
cred ridges which encloses the water
apparently on every side (for the exit
is not readily detected blythe uniniti-
sted) while the giant peaks of Mt
Baker and Mt. Rainier stand forth in
their respective spheres, monarch S
unquestioned of all they survey A
sunset effect, as seen with these ac-
cessories from the upper part of the
town, is something to be remembered
for a lifetime, and is the nearest APP
proach the writer has over beheld to
the realization of what the poets ideal
must have been of "the bridal of the
earth and sky"
THR TOWN ITSELF
Is well laid out. And here We pause
TO pay the surveyor the tribute which
he merits. The site has its Difficult
ties, as all must admit. There is the
picturesque in plenty, but the ordi-
nary conveniences which are looked
for in a townsite, especially those for
rapid progress, are scanty. The up
per town Is not specially easy of ac-
coss from the portion which lies
along the water front. Engineering
is, however, found equal to the emer-
ssney in this case, and the difficulty
is gradually being reduced to a mini
mum, although it must be admitted
that what is gained in accessibility is
lost in directness. In other words,
you must ''go around" in order to ''go
up" But when the higher elevation
Is reached the prospect is delightful
and the situation everything that
could be desired for health and
pleasure. The magnificent Olympic
range, as we have said, rises to the
right over the wooded foothills which
come close up to the waters edge,
while Mt. Rainier towers majestically
over them, closing up the picture in
that direction in way which it would
gladden. the heart of landscape
painter to depict. In front of the
spectator, beyond the blue waters OF
the harbor, we see range after range
OF hills, varying in tint with the dis
tanes, from the dark green of the
foreground to the rich purple of the
middle distance, and the intense blue
of the more remote; while. IN more
than one instance, a peak rises above
the rest clad in the virgin snow which
never disappears beneath the sum
ner's heat, and never has its pure ra-
dance dimmed by the dust of the
world below. It is the eternal and
inefable purity which can be hkened
10 nothing SO much as the garments
worn by the saints "clean and white u
The coup daeil is altogether one OF
The most perfect in its blending OF
beauty and sublimity harmonized as
only boon nature knows how, that We
have been ever privileged to look upon
It will not, however, do for us tC
hnger over the beautiful site OF this
port In this prOsaic, not to say ma
tsrialistic age, men have more an eye
10 commercial facilities than to fine
effects, to the opportunities a town
affords for making money than to its
oA0 VIC 4CCI
therefore bound to give our readers
some information bearing on the com,
meroial position and prospects of the
Gateway City Of the Sound.
There has been an idea, more OF
less prevalent on the Sound, and
hence an impression formed on the
minds Of our visitors, that Port
Townsend was inert, if not actually
somnolent, in comparison with It's
active and energetic neighbors fur,
ther up the inland sea- 1t must be
admitted that for some time there
appeared to be good ground for this
impression. Very little was done be
yond transient traffic, resulting from
the calling of vessels at the port Of
entry on their way to the head of the
Sound or to intermediate points
Amid the hurry and hustle caused
BY the boom, or booms which were
attracting people to go further, the
great advantages offered by Port
Townsend were overlooked But
these are now beginning to be rec
ognised, and the result is that, with
in the past three month";, the value
OF real estate has gone up at least q
per cent, and probably more. The
people, If they were chargeable with
faxity and culpable Indifference IL
the past, are now showing most
eommendable spirit ofenterpriss, as
the following brief and necessarily
imperfect glimpse OF their fourising
industries Will show.
THE POsToFFICE
Il in charge of Mr.. W. H H. Learn
sd,a gentleman excellently calculated
for the position he fills. Frank, af
fable in his manners and most obhg,
ing to his customers, he is neverthe-
less careful and exact In his business
He has been for several years post,
master in the town where all his fam
iiy have been born. His authority TO
speak on postal matters is of course
%Ga hast He SAWS that within the