Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-24
7HF FAR NORTHWEST.
s,,h;ustcn Territory Asks Admis-
sion as q State.
s,,+oresting Interview About
a Country Little Known
in the East.
washington Post. Feb. IL

in the East.
Washington Post, Feb. T.
nosarnor Newell. of Washington Ter
.,sr who is here rs a Commissioner,
h.sa5sted by various municipalities COR
lss sa,,ous and prominent citlz5us, 10
n,s,a Congress the early admission
-stheir Territory a. a State, Was seen
a....srdsy = By Post reporter, and asked
"a Claims, other than the one of l25,-
gslrpuuia:ion, he would urge.
vi i s,unot reply better than by stating
-.at our resources are, and thereby de-
'.ar.trating our ability To sustain oar
,.ss- a.sres as q State. We consider that we
sare the ability TO assume the functions
~ i.sr the expense incidental to
''s,.,,ip, and our people are almost
ma. N, ,iis in the desire that We shall
= Limited TO the Union during the
.~ss-,., s.ssiOn of Congress.
sShal is the condition of the matter
Ia Congress now!
.seusrate bills have been introduced
;o.ns house and Senate and reported
fyjfably Dy ths respective committees.
.lnr iaa provides for the annexation OF
,ss Aires most northerly counties of
IDAHO, lying north of the forty sixth
,ar .Iiel of latitude"
aNlat are these natural resources
mon which you base your claim to be
sIf-susfainingt"
aIeaYing out Alaska, Washington
Ten,s.;ry Is the extreme northwestern
,oss. esiorl, and lies between the Pacific
pr,t .I. l., Il
itbs olunbia river. Ii contains 70,000
s1uaro miles, aggrsga.Ing 100000
acres. Ii il divided by the Cascade
mountains, an extension Of the Sierra
sevadas, which run nearly north and
Foutn into two separate regions, differ
ii2 essentially III their characteristics,
-'sid called respectively east and west
Washington. The latter occupies about
tvo-tifths of the Territory, and is known
~ the Puget Sound Basin. The surface
il hIlly, AID III some portions noun
taiIeds. Four-fifths of this surface il
covered with dense forests, tns trees be
lag 6i g-5is magnitude. They consist
Of wnite and yellow fir, cedar, hemlock,
spruce and pine, with smaller quantities
Of ash, alder, oak, pine and maple. The
fir tree especially reaches. when full
grown, an enormous size, the average
tree measuring four feet. with an aiti-
taie of from 250 to 300 feet. Many
n0nstrous specimens are found, some
fourtsen feet thick. This variety is
fgand nowhere outside of Vancouver
Island. Washington Territory and East
en- Oregon. 1t Is highly bituminous,
tagh, elastic and enduring, and espe-
Ai,tir- ~ ..+nI 70 ha az Vnts %
naval vessels In all their part"
"haye you nothing but trees, Govern
@iH
I'VE have other resources equal in
y.luo TO the wood which will tell yon
s5ou' after have told you about the
ha2e csdars we have. We have gold,
slssr, copper, zino. oinnabar, tin, plum
biso nioa, soapstone, marble, graLfte,
sladstons and Limestone; all these are
found within our limits. To utilize our
timbss saw mills OF large capacity are
opesaiing upon Puget Sound, the iarg
ess (Which IL ut Port Ludlow. a new
structure, complete, bat not yet in oper-
s7on, being All feet long and 2uO feet
vide 1t has a cutting capacity for 2lS
foot logs. The amount cut last year
vas 365, 100000 feet. This is sent to the
Pacihc coast, Asia, Australia, France.
Eagaud and the Nile. There are twelve
Millions of acres Of such timber, worth
hundreds of millions Of dollars. Thsre
are co1ars in existence Of twenty-one
fsss in diameter in all parts OF the Ter
riiory. The bark OF the fir trees IL used
mainly for fasl. The forests are filled
With elk, deer, bear foxes, rabbit,grouse,
phsasants, ducks and other game"
Have you any coal deposlss?"
General McMickon, the Surveyor
General Of the Territory, informed me
in q recent interview that the entire Pu-
get Seand Basin is underlaid with coal.
Ine Indications are apparent every
wnere. The varieties are bitumlnous,
Ignite and anthracite. Extensive mines
nave been opened at Seattle, Tacoma,
and along she line Of the Northern Pa
CHE. The mines at Seattle and Tacoma
are extensively operated, each town
having facilities for loading vessels NJ
tas rate Of 1000 tons per day, the mines
being located within one holr OF rail
communication from tho bunkera, Az
Which the vessels are laden. Four
steamships OF 5000 tons capacity are al
n'dy established upon line which
supplies Oregon and California. Five
more are 10 be added"
what else have you"
About seven millions of acres Of Pu-
eu Bound Basin is easily convertible
the best agricultural aud grazing
amos. The river bottoms, ths beaver
uam meadows, and other ailuvial depo-
sm furnish a soil of inexhaustibls fer
uiiil. The islands of the Sound are also
aRaiy productive, and indeed tho entire
surface ot the country, wnsn denuded
~ ~ Timber. If that day could arrive,
especially we'll adapted to grazing
sno grsin-raisina. White clover seems
"oe Indigenous TO the soil, and 10 ab-
sauIely lrrspressiole in its growth
ucicVer the sun shines upon il. But
~ great agricultural and grazing por-
wv ies east Of the Cascades, the great
nassao of the Columbia. Here are
Sa9 millions OF acres Of land-prairls
auu-level, undulating and mountain
wy mainly bare OF vegetation, save
ssee brush and bunou grass. Nearly all
M.as country is capable Of producing
uet proper cultivation, prodlgious
s'uonnts OF wheat, rye, barley, oats, flax
sua cultivated grasses. The census re-
ssss s.ss an average wheat crop OF twenty
Msea aud one-half bushels TO She acre,
,e largest average yield mentioned.
.;ssN sa.e seen field Of 1850 acres which
Ms,ueu ~ an average Of thirty Ave bushels.
u. y. "ese i,oUO acres averaged fifty bush
~. Inc season for seeding extends
Nay equally well from October till
~, ~, ana Tor harvesting, from July 10
aoer. The straw being firm and
uu9 stands, and tho hull, being firm,
.eale the grain from rafting Qua.
n,a n,as last season 2JO. 900 tons of sur
T.. waea, we're sent out Of tho Terri
anu the estimated Production for
~. ueIt three years il $780, go tons Per
nsn sos one acre In a hundred, even
~, "ii be under cultivation. The
s, u % especially adapted for
~ Srt' not being injured by transporta-
svaid-be Sta.e?'
isc.,'s'u suiss grow luxuriantly to great per-
tns.u ton and many native to warm iati-
s.a. such As grapes, prunes, ETC.,
s,. Well. Vegetables aiso grow
snsaonaiiy we'll. Stock is raised
OD Dslseiy; beef cattle, of which 250,-
c,.s 'au were exported last year, dairy
rosper.'' "'o "a 'ni'ss anu
sM nov about your coast liner.
n.,.a ,.asnington Is destined to be a great
p's'nc aud commercial center OF the
l4s..S uoa6t. Puget Sound, tLo great