The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-02
sELlINeaAM, wAsH.
A Name for Three Puget sound CzeeS
When They Are Consolidated
Special Correspondunce.

When They Are Consolidated
Especial corrsspondsncel
BEILINGHAM. Wash. Sept. 25 II you
do not know where "Belhnghaxns
Wash, is your maps win not help you
out in the matter. You viii see by look
ing at a map of Washington. in the up
per left hand corner Of the state, and
Just east of Vancouver Island. little
bay set back in Whatcom county. That
is Bellingham hay. On the eastern
shore of this bay. and joining each other.
are three embryo cities, Whatcom being
the oldest, Sehome or New Whatcom
the second oldest, and Fairhaven tho
youngest. A recent effort TO consolidate
the two Whatcoms failed to carry.
An effort Is row being made to oon-
sclidate the three cities. but Judging
from the hot rivalry between these
places-each IS trying to absorb the
others-it viii 10 some time before the
thing Is ceompliSked-unless Uncle
Sam takes q tumble to the fAct that
under the present system he - b.
ing worked On the postofhce Ques-
ton. He is now maintaining three
offices. with contingent expenses. where
one would I'll the bill and do IL far bet
ter at no increased expense. With the
three places combined the population
would secure free delivery or mails.
whereas by the present systam some
people Of each village have to walk .
mile 70 get their mail, and run greae
risk Of meeting bears, which may b
lurking yet in thedense primeval forests
adjacent to the streets and avenues.
For be it remembered that Fairhaven
Is not yet a year old. notwithstanding
a population of some four thousand
souls 1t is n town such As may Be
| found nowhere else. IL has four banks.
| two newspapers, one daily and one
weekly; at least q dozen hotels. saloons
and faro banks too numerous to men
ton Hundreds Of men ara busy dig
ging and dynamlting out stumps and
grading and plsnking broad streets
| through the forests. and carpenters and
| mssons and painters as thick ~ neas In
/ California are putting up business blocks
and handsome residences Real estate
agents are coming money selling lots,
while printers are kept busy day and
night getting out maps and charts Of the
dozens of additions" which even now
take in the hills and valleys for miles
around Two or more saw mills are
running full force to supply the lumber.
and docks cannot be built fast enough
to receive the freight arriving.
This is brief picture Of FAirhRven-
Practically the same conditions exist az
each of the other corporations named
The great difficulty in the way Of con-
solidAtion is the matter OF the name 70
be given the new city.
To be impartial have called thu con-
sohdated city "Bellingham." the name
Of the beautiful bay upon which these
three hustling towns arc situated. II
this name is not satisfactory suggest .
combination Of the three names, taking
the first syllable Of tho Arst two and the
last Of the other. Then wo have Fair
Se-Com." If that is not sufficiently
poetic let them call il Mt. Baker or
Baker City" ia honor Of Mt Baker.
whose snow capped crown rises into the
heavens in full view Of each town, maxi
ing a glorious background 10 n mose
lovely landscape.
What is the inspiration OF all the 40
tivity here viSible? Unlimited Lumbar
resources, contiguous coal MINES, vboso
veins are no less than thirty feet thick
mountains of solid iron ore OF the rich-
est quality, lime stone. sand banks,
building stone, agricultural lands. un-
limited fishing waters; tho finest lakes,
over 200 feet above the city, forming =
natural reservoir Of pure water within
two miles OF the bay; deep channels and
secure harbors. railroad connection with
two or mere Of the great transconincn-
tai lines, a climate unsurpassed for both
winter and summer, absolute freedom
from stagnant water or marsh lands
everything conspires 70 make this an
IDEAL spot for a great city.
There are now three daily, two week
ly and one tri-weekly papers in the
three towns. and ten banks. Among the
hotels are at least Elk good ones, and
two Of them are fine modern structures
Houses cannot DO built fast enough for
the people. Many canvas tents and
slab shAnties are doing temporary duty
as homes for families. Men are poudng
in from all directions. and with a pres
ent joint population of near Il, 900 in ths
three cities five years will Sc = popula-
ton Of 100. 600 at the present rate Of In
crease.
Men who left New York sir months
ago are considered old settlers, and sub
stantial business houses and mAnsfact-
ories stand whsrs siI months ago were
iunKles 70 dense that man could scarce
ly pick his way through the brush. To
clear tins land Of timber costs t71 TO 800
an acre, and TO free II Of stumps costs -
much more. An electric street car hns
Is being graded connecting the thres
towns, and heavy cedar and hr logs are
being piled into heaps and burned up 20
clear the way fer the car tracks through
ths strsetA w. q. BEsroA
There are glaciers In the HimAlayaa
which are from thirty 70 sixty miles In
lsnVth. and there u ons thirty-thres
miles long which Is hanksd OF either
Eds by two giant peaks over =. 900 f'ss