Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-13


farthest point inland reached by tide
water. but Subsequent developments
have demonstrated the impos-lbiiity OF
anchorage within It's snpres. Hence the
location and grosth OF Seattle, tIs IA, I I
point offering proper anchorage. Se-
attic Is . b+dly bHl.t, wide 80 ttered
city Of ten thousand peop.e, situated
1pon a hil. and carved out Of tue fores,
which every vie densely surrounds 1t.
AT present its ST. .ets are a sea of semi
liquid mud several inches In depth. and
Que may see At almost any time, Wagons
and drays, loaded aud empty. stuck fast
IN the omnipr~seLt muck. he pedes-
trian on the crossing Is often spiashed
from head to foot by passing teams. and
great masses sf this ubiquitous floating
soil are here and there scattered upon
the walks, or spread In picturesque
gotta upon the steps aud thresholds. In
spite OF the unpleasant existence of such
a condition, however, hustle aud activ-
ity are apparent everywhere, indicative
Of the vigorous life aud spirit of tue
people who nave come to st ~" IN this
jumping off place of western immigra
ton. Ii IL a seif-assuIniup. airy sort Of
place, full Of bombOstio conceit AS to its
of its futufe greatness. Or course 1t de-
Mes to Ito rivals any chance at all In tue
coming race for the commercial suprem
acy of the Sound. and IL. common with
them tre'ts their preten'ions with en-
temptuous disdaiu, feeling which
erupts IN consta ant, fiery and recrImiuat-
ing newspaper aitei cations. Tacoma,
on Commencement Pay, Laconner on
II..e Flat. lkaii
ham Bay, and Port Iounsend on tue
Straits, enter into this wordy conflict,
and metaph"ricaliy speaking, the "nair
attic mas reached a point Of artificial
valuation fabulous In amount, and one
may purchase in st. Paul or Minnsap-
cheapiy As here.
Taking carriage one may drive back
half mile from the main thoroughfare
of the CITY and become lost In labyr-
NTH OF rugged, uninlproved roads, wind
ing III aud out among the fallen timber
aud stumps of the half subdued forest.
Yet lots" IN these rural localities com
m tnd one or two thousand dollars each.
cue noticeable feature of the place Is
the large number of aucient moss clad
Ssttt hbbhoii& III TIC
situations which have withstood the
bafflings of the winter winds md rains
for II quarter of century, symDOiicai
OF tke militant pioneer spirit which
yields reluctantly TO the lew or Ter Of
things. IL IL Interesting to follow the
history of the first settlers who came to
this Remote ana isolated corner OF the
continent thirty or forty years ago, and
I.a xaA,,I.r
cover the mysterious attraction which
induced them TO fOreRo the comforts of
civilization, and bury themselves for so
many years III the depths of a savas
wilderness.
1t IL related OF one party, some of
which are now bioated aristocrats, with
no end of landed property and long
rent rolls, that cruising about the Sound
with no special end In view, they were
blown ashore nsar the site of Seattle.
and being WIND bound for some time,
built themselves u bark wioaAup. an.
CLAIMS being plentiful. concluded to
winter among tue Indians. The follow
ing season they arranged to supply yes
sells with timoer for the Caiiior ia
trade, aud remained permanentiy, ard
OBTAINING lands along the shores have
waited tuirty three years tor the golden
harvest. One Of tbll thr:icuiAr party
takes pleasure III telling tn.t. upon tho
memorable Gay of ther landing. while
crossing Elliott Bay, he arose Ia the
boat and poiGtlag To the SnoQualmIe
Pass, the key of the Last. said, here
will be builded a mighty city, and here
] intend To stay" However, when In
dian hostilitles began. some time aft r.
the prophelIc Individual manifested
his fa.tn IN the fuiiiilmen. of his own
prsaiation by retiring to California aud
remaining there for several years unt.l
the tinai location of tho n. Z. railroad
gave the district Surrounding Seattle
some promise q. future growth. A pc
ouliar style OF architecture obtains Lere
espeoi tlly among the pioneer class III
nauve richie, some of whom h I'VE erected
wierd LoudescrIpt structures tn be used
~ resldenc~s after a mode certainl, pc
euli.r Ia SeatiIe. One of these sur
mounts = hiii, aud overlooking "a broad
sweep of landscape rese,ub!es au im-
msnse Ch,uese Josh house With ~
peaked root and morrow windoAs. Ot
western Washington Territory as a
farming country have tut little to say.
Despite n. L. circulars aud the rosy
pictures OF the region as To sJll and eli
mate put forth to the world III real es-
tate advertisements, 1t IL not. nor Is It
very likely ever to become profitable
agricultural country.
The great forest Arows upon high
eravelly soil. usually otherwise barren
aud too cold for the full maturity OF
crops. The rivers of the district are
hardly deserving of the name. They
are only the outlets of the melting snow
of the coast and Cascade ranges. which
are contiguous TO the same. aud none
are navinsble. Their valleys are mar
r,w. but in some parts quite fertile, es-
peciaily these portions known as t.
toms. The area of such .ands ~. hov =
ever, but an inconsidersbie fraction. As
compared ~tth the vast acreage ot soft
wood forest land before de-crioed. which
may be I'd 10 he similar IN character
To tue soil Of Minnesota. Where lands
have been long exposed to the action oi
| the tides, as Nv Lsconner, they are fou nd
exceedingly productive, but there Is the
ev,r constant danger of disastrous iuun
da,io. on the growing crola In such In
| stances. aud the protective measures tt
| t.~ adopted are expensive. The Coat ol
oleariue land here averages from ons
hundred and fitty to three hundred dol
lars per acre, and of course has be~r
bat seldom undertaken. Neither cattl,
or sheep are kept here. and the beef an
mutton is brought from east of the Cas-
cad.,s. Mix commands fifty cents pe'
gallon; butter sells At seventy i've cent
,a ane dollar for the two pound roll
short weight and eggs briug seventy
i've cents per dozen. Nearly the entir,
vegetable and fruit supply comes from
California. aud every steamer bring
immense quantities of these commod
itles.
CLANS are abundant along the shores
of the Sound. and 10 these the nativ,
turns as bis derstsr Resort when the Re-
sources OF the country are under cou
| sideration. The Sound sbounds viii
fish of many kinds, aud the catch o
salmon ia the season is very large
Neither cod nor mackerel are fouad
bat nearly all the other food fishes o