The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-11
TO MAKE FINE STEEL.
The Industry in Which Seattle
Will Excel.
THE NEW FLYING wARsH'P
An Authority on Washington Iron
Secretary OF State Weir Talks
About Tide Lands.


George w. Prescott, president OF the Union
Iron Works, of San Francisco. IL At the Rainier
hotel and is much interested In the develop
ment Of the iron resources of Warrington. as be
ia also president OF the Irondale Furnace Com
pany, Of Port Townsend When asked what he
thought of the facilities OF the Puget sound
country for producing iron. he replied with
emphasis:
"Unlinited. You ought to manufacture iron
and steel for the whole coast II would be .
mistake to 60 into the manufacture Of pig iron
simply: you SHOULD make fine steel plates.
Your pig iron u OF too high grade for your mar
ket We made all the pig iron for car wheels
for the Southern Pacific railroad for three or
four years. bat there is not enough market for
charcoal iron"
"why not make lower grade pig ironf" was
asked.
Because yon have not the COAL" was the
answer.
''Have we not coal for cokinsg"
"Then You would be making lower grade pig
iron. Your people should manufacture fine
steel plates They have good market for
them on the coast We buy all our steel plates
and could - well buy them from here as in the
East
Mr.. Prescott was asked what showing the new
cruiser San Francisco would make, and replied:
''she has shown up very favorably. Her en-
gines are triple expansion and she is 4 twin
screw. He- contract speed Is nineteen knots for
four continuous hours. She has cruised on the
bay for two days ito try her machinery. and it
has worked we'll. l received information last
night that she made eighteen knots with III
revolutions and 100 pounds of steam. We ex-
pect TO make 40 revolutions with 40
pounds of steam, which she is allowed
TO carry, to obtain twenty knots We
get q premium Of $4,000 for every quarter
knot over the contract speed. and thus, il she
makes twenty knots we shall earn q premium
OF $200,000 The boats man9uvers are very fine,
and she is doing we'll in every respect"
Did you see statement that the government
is changing It's policy and intends building
larger wsrships, with heavier guns?''
"Yes, but don't agree with that policy The
European powers are all reducing the size
of their guns from seventeen to twelve and thir-
teen inches, ss they have found them
impracticable. The ships have to be
made so strong to stand the strain
that they can't get any speei. The coast
defense vessel now building il armored with
sixteen-inch steel plates, and was intended to
carry one gun Of fifteen and halfinch bore. to
weigh ITO tons, forward. and one twelve-inch
gun astern. The government has now decided
TO carry one thirteen-inch rified gun forward
The largest cruisers have only eight-inch guns.
The tendency IL toward lighter Ships smaller
fact that congress has just advertised for three
S,000-ton line-ofbattl ships"
What do you think would be the result II
these cruisers had fight with such ships as
England has at Esqulmalt?v
THE cruisers would go in and fire and run
away again while the other ships were getting
ready. These big guns have q range of about
ten miles, but they cannot be trusted to hit
their target at that distance Our cruisers have
range of eight or nine miles, can fire with
more certainty of hitting and can get out of the
way with great ease and rapidity."
Secretary Of State Allen Weir passed through
the city yesterday on his way from Olympia to
Port Townsend. In regard to the extra session
OF the Legislature he said that he expected it to
be very short, and with that view had only pre-
pared supplies for ten-dsy session. The time
when it would be called depended on the publi-
cation OF the census for this stste. and the gov.
ernor was In constant communication with Su-
perintendent Porter with view to ascertaiuing
when tue population of Washington could be
learned. The governor would not Issue his
proclamation until he had this information. or
knew just when IL would be obtainable, as he
did not wish to have the experience OF last fall
repeated. when the legislature wasted whole
week awaiting the admission of the state The
constitution did not state what notice had to be
given the members of the calling of an extra
sued only three days before the time set for the
legislature TO meet.
In regard TO the tide land commission, of
which Mr. Weir is an ex-officio member he
said: "The governor has been busy receiving
recon- mendations for the county bonds of ap-
praisement and has the list nearly ready This
has been a work of some difficulty, as the mem.
bers of the board must be freeholders in the
county not interested in tide lands. expect
the appointments will be made in few DAYS
We have TO wait for the harbor line commission
TO complete its surveys before we can do auy
thing in incorporated cities and towns. but we
can proceed with the appraisal and sale of tide
lands IN other localities. We have already re-
cefved three applications Tor purchase in such
localities two on account of the artificial culti.
walton OF oyster beds and one from a Shore
owner in WILDLY island. The oyster claimants
are man named Larson, at Olalla bay. Kitsan
county, and number OF applicants in Mason
county. We have appointed a very good enei-
neer, Mr.. c. NJ. Height. who will proceed To
make estimat, of the cost of survey and Mat
of the sections referred to. The applicant win
then be required to deposit the amount of this
estimate with the county board of appraisers
in order to insure the state against having tn
pay 1t in case neither he nor any other person
should purchase the land The county board
VIII then proceed to make an appraisement and
publish 1t The pre-em ption applicant has the
first right OF purchase within limited time AT
this price, but any citizen has the right to an
peal TO the state beard and from 1t to the supe.
rior court In the case of harbors the tide land
commission must make a survey and plat of the
tide lands within thirty days after the establish
ment of the harbor lines, and continue the
streets cut to the harbor lines. and then the
county board OF appraisers must appraise the
pr perry. Thus We shall begin work on the
Seattle harbor Immediately after the harbor
lines are drawn
"How is the work of the library commission
going on?'
81 am having new shelving put in the capitol
building for the new books many of which have
already arrived"
lis the proposition to annex Tumwater tn
Olympia likely TO be carried"
There Is some opposition on account of the
higher taxes in Olympia, due to public improve
ments, but think that annexation win be car
ried."
A MADMAN AT LARGE
He Breaks Out of steiiacoom for the