News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-01-10

the States, all going to the sound.
A man here is a ''tenderfoOt" till he |
can eat Oregon made butter without
turning sick at the stomach. When |
he can accomplish this he is an sold
timer" On the boat | fell into con-
versation with an ''old timer" a vet
elan of 40, who owns ranch on
Sauvie's Island in the Columbia
River. | could tell some of the tall
est stories | ever listened to, outside
of the town of Stowe, VI. We were
speaking of the salmon for which the
Columbia is famous. He said he had
often crossed the river when a man
had to stand in the bow of the boat
and shove the fish aside with pole
in order to get along; that once his
boat had been raised completely out
of the water and carried for rods on
the backs of the salmon. He further
said, (this transcontinental old Iiar)
that his ranch was separated from the
main land by a slough, which was
deep in spring but nearly dry in
summer. The upper and lower ends
were left completely dry, leaving only
very shallow water in the middle.
When the water became low the sal
mon caught in this shallow place
would travel across his ranch to the
main river. He said he had often
met them on moonlight nights in
twos and threes, sometimes whole
families wriggling across. To en-
courage him l asked him if it was
true that Columbia river salmon could
climb a tree. He said he never saw
one do so himself, but a neighbor of
his who owned an orchard had often
seen the fish climbing up the apple
trees and eating crab apples, of
which they are very fond. | asked
him if he thought his neighbor was a
reliable man, and he said he cOnsid-
cred him just as reliable as he was
himself. About the only heavy work
these old fellows do is when they
tell stories of the country and what
happened liz 40. If l owed the
devil dozen liars and he wouldn't
take that old man for payment in 1ull
l would repudiate the debt, said a
bystander.
At Kalama, on the north side Of the
Columbia, we take the train. We
are now in Washington Territory, but
the country does not differ much in
appearance from Oregon; low, rough
hills and timber. Settlers have made
clearings here and there, but a man
must have unlimited pluck to attack
these tremendous forests. Along the
streams the land is good and at some
places there are level strips, the
owners of which have bonanza il
the way of farms, but the hills, anC
this is true of all western Washing
ton, cannot be made available for ag'
riculture. We reach the sound a
Tacoma, which has present popula'
, ton of between 5000 aud 1000. Ia
coma has the disadvantage of being
like Duluth, at the other end, the
original terminus of the road. Rail
road corporations, like politicians
rarely keep their promises. Just now
however, Tacoma IS jubilant, anC
Portland correspondingly Respondent
on account Of Wizards resignation
Willard is Portland's friend because
his interests are there. The Boston
men and Fred Billings, who are now
in control, have no interest in Port
land, but own property on the sound
No one can tell where the terminus
will be. My impression is that it vii
not be at Portland. The sound is
one vast deep harbor and the largest
ships can sail right up to the dock a
Tacoma or Seattle and load. There
is not a hundred miles of towing
with a dangerous bar to cross at the
mouth of the river, as at Portland
The country about the sound is moi
adapted to farming. There are fin'
valleys where hops grow to perfec
ton, and vegetables and grain ais
grow finely. The Land in these val
leys is all taken up and held at higl
prices. Two years ago the owners
of the hop farms got rich. Hop
: went up to over dollar a pound, ant
these men had full crop. The farms
pay well at ordinary prices, say Sl5'
: an acre over the cost of cultivation
!, The chief industries on the sound ar
; numbering and coal mining. l though
9 | had seen some fine timber in Mich
igan, Maine and Pennsylvania, bu
p. the forests there are no more to b
compared with them, than Waterbur
is to be compared TO the New Jerusa
-. lem. Trees from three TO six feet i
= diameter at the butt run up 12O fee
without limb or knot, and straigt
as an arrow, with little taper till th
e limbs are reached. They make th
n finest spars in the world. They al
a shipped to England, and when the
If want particularly fine spar i'll Ne
g York or Boston they send to Londo
g for Puget Sound stick. This mas
W nificent timber is owned by Il few mel
n Gland 2rabbers," who have estabiishe
f. saw mills along the sound; mills Wi
A capacity of 10000 each, dali.
T. Some of these mills have the perfe
ton of milling machinery, handlir
W an immense log as easily as chi
m would handle switch. 1t is no u
m for a man without capital to think
en- numbering here. The business is m
he nopolized. A poor man must wo
rt for the companies and take VIII
40 wages they choose to pay, and b.
he his goods at an enormous price
ne their stores. 1t is not a good pla
he for a poor man to start in busine
or for himself.
&c Seattle is a great coal shippi
point. The coal is mined principal
at Newcastle, which is connect
49, with Seattle by railway. The coal
o rS very inferior in quality, but abu
is dant in quantity. The princir
p- points now on the sound are Tacom
IN Seattle and Whatccm. They are
h. fine situated and have good prospect
an Their prosperity is retarded by t
cd enormous figures at which the owne
Is, hold real estate. Across the SCUM
u. situated on Van Couvers Island,
is Victoria, in the British possession
IT. The sound is about 20 miles wide
10 this point. The Victoria people a
IN now carrying on brisk trade smu
n Cling Chinese across to WashingtC
Territory. Since the Chinese restri