The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-09-18
A LITTLE. JOURNEY FROM HOME.
Notes of TriAPy Land and Water
TACOMA, Sept, Is, 'S9.

in Northern Pacific car headed for
the scene of the tournament. But
when ten o'clock came, came not the
departure of the train, but three bag
gage smashers who leisUrly began to
toss trunks and gripsacks on a van
and wheel it to the baggage car. With
considerable hilarity they kept this
up till 1925 when the train started,
everyone being agreed that had they
known the train was going to be
about half an hour late, they wouldn't
have hurried So:
At one the next morning late sup
per or an early breakfast was eaten
on board the transfer boat Tacoma
while crossing the Columbia, and be,
tween six and seven that morning the
terraced streets of Tacoma were seen.
To an Astorian- who notes the
present street improvements going on
in Astoria, Tacoma's streets do not
seem so irregular. In general the
town has an out-all-night sort of ap-
pearance: on the east side of the street
the second stories are flush with the
sidewalk, and the occupants can look
over the roofs of their neighbors far
ther down the hills.
Tacoma has fine wide avenues, and
a large number of substantial build
ings are going up.
1.-The train for Seattle starts at 30"
was the answer to question and as
''train leaves Tacoma for Seattle at
7:30 A. NJ" was in the advertisement
in the paper the writer supposed that
could be relied upon. But, like the
previous evening in Portland, it was a
sort of go-as-you-please affair. The
train that should have gone at 1870,
got away at 8:15.
We dwellers in Astoria, who are
used to having boat that advertises
to leave at certain hour, GO prompt
ly at that hour, would think it singu-
lar to have it wait till thirty or forty
minutes after its advertised time of
leaving, but the passengers here took
it in such q matter of course way as
to make it appear that such delay
was an ordinary and usual occurrence.
Besides the distinction of being a
slow train and late one, the train
that the writer rode on from Tacoma
to Seattle this morning is a "go-as-
ou-please," in every sense.
The brakeman, who seemed Op-
pressed with the weight of his dig
nity, sat down in the same car that
some ladies were occupying and de-
| liberately smoked a stinkadoro cigar
The conductor passed and repassed!
zone lady coughed and audihly Won
dered if there was a smoking car on
the train. The conductor never tum-
bled, the brakeman kept ON placidly
smoking, and encouraged by such 60
ings on, two of the passengers began
smoking short black pipes. Two ba-
bies woke and began to cry; the smoke
grew thicker (this was in q regular
passenger carr and at last the ladies'
chokingly withdrew.
The train wabbled slowly along
through a beautiful country. On
each side for nearly thirty miles was
rich fat land, with clustering hop
vines laden with ripe hops, in large
tracts, and fat cattle eating the after
grass in green meadows.
| Well built houses, neat fences,
handsome outbuildiDgs were the rule,
and tIImble-down shacks the excep-
ton. There was almost a complete
absence of all fruit: every few miles
/ tracts covered with ash, cottonwood
and vine maple were being cleared
away and the sod turned over. Hops
is the great crop in that valley. This
year 81, 100000 worth of hops will be
harvested there.
All things come to him who waits,
and along about eleven o'clock the
train got to Seattle.
To write about the late fire at Seat
tie would be difficult, as one couldn't
say anything new that would be good,
or good that would be new. -
All over the large area swept by
fire last June are going up solid brick
and iron structures; where formerly
stood the wharveS a new system OF
wharves and docks is building. Mean.
while business goes on in tents. The
most of those doing business under
canvas expect to get under substantial
roofs before the rains set in.
The work of rebuilding doesn't
stop night nor day, and everything il
crowded to completion.
Some OF the make shifts are comical,
and show how hard pressed business
men have been to keep on.
The Seattle Post IntelIigenceT oc.
cupies an antiqaated dwelling OF
Fourth and Columbia avenue, Will,
substantial quarters are being built
The reporters write on fir slab il
what was the kitchen, the paper il
mailed in wood shed, the press, +;
wheezy old affair, is protected by ;
, tarpaulip stretched ON four posts il
the orchard; road engine, such as j
ordinarily used for threshing ma
. chimes, etc, is under an apple tree ant
T furnishes motive power; the type i
: set in a barn, where rough oil lamp
shed the best light proeurable.
In these cramped quarters, Wash
ington's leading newspaper, whicl
i costs $4,000 a month TO run, is go
out daily or nightly:
A section about as long as from
Trullinger's mill to the Clatsop mil
and as wide as from Flavel's wharf T.
4 the Catholic church was swept com
pletely by the fire. At the presen
rate there will be no cinders or ruin
observable in eighteen months frou
+ now.
Returning to Tacoma the sam
afternoon on the steamer North Pa
cifc, for just half what it cost to Ell