The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-05-23
THE PROSPECTS, OF TACOMA.
SAN FRANcIsCo's SUPREMACY EN-.
DANGERED.
Place Which il Likely to Become the
Greatest City on the Pacific Coast--Its
Position and Industries.

AosttiOu ana Industries.
A correspondent at Tacoma, on
Puget Sound, Washington Territory,
says: The near approach of the COM
pletiOn of the Northern Pacific rail
road has given a new impetus to busi-
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 road 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 Of 100 miles on
Puget sound, and Tacoma was agreed
upon chiefly because of its 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
road company, and there would be
several fathOms Of water under her
keel. This great advantage in safe
water communication over other
points was sufficient to have
made Tacoma 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,
rich agriculturalregion which, sparsely
settled as it is, does 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
netted them 100000. The great
wheat valleys of the Stuck and White
rivers are closely connected with
Tacoma, and are destined to support
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, aud the products of
the mills areshipped to ports in various
parts of the world.
Within ten miles of the city, and
from that to thirty miles distant, is the
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 be
the San Francisco of the Northern
Pacific coast, the great exporting depot
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 be closely identified with the rail
road development in Oregon and Wash
ingtont and the great farming region
stretched away to the north, which is
as yet almost uninhabited.
Her unequaled position and relations,
and 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 includes
Chicago, Buffalo, New York, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Louisville and st.
Louis, and back to Chicago. Nationally
it will be the entrepOt and Outport for
the trade with Japan and China. to
which Tacoma is 600 miles nearer than
San Francisco is.
The climate and situation of the
town are all that could be desired. In
1882 the lowest temperature was
! twenty-one degrees Fahrenheit in Feb
ruary, and the highest was seventy
| eight degrees in June. Snow fell eleven
times in January, February and March,
! but generally disappeared on the same
| dav. FrOsts occurred five times in
| April and twice in May. The rainfall
amounted to 44.54 inches during the
year. The city is situated on what was
called Commencement bay, Puget's
sound, and is built on grounds ascend
J ing, by successive steps or plateaus,
three hundred feet above the water,
affordihg a most excellent opportunity
| for drainage. From the main street
the view of the sound, a beautiful
sheet of water, is grand one.
Puget sound is a ravishingly beauti-
full archipelago. There is not so love-
ly body of water on the earth.
Tourists by tens of thousands will go
yearly to Tacoma, to sail on this pur-
pie sea, through islands ever green
with fir trees, the purple sea but
tressed on the west by the snow peaks
of the Olympian range, and sentriec
on the east by the slumbering volcano,
Tacoma, l4,500 feet high, pyramid,
of eternal ice and snow. There is not
in all America such superb spectacle
as this snow mountain. And alone of
American mountains it holds in its
heart glacier, as grand and impress
! iva az that Of Mount Blank The