The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-28

sssnsx. ,f "a lovely II evening IS vas ever
szexs o. EesHngha-r bar. vEssn re landed
AZ r1v rzsce. sEs crimson rays al TIE sun
gsss.sts ske Ais hark Of se5oase. ard alter
ls<oksrg fey rzsgne1ts over the hezrfalEs
panorama sss-esd eat pesors a.. ssensr.i
su~avze remarked, "SoT ! Only Eans 10
see etorEz here.
That svening I care General sTrs-ne
hss Of III tie lard owners roGna the bar.
and the sEnoant each osss osEed- haa
r-ewsut.x.Y been informed that TIE
company expee7es each settler to
give shem half ~ their land.
and I kaeu that aifnost ali OF the
owners wosli willingly DO so- Nessrs-
spragus and saith Jeff next szy, Dsst IN q
few DAYS Mr. Smith returned and trss-
ssed couple a DAYS with him. showing
him cur water supuIy st Lake WhsfcoEa
and tie nsturs Of our SOL and timber. n
the meantime Jay Cooke had eesn making
arrangements 20 raise mercy sna build
the road ard ssleeeesied in negotiating : loan
81 So fss1 GO from syndicate ef Herman
bankers. 20 be- rasd III SUMS n required
L was considered that this wss al the
money il aoala he necessary 10 borrow. Rs
BY the time this vas al expended the IN
eosse fFofn the road that would then De
built ard the proceeds from The sale OF
their lands would furnish sufficient 10
complete the road. al arrangements
we're made bat signing the papers, when
the French and German war took place,
within broke up the matter. aud compelled
the company 10 entirely change their
programme But for that war. the North
ern Pacific xoisid have been finished by
city on Beiiingham bay OF hundred
ihoa and inhabitants today. To add 20
the discontinue Of the company and the
evil fortune Of Belliugharn bay, When the
company filed their map of the route from
Portland to point on Puget sound, the
secretary OF the interior refused TO accept
IL. The line was located from Portland 70
Rclliugham bay The secretary denied the
right of the company 70 do so. He claimed
that the object Of the law was merely TO
enable the company 10 reach the waters of
Puget sound from Portland. but not 10
skirt along the whole length OF those waters
after reaching them. He would not arbi-
irarily confjne them TO the first harbor
that could be reached, bat TO go TO Belling-
ham bay he considered would he squander-
ing the public lands. and as guardian OF the
public interests, he would not allow il. He
would consent and order the public lands
TO be Withdrawn from sale or entry as far
as Seattle, but no farther. The company
protested but IN vain, as the secretary had
the reins in his hands. The lands we're
Withdrawn 10 Seattle. and this gave Seattle
her start. The company did not publish
their plans and intentions 10 the public;
the public knew nothing about the action
of the secretary; all they knew was that
the lands were Withdrawn to Seattle and
took il for granted that il was done at the
eompanys request, and Seattle was their
terminus.
People who had been anxiously waiting
TO get some clue as IN where the terminus
would lie Immediately rushed in and in.
vested at Seattle, and hundreds of thous-
ands and | may say millions, of dollar
we're invested at Seattle that never would
have been had the lands been Withdrawn
TO Bellinghan bay at first, as the company
desired. The company immediately COM
menced proceedings at law to secure their
rights, and succeeded in convincing the
secretary that they were right and he was
wrong; but as proceedings at law in high
courts move slowly. it was almost two
years after the withdrawal TO Seattle before
the lands were withdrawn 10 Bellingham
bay But the order came too late for the
benefit of Bellingham bay. Financial
difficulties had already commenced to en-
barrass the company, and the public
seemed to think the company was acting
in dishonorable manner. First locating
their terminus at Seattle and after specu-
lating there shifting TO Bellingham BAY.
Whereas the company were sufferers by.
and deserved the sympathy instead of the
censure of the public for circumstances
over which they had no control. They
never intended TO make Seattle their ter
minus, and never acquired any property
there. So when the land was drawn to
Seattle they had nothing TO sell. But had
the lands been Withdrawn to Bellingham
bay they would have had thousands of
acres TO sell. and would soon have realized
millions OF dollars from the sale OF town
lots. Again they intended 10 build from
the Sound to the Columbia river as fast as
men and money could do H. for il would
he paying piece of road as soon as built,
and had the secretary recognized Beliing-
ham bay as the terminus. they would have
commenced ut the head of the Sound and
the Columbia river and worked both WAYS :
but the refusal OF the secretary 20 ac-
knowledge their route compelled them TO
work from the Columbia river only. for
had they commenced TO build from any
part OF the Sound the secretary would have
immediately declared that 10 be the ter
minus under the law. And to commence
at Bellingham bay and build one hundred
and twenty or thirty miles of road parallel
with naVtaeafiAn ba
financial condition and the condition of
the territory at that time, was not 10 he
thought Of.
This Is not conjecture bat solid facts
When Judge Rice. vice president OF the
company, came 10 the territory. he visited
Beiincham bay in the steamer Wilson q
Hunt, accompanied by Mr.. T. II. Garfield
General Sprague, General Triton and sey.
erai others. a man was sent To nv place
With note informing ne that Judge
klse wished tn see me- | Immediately
went on board, was introduced and hsd a
long private conversation with him He
asked me great many questions about
the 70 lt1rv in general and several
places "a particular. and during that inter.
view be- old me of the action of the seFre.
tSyy of the interior. and the embarrassing
position in which il placed them. We
then canned round he hay and returned
80 The wharf Cor me - land. after which
they less the bay. and With them went the
hopes OF Beliingham hay Tor the ter
Minus OF the Northern Pacific.
IL Is many years nov since the idea FIRST
originated IN our nation OF connecting the
Atlantic and Pacific hy railroad. and in
l>3 a. expedition was sent hy the govern.
ment 10 explore and survey a route for n
railroad from Lsksa Supvrior 10 the