The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-12-01
AS SEEN IN THE FAB WEST.
A Correspondents Impression Of a Country
Fast Developing.

Fast Developing.
The early pioneer of '49 who made
the overland journey from the states tc
the Pacific coast by the ''prairie schoon
er," taking from Spring-tjme til
autumn. could never have even imag-
ined or conceived that in less than 81
years the ''iron horse'' would speed
across these plains by nearly q doze1
different routes, climbing the lofties'
ever snow.clad range of mountains, O.
rushing through tunnels miles ir
length.
The forty miner" now living can see
the busy throng of restless, eager, &C.
tive, progressive population pouring
into the Pacific country. and actively
engaged in the Development Of the
wonderful resources.
Four through trains for the Pacific
leave st. Paul and Minneapolis daily
two via Canadian Pacific and two viz
Northern Pacific. The Northern Pa
cifc dispatches one train day via 1.-THE
Cascade" division, direct for Tacoma
and the other via the Oregon Railway
s. Navigation company direct to Port
land. From Chicago there are oyer ter
different routes by which travellers Car
proceed-Yia Omaha and the Unio1
Pacific. via Kansas City and the Union
Pacific and the Southern PaciGc-taklng
st. Paul, Omaha, St. Louis and Kansas
City as the four gateways through
which the immense travel to the Paclh
passes, and we have no less than twelv
through passenger trains every "A hour!
or $50 trains year. These trains are
fed by the network of railways froM
the Middle and Eastern states, and the
very important travel that now comes
direct from Europe to the Pacific coast.
The other day, at Portland, Oregon, ]
saw about the same time, passengers
leave going East, some via Canadian
Pacific. Northern Pacific. Oregon Short
Line, Central Pacific and Southern Pa
clfc via San Francisco. l also saw at
Portland, steamers leave daily for the
upper Columbia and others for the
lower Columbia and Astoria, as we'll as
steamers for Puget Sound points, in
Guiding Tacoma, Seattle, aud Victoria
in British Columbia, and again steamers
for San Francisco.
While at Tacoma I saw nearly thirty
steamers and sailing vessels were load
ing coal for San Francisco and Aus
tralia. Sailing vessels, including a
Swedish vessel from Stockholm, were
loading wheat direct for Liverpool.
Not less than seven large three and
four masters were loading lumber tor
London, England, Sidney, Australia
and other foreign ports. AT Tacoma
visited saw mills that cut $4,000 feet of
lumber per day, 100000 feet per day and
100000 per day, and a St. Paul syndicate
is now building one with 100000 feet
capacity per day. These St. Paul par
ties have purchased $4,000 acres OF
choice cumberland within fifty miles Of
Tacoma, and are now building a rail-
road to the timber. I mention these
things in general to give the reader an
idea Of Importance of the commerce OF
Oregon and Washington territory, and
have only mentioned tho shipping and
transportation interests at Portland
and Tacoma. The clearances at Taco
ma and Portland for the domestic and
foreign ports will average thirty or
forty steamers and sailing vessels daily.
1t stands to reason that O. very consid
cradle portion Of this shipping must
come from she interior, and yet the
great Pacific North is only iu its
infancy.
at present the profits Of the lumber
business on the Pacific coast is some
thing abnormal, because the immense
forests bordering on Puget Sound are
being cut and literally dumped into the
tide water on which the mammoth mills
are built, the timbe. sawed and stimuli
taneously loaded into the ship at the
dock, direct from the saw, and as soon
as the vessel is loaded to her CAPACITY,
the proprietor of the mill receives his
pay in full
1t may be said too, that the coal BUSH
ness is also vely lucrative, as there is a
steady demand for foreign and domes-
tic markets.
The salmon fishing industry is some
thing scarcely creditable. On fish,
ing banks, at the mouth of the Colum-
bia. there were canned this seaosn 3O0,- |
600 cases of salmon, Or in round num-
bers, nearly 100000 pounds. This is
only the one canning station, and there
are many all the way from Portland,
Oregon, up to and including Alaska.
Sheep raising and hop growing will be-
come very important industries in Ore
gon and Washington. Farming in
general has made but slow progress for
the simple reason that people who have
heretofore come to the Pacific North
west have found other pursuits far
more profitable and brought quicker re-
n