The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-04
OUT OF THE OLYMPICS
Arrival of O'Neil, the Explorer,
at Gray's Harbor.
HILLS ADAPTED TO FARMING.
Broad Trail Cut-Thoroughness or
the Investigation.

MA . 41AAcQ1ss w aout C6Dts Os-LlcQ"
tenant ]. p. 0'Neil, of the United States
army, who for the past two months has
been in charge Of an expedition exploring
the Olympic mountains. was in Gray's
harbor last Sunday. having arrived in
Hoquiam the day before from the camp of
the party down the Quinaiult and Hump
tulips rivers and across from Stevens
prairie to the Hoquiam landing. In an in
terview with a reporter of the PosT-INTEL-
LIGENcER, Lieutenant o'Neil gave an &C.
count of the work already done by the
party.
We started from Hoods canal seventeen in
number, on the morning of july 5, ana cut our
way by trail over the mountains nearly north
across the divide and in the direction of Mount
Constance. The trail was OF sufficient width to
admit the passage of pack animals with their
loads of provisions. The trail was cut with q
great deal of difficulty. but was finally COM
pleted TO q length of forty miles and the main
camp established on the Quinaiuit at Mount
Anderson, just west of Mount Constance. Here
are the headquarters of the party now, and the
point from which the several smaller expedi-
tons radiate.
My plan OF work, mapped out before entered
he mountains and scrupulously carried out
since. has been to assign certain region of the
country to smaller parties under the hesd of q
chief, ana to have them thoroughly traverse
their respective territories and report In detail
as TO heir characteristics at the main camp.
For instance, various parties, numbering two
ana three each, have been sent down the rivers
emptying into Hoods canal. One party, dis
patched down the skokomish, has completed
its task. The last sent out is under charge OF
the assistant mineralogist and has orders TO go
to tbs Wynooehee river, get its general course
and the character of It's tributary country, and
then 10 cross to the Wiskah river and follow its
course TO the mouth. This party which started
ON August Ia, has not yet been heard from.
took my course down the Quinault river to the
lake and then crossed to the Humptulups at
Stevens prairie Here my party divided, and
the mineralogist and a companion were sent up
the east fork of the river, while q mineral ex-
pert and myself went up the west fork. You
can imagine that we made careful scrutiny of
this region, for we spent nineteen days in our
investigations, whereas / had expected to de-
vote only two to the Humptulups.
The sub-exploring parties now at work coz
pletely cover the eastern and western portions
OF the Olympics. Their instructions are to re-
port to headquarters at Mount Anderson. and
thence they will Immediately be dispatched to
the north and west You may remember that
five years since l began explorations Of the
mountains from Port Angeles. 1t will not be
necessary to traverse again the regions then ex-
plored, and not so much remains to be done in
the north On that account. On the west, how
euer, i expect to send parties down the Raft,
Qaeets. Hob and Quillayute rivers, emptying
into the ocean. the largest of these rivers Ia
the Quillayute and the strongest party win be
sent to it. that it may divide and take In its
three branches. 1t may be expected that al
parties will have compel d the tasks assigned
to them by October, and they are Instructed to
report TO me at Fort Townsend Think We will
be through by October Is
What do think of the Olympics? The couu-
try has unlimited resources of timber. The
southwestern quarters from tbs mountains to
the waters OF Gays harbor are exceedingly fine
either for timber or agricultural purposes l do
not hesitate to say that the main slope OF the
mountains is toward tae Pacific, and that its
most valuable part is directly tributary to Gray's
harbor. l have gone over O great deal
of comparatively level land that
can be described as magnificent for agricultural
purposes. Of the rivers flowing down the
mountains, the Humptulups is the most even.
The bottom land tr butary is covered with a
light growth OF timber, easily cleared. The
h ills back are heavily timbered with the same
wonderful growth that thickly clothes the
whole southern and eastern range Of the noun
tains. Prominent among the trees are larch
and Alaska cedar. The former is very fine for
finishing purposes. All the timber 10 OF the
most magnificent kind and is easily accessible
As to mineral resources of the Olympics, can
not yet say much definitely. To be frank. thew
have not come up to expectations. The assayer
Of the party, however, is now engaged In testing
some copper ore taken from the Lake Cushman
district. am very hopeful that it will turn out
to be valuable, and that the mineral resources
of the Olympics may be very rich and varied
Lieutenant O'Neil's main party with its
pack animals will move down the Quinaiult
~,x to ri a! 10 10 10
harbor. The route will be across from the
lake to Stevens prairie, on the Humptu-
lups, and thence across to the Hoquiam
landing on the Hoquiam river. A trail cut
from this city to the Hoquiam landing
will allow the party to reach here
with facility, and to that end
the Gray's Harbor Company offers to
build trail from here to Hoquism landing.
as well as to complete the partial trail from
Stevens prsirie to Lake Quiniault.
Another offer has been made by the peo-
pie of Hoquiam to complete the trail at
Quiniault lake and to bring the party
across to Hoquiam landing and thence to
Gray's harbor via Hoquiam. 1t is prob.
able that the latter will be the route
accepted, inasmuch as it was the first tn be
suggested
Lieutenant O'Neil started Monday morn
ing for Hoods canal. He will there follow
the trail out by himself and 60 into the
main camp at Mount Anderson.
HooUIAM. Sept. 3.-Lieutenant J. P.
O'Nell, IN charge of the United States sur
vey in the Olympic region, left Hoquiam
Monday morning on his way to Join his
supply team at the foot of the Lake Cush-
man trail. The lieutenant reports three
facts of great interest 10 the people of the
Gray's harbor basin: First. that rich indi-
cations of copper and iron are found In the
southern and western slopes of the
-0lympics; second. that the highly-yalued
Alaskan cedar is found in large quantities
in the western slope, and third. that the
most natural outlet 10 this wonderfully
rich and almost wholly UNEMPLOYED region
is down the valley OF the Quinaiult river
and the Humptuiups to the north shore of
Gray's harbor. The lieutenant has made
arrangements with parties al This place to
bring his mule train out from the Olympics