Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1888-07-19
DELIGHTFUL TACOMA.
An Interesting Letter from
W. Fl. Woodruff.
M1.. Editor.


valuable paper, how much I like my
new home and the wonderful pros
poets of Tacoma, and of the charming
climate of Washington Territory. But
the cares devolving upon me of NOV
ing to new locality and getting set
tied in my new home have prevented.
We are now as comfortably fixed as
we were in our old home in the East,
and enjoying a climate, which l think
must be unsurpassed in the whole
country. While all our letters from
the East have been telling of the ex-
treme heat, we are enjoying the cool
breezes from Puget Sound and the
mountains which surround us, with
the thermometer scarcely ever rising
above 10. We have charming loca-
ton with an elevation of twenty three
feet from the street, beautifully ter
raced to the side walk, the city lying
below us like panorama, and over
looking Puget Sound and the Olympic
range on the northwest, and the Cas-
cade range and Mt. Tacoma on the
northeast. The last named mountain
| is covered with snow all the year
round, and while it is sixty miles away,
it looks as though it was scarcely a
mile. There is no city i'll the United
States that has such magnificent drives
as Tacoma; just think of driving for
miles skirting the edge of the grand
est body of water in the country,
with the whole Cascade and Olympic
range of mountains before you. AT
the south of the city we have
drive to the lakes through the most
beautiful natural park in the world
description. am steadily gaining in
health, as is my family also. We have
| made meny new friends here;g they all
seem so hospitable and give us such a a
warm welcome. The days slip by SO
rapidly it seems have been here but
week, when it is nearly seven weeks
since my arrival. find nothing over
drawn as to the future of Tacoma; its
prospects are still greater than could
have dreamed of in my former visit
here in December, and it has reached
that point where its future is no longer
venture but certainty. With capt.
tai pouring in here from all parts of
the country at the rate it is now, it
cannot fail to be the largest city on
the north Pacific coast. The growth
in the last eighteen months has been
more rapid than that of any other city
in this section; having outstripped all
the others in Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and Montana, she is now beat
ing her own record. Rapid as has
been her growth during the past year
twice as much will be accomplished
during the coming year. Among the
most important buildings erected dur
the last year, besides large number
of residences and many substantial
brick business blocks, are the splen-
did Hotel Fife and the large and
costly brick and stone headquarters
of the N. P. R. r. Co. The coming
year will witness the completion of the
Pacific mill, the construction of two
additional wheat warehouses of large
dimensions, the St. Paul and Tacoma
Lumber Company's mill with a capac-
ity of 100000 feet per day and repre-
senting a capital of $5,000,000, the
N. P. R.R. Company's foundry, round
house, car and machine shops costing
$500, 900, the brick Methodist university
building, the finest opera house ON the
coast north OF San Francisco,a a smelter
for the reduction of ores, capitalized a
million and half, the immense five
story brick dry good house of Gross
Bros, at the corner of G and Ninth
streets, the beautiful Hotel Rochester
in the north end of the city, and
large number of fine brick blocks on
| the lower end of Pacific avenue and in
other parts of the city. The amount
OF money to be expended in building
operations will certainly exceed $2,-
900, 900 and the probabilities are that
the amount will reach $3,O0O,000 So
rapidly do the new enterprises crowd
to the front, and on the heels of those
that precede them, that the great
wheel moves on with accelerated
motion; project upon project of large
and stupendous Importance are de-
veloped; no wonder the stranger with
in the gates holds his breath and looks
incredulous. So rapidly do these i'm
provements take place. one cannot
realize their Importance and the in
fluence they are to have on the flu
ture growth of Tacoma These are
all legitimate enterprises, projected by
business men, and are being pushed to
their logical conclusions. Tacoma has
but commenced to rise to the top wave
; of her splendid prosperity. The en-,