The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-27
SEATTLE REVISITED.
Analogies Between this City and
Chicago.
PAST. PRESENT AND FUTURE.
"Reminiscences OF Early Travel ON Puget
soGnd-The Visit of Rev. VIVA. Nor
ley Punshcn, In 1871.


SEA-TLE, Oct. r.
To TEE Enron: Ali great cities OF
ancient and most OF those IN modern times
have had periods Of infancy. youth and
age Those periods have also generally
been Of greater duration in earlier than in
later times The great ceasers of corn-
fnsree. OF learning and Of art IN the ancient
World bad such struggles for supremacy s.
are unknown az the present dav. univ
since America became taester for new
faces, as agents OF civilization have cities
risen Ike the failed rsasaes of Aladdin.
And, even in these United States. il Is
largely due 70 the establishment OF railroad
communications thar great com rrerrIsi cen
ters have sprung from infancy into fill
yigor by successive and rapid bounds.
Among the most remarkable instances Of
such unparalleled progress as the world has
never before known that OF Chicago Is the
one which challenges comparison.
And. yet. the writer OF these lines first
visited Chicago in the autumn of 1877.
when It's population was not larger than
that of Seattle today At that time there
vas not mile of railway in the state OF
Illinois. and bur one line in each of the
three states OF Ohio. Indiana and Michi-
gan Fourteen years previous TO the Pc
Rod OF which write onty few hundred
people had gathered where now a popaia-
ton Of sp,l01 souls dwell within the limits
OF single city. Twenty-four years after
that date great FIRE swept away property
valued at 500 l1o.ee bat out Of its ashes
Chicago spraDg up. Ph@nix-like. TO become
the unrivaled center of commerce Tor ali
the northern states of the Mississippi val
ley.
six months previous TO the great Chicago
FIRE it was my privilege u visit Puget
sound. Three times, in the brief period OF
four DAYS, | trayersed this great inland sea,
from Victoria to Olympia. thence 10 the
former and again to the latter point. The
trip from Olympia TO Victoria and return
was made on the steamer Olympia, Cap
tain starr being owner and commander.
That honored and amenied pioneer
among steamboat men on these waters,
conveyed "A large number of passengers
from various points upon the Sound 10
Victoria. The special object of attraction
which drew these residents from their
homes was the presence of the celebrated
divine and lecturer, Rev. William Huey
Punshon. at Victoria. Mr. Punshon had
lecture appointments at Victoria. Seattle
and Portland. Captain Starr gave free
passage, free herths and free meals 10 all
ciergymen who desired to avail themselves
of the opportunity which was thus afforded
OF hearing that peerless orator. 1t was my
exceedingly great and inestimabie privilege
To share the generous inequalities of a
genial Christian gentleman, whose memory
Will ever remain q sacred treasure in the
hearts, of all who then became his gsiests.
| heard Mr.. Punshon on The Hugue-
nots, at Victoria, on Daniel in Babylon"
at Seattle, and on John Bunyon." at
Portland, also having the companionship
in travel, from the former TO The latter city,
of the lecturer aud his associates,
Messrs. Johnson, Benson, Mason. Wilkin-
son. and fifth clergyman whose name
cannot recall. because itdid net terminate
III son" The rare coincidence of five
clerical stage passengers from Olympia to
Cowiltz landing, whose names had the same
final syllable was an occasion OF much
pleasantly in our two days journey.
have today learned from Mr.. Isaac
Parker. one of the oldest residents of Sc
attic, who came 10 this place in 1858, that
the site now occupied by the PosT-lsTELLI-
GEScEs Office is the Identical spot on which
the old Yesler ball stood, and in which /
heard the famous English orators magnif-
cent lecture, in May, 1871. After an inter
val of nearly eighteen and one-half years,
! again find myself at Seattle, whose pop
ulation has increased from leo TO 10000
people. Three months previous TO my re-
turn to this city, its business interests suf
fered from great disaster which was not
less serious, in proportion 10 its ability to
endure the loss sustained, than was that of
the Chicago fire, which occurred six
months after my first visit TO this city.
Having once more visited Chicago and Wit
messed the proofs of its marvellous recuper-
alive energy one year after the catastrophe
OF 1871, can safely affirm that the energy
of Scattle's citizens Will not suffer by fair
comparison with that of those who have
made the great city upon the shore OF Lake
Michigan what she has become.
In Nav, 1871, the only railroad construc-
ton that had been attempted in all this
great region, now occupied by four great
rival lines-the Canadian, Northern, Union
ard Central Pacihc-was the initial work
just begun at kalama. The question of
terminus for the Northern Pacific road was
at that time absorbing the attention OF
Seattles citizens, who confidently antici-
pstsd the selection Of a route over Snoquai-
mie pass. One OF our travelling party, the
Rev MIR. Wilkinson, was Jay Cookies
special friend, and it was supposed that he
had learned from Mr. Cooke. al Putin Bay,
Lake Erie, the probable result OF future
plans. And a. MIR. Wilkinson invested a
considerable sum Of money in the purchase
OF lands near this city, his associates in
travei regarded his doing 20 as a clear indi-
cation that Seattle was destined 10 secure
terminal facilities from the Northern Pa
ciiic management. But all our iuferental
conclusions proved TO have been 9eiusiye.
and Tacoma became Seattle's ambitious
rival for supremacy on Puget sound in the
new Northwest
The great IRE which seemed TO involve
her citizens in hopeless loss and discour-
asement. has now evidently attracted the
attention Of the entire country 10 Seattle,
a. the future emporium OF the new North
west Ii The facts gathered from all reliable
sources may be taken as basis OF estimate
for future growth, the days
of doubt and uncertainty for this
Queen City of the Sound are unques-
tionably ended The lowest estimate made
by our daily press, relative TO the actual
growth 81 this city during the present
wear places the number OF buildings
erected in 1850 at .fo8. Others have placed
the limit at 200. completed, and so IN
finished structures, during the past ten
months. or an average OF a new building
for every working hour of SIX days IN each
week since JanuaYy /. iss9. Bus one IN
ioymani has placed the estimate Tar higher
than this. One o. lasi evening" papers pub
.ishea a statement that 200 hglaaincS are
now in ,,ro-resx While the gentleman ~