Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-05
rnE SeRrnERs PACIFIC nxcuss.
Springfield Republican, Dec. nth.

sWs SOKIuE8N PACIFIC RGClDy
Springfield Republican, Dec. nth.
The signs Of the new era that IN r
open with tho completion of railroad
connections are apparent In all the olf3a1
communities of Western Oregon. around
Puget Sound in Washington Territory
ana wherever settlements have beer
planted IN Eastern Oregon and Wash
nRton. New buildings are going or
evefyWhere, labor b SCARCE and com.
mAnds high wages, the railroads and
steamer Lines are loaded with FREIGHT
the movement of people coming snd
going - heavy and inoeosant. The rail.
road u the powerful factor behind M
thus activity, stimulating and leading Z,
Ihe Oregon Railway and Nayioafinu
Company u itself laying out largo Gums,
mot only in extending it, branch rood
INTO the eastern country, but in buildinQ
stations. freight depOts, eating houses
along It's lines, not TO include its large
building operations at Portland. 1t 4
OBVIOUSLY for the interest of the road u
develop the country rapidly and draw
population, and its policy 10 according
II directed to these ends. ALTHOUGH ifs
freight charges would be rated hioh in
an old country, here the people seem
perfectly satisfied with thepa, and the
public feeling in regard to the company
ana IT. management il decidedly one Of
friendlineas and gratitude. Fortunately
she company IL served BY an able oOrps
OF oniclals who are popular locally,
and to that fact the good feeling Is no
doubt In some measure due. This sea-
son the railroad has been charging q
uniform rate of s. Per ton for bringing
wheat to Portland from Eastern Oregon
and Warrington, the latter Part of the
way BY boat, az the western section OF
the road has bat recently been complet-
ed, seeking thus to encourage settlement
along its newly opened lines. Wheat
on the Pacific Coast IL always handled
In sacks; sales are made by the GENITAL,
and shipments are BY weight. No ele-
vators are used and, whenever praoti-
cable, the sacks arc loaded directly
from the cars into the holds Of the vee-
oels which take them abroad. For The
long voyage round the Horn IL u not
considered safe to carry grain in . loooo,
free maaA There is q steady incroase
from year to year In the amount of
wheat exported in the form Of douf, and
the milling interests at Oregon City,
Salem and other places, are becoming
more and moro extensive. Other man
ufacturlnG enterprises are also Rradu-
ally springing mp. Paper has been made
in the Willamette Valley for some time,
and the wooden mills at Oregon City
have met with moderate success. Re-
GENTLY they have been re0rRanized ON Q
firm footing, and are expected to nav
larger profits. For several years bed
of iron at OsweQo, nix miles above Port
land, ON the Willamette river. has been
worked, the ore treated in furnaces at
the same place, and utilized successfully
in manufacturing stoves and other ar
tiCle0. Within few weeks company
with $S,O0O, 600 capital have bought the
entire property, propose to develop il
fully, and to establish rolling mills and
all the accessories for conducting great
iron and steel business. It il q large
enterprise and will be watched with
deep interest by the Oregon public.
While manufacturing il likely to at
tain considerable importance in Port
land and the neighboring older
towns as the country becomes more
thickly populated agriculture must,
in the nature of things, always b
the supporting industry Of this section.
There is good supply Of coal in Wash
inQtOn Territory around Puget Sound,
there may be some other iron beds BE-
sides those at Oswego, and tho pre-
cious metals are found east Of tho noun
tains, but all in all the mineral resour-
ces Of the Pacific Northwest are mot
Its riches lie in it, unlimi-
ted supply Of timber and it, fertile
lands. To the farmer Who has come
capital to work with, it offers large in
The climate il not severe
and is uniformly reliable, tho coil il
rich, easily worked and very productive,
tho lands are we'll vstered. and wood for
fencing and building can ordinarily be
obtained without undue expense. The
salmon fishing business, which for years
has been and still il 20 important an in
dustry, ID likely T. gradually decline a.
= result Of the over Rreedineos Of the
fisherman, but With proper laws for the
Of the nah and q we'll CON-
Quoted system Of propagation il may
still BE- preserved - permanent source
Of revenue to the county even though
on reduced scale.
The Northern Pacidc Railroad BY
which this great northwestern corner Of
the Republic 10 TO become accessible
nom the East will b Open Tor through
travel BY the hrst OF January, 1854, Il
not earlier. 80 at least IT. manARers
now confidently expect. A gap OF 426
miles, all OF It IN the Territory OF Mon.
tana, now remains betWeen the termlni
OF the Western and eastern divisions,
which VIII b reduced to 30 miles b.
fore the Close OF tho year. And over
muOh OF this intervening 0p000 tho h0ny.