Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-05-04
Puget Sound.

The following Is taken from an artl-
Gle written by Missourian journalist
to the San Joseph Herald:
Nowhere else in the world can be
found such an immense body of land
locked salt water. Its bays and inlets
permeate the whole OF west Washing
ton. On its bosom might float in COM
plete security all the ships Of the
world. On its borders are growing up
SO many towns and cities and shipping
points that l can not begin to enumer-
ate them all. To every point the
largest ships may go and load or un-
load their cargoes without obstruction
or difficulty. This vast body of water
is surrounded by heavily timbered
lands. 1t is dotted by a thousand or
more islands, picturesque and charm
ing in appearance, covered with lofty
pines frs and cedars, Astounding in
deer and other wild game-an ideal re-
gion for sportsmen. In, among and
around these islands the largest boats
may go and anchor safely in their
snug little coves-for the islands have
their little bays and coves as we'll rs
the great Sound itself. Those of y.ar
readers who have passed down the st.
Lawrence among the thousand islands
OF that great river, can form only y
faint idea of what awaits them when
they visit Puget Sound. In the St.
Lawrence the islands are generally
small, sometimes only small bare
rocks. Here many of them are OF
great extent, contain magnificent tim
Der to the value of millions of dollars,
and when the timber is off there il the
making OF thousands Of valuable farms.
In the future there will be charming
homes on all Of them. But the pic
turesque islands, with their valuable
timber and arabic lands and glorious
sites for homes, are not all the Sound
contains. 1t swarms with the finest
fish that swim-the fish of commerce
herring, halibut, salmon, smelt and
salmon trout, with numerous other
varieties such as the cod, the rock cod,
founders, etc. There is probably no
such fishing ground anywhere about
this continent, or any other for that
matter. The great fishing grounds
along the North Atlantic coast are
stormy and unsafe; hundreds lose
their lives every season, and countless
wrecks of vessels strew the bleak and
inhospitable shores. Here, in the wa
ters of Puget Sound, fish may be taken
in unlimited numbers, and with per-
feet safety TO fishermen as we'll as to
vessels. Elsewhere the business is the
toughest and hardest kind of toll; here
it is the rarest of pleasure and sport.
The profit of the business, too, is said
to BE- extraordinary. Only within q
year has this immense fishing field be-
come fully known to those engaged in
the business ON the Atlantic coast.
They know now what there is here,
and are coming. The advance vessel
of feet of fifty sail arrived in the
Sound a few days ago-all from Glouces-
ter, Mass, and neighboring places.
There is no doubt that before another
year has passed there will be fleet of
ut least one hundred eastern fishing
smacks ut work in these waters.
The climate ON the Sound is often
COu1 k6s1 Cu w Illtbt vi tllC oOutii Vi
land. 1t is said to be perfectly charming
in the summer. Bright sunny wealth
or predominates without excessive neat
at any time, and with cool comfortable
nights. There is nothing like the win
ters to which we of the Missouri valley
are accustomed. The months OF jan
uary, February and March are called
the F" rainy season." but that dues not
mean that it rains constantly by any
means. have been on the Sound ten
days; the weather was delightful up to
last night, when gentle shower came
and has kept coming down at intervals
ever since. In fact the rain seems to
be about as frequent here during the
winter months as snow with us at
home. The thermometer never gets
below zero, and the highest is generally
"a in July, and for couple of days in
January it occasionally drops down to
above zero.