The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-28
JAY COOKIES PROJECT
Northern Pacific Terminus on
Bellingham Bay.
Why The SCHEME FAILED
The Secretary Of The fssefIsr Tsex .
H2sa I'm sfss Matter. Delaying "sSs
esass gean Hsny Years

Ezt &stsss EnAx%s WV PsAAe @t@-s%'s -
decade from f1a1 80 $50 81 Washington
territory. consequent upon ne ssFii @af
sri the 6er~es-ess condition. Of the eoGutry
arising ther~fross. ard had = rot nesn teT
,Ao eoaI usfrsS. the eond on q tse
txot8e OF Whatgon coaHiy. from
,he5v ksosatest position. woul8 have
been DAN indeed. Although coal n@a
hem shtpreA 90 san Franeisco from Bel
Irghs,n hay since is.Si i was o-l7 N small
auaniig IS. aEDd the nsDe hzd rot been coz
froslesi by coal mine expert hence the
the rule wss paying aseessssessts BY the
stockholders Of the company ins7san O re-
esising dssidends- In course 81 time Fso-
re got sarec 81 that kind % business, and
- il was witb the stoe kfs0lcers 81 the Bel
liaghAm Fay Coal Company. In l&ss they
held meeting In ean Francesca 10 eoEslsser
the situation and decide whether - get oct
~ IL. abandon Is, or fuFaEfn snsscieiit
money % properly oeveiop u. sna get
practical coal msn.ug expert IL take charge.
The company decided 60 properly OPEN TIE
mine. II was eztimated q would require
500 90 ~ sink slope. build wharf and
coal huskers and a mule tramway from the
shore 20 ths buakeFS. Mr.. Thompkins,
of Pennsylvania, was pgt IN charge Of the
works under Mr.. Fiizhvgh. and and all the
projected works we're made. but strange 10
say. the company. siser sxpendiag so much
capital In putting the mine into share to
make money from it, decided 10 lease u 10
two of their number for five years for a
nominal sum. Messrs. Moody * ~. Clair.
who we're both energetic. practical business
men, ard wlo knew what coal mining vas,
tack hold Of the business. Mr.. Moody re-
manned here and attended 20 the working
Of The mine, while Mr., st. Clair remained
Mt san Francisco. sold the coal. and pnr-
chased all supplies. They bought vessels
and saved freight.
twas reported that the BeIiinghan Bay
Coal Company made $500 go the first year
they had tie mine. All the miners and la.
horess employed promptly received their
pay In gold and silver, when greenbaeks
were the legal tender. and for several years
there was more coin in circulation here than
iu any other part of the territory. This
tended 10 remove the blight and despond
ency that fell upon the bay after the col
lapse OF the gold excitement One result OF
the gold excitement acted iniurously TO
The settlement OF this locality. The govern
ment survey Of the public lands proceeded
very slowly during the early years of the
territory. and were only made where the
puplstioa most required IL. The influx OF
the enormous population 10 Whatcom in
1865 induced suryeyort'eneral Tilton 10
make q prompt response 10 the petition for
a survey and a contract was given for the
survey OF all the fractional townships
bordering on the water from Chuckanut
hay 10 the boundary line, as soon as the
Willamette meridian could be extended 10
this latitude. But by the time the land was
surveyed. the people for whose benefit IL
was done, had ali folded their tents and de-
parted, SO none OF the land was taken by
settlers. The rule OF the government then
was 60 sell the public land at 81 % per acre
~ soon a. surveyed. and when several par
ties wanted the same piece il was sold to
the highest bidder. When the time came
for the saie of this land Mr.. Moody. aware
OF the value OF coal lands. resolved 10 secure
as much Of the adjacent land the vein of
coal was supposed 20 underlic "a would be
necessary for their purposes, and as there
were no other purchasers, they secured
three thousand acres adjoining and behind
their own and the other donation claims at
81 % per acre in greenhacks. when they
were below fifty cents on the dollar. The
success OF Messrs. Moody & 81. Clair in
duced Mr.. Richards, owner OF the brick
house in Whateom, TO try 10 get his money
back through coal mining and a the coal
veins on the Morrison donation claim had
never been fairly tested, the idea naturally
presented Itself that money might be made
from II a. well as was then being made from
the Fitzhugh claim. For that purpose Mr..
Richards had Mr.. Doty, who lived al Sc
home and who was an eccentric. specula-
tire sort OF man, u open negotiations with
Morton for the purchase OF his claim, for
"a II was wei known that noty had little or
no money. II be succeeded at all. he would
gei IL on better terms than Richards, who
was known TO have money, could Doty
succeeded in purchasing the claim FOR 81 coo
A company was formed OF which Mr.. Rich
ards was the head. and upwards of $1,000
WAS expended Ia opening mine In build
Ing coat schufeS, wharf, storehouse and
other buildings. The enterprise proved a
failure. THo or three cargoes were got out
and work was stopped. and has never been
resumed.
Nothing Of Importance occurred in the
history Of the county until 1870. when the
question al where will the terminus OF the
Northern Pacific railroad he located. began
to raise quite an excitement in the minds OF
the settlers al the different points on Puge,
sound that aspred to POSSESS that prize
As many persons bound fault with tie &C
tions of the Northern Pacific Railroad Com
raay Who anew nothing of the causes
that induced those actions. and as few peo.
PIE know what remote oaase prevcnts.!
the settlers Of Bellngham hav from realir.
fortune nearly twenty wears ago. a hrie;
history Of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company from the giuse Of the passage 81
the act oi congress eonferfine the chatter
upoh The company 60 the location Of tho
terminus a. Tacoma, may not he out al
place here.
The writer formed Mr Caraef8ss A..
aasinsaaee and AZ MS request consented IN
give s detailed secount q; the resources az
the territory. aud Why considered Yell.
iagham hsy 30 80 The hest paint for The
terminus Il ,he Northern Pacific. extracts
from which we're published nv Mr. WIZ.
inson. secretary of the rosnuanv Stycn~
pressure wss brought to heay og, the rom.
pany against locating AZ Rs{siarhan, hsv
b. parties interested elsswherr afles.,n.-
THAI ao pass existed there. and that il Va
uot a safe hAvtor. el.,. To saf-sfs tha,,,-
selves na these pgaRts. President Smith ss-t
cat NJ. Lindsay. a sks.sul enrlnr.r. a,,.g
rvTsonsl iriead Of his SOFA, All iu whom he
hA6 inapsscit coHa8ence TO Relar-hsm
has N ihe spring % $50 "a examine the
haFfsor snd ascertain the pTScsirabsistv ~ a
pass seross the mountains Shortly after.
Nard VeneFai spra<ue and Nj r. s.
smith arrived IN Ihe territory - agents al
the NoflheEn Psrsae. The writer met
The" Al Seattle asa& sccogs rAnsc,i them in
s2Fse eauoe - Hellaghsm hay. following
81. ...a-..-..--L n - :.