The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-19
TWELVE-PAGE EDITION.

and sure way of earning it in precisely the
same way as the men who mine for coal or
for iron ore.
Mines like these are dependent for their
value-absolutely dependent-upon traus-
portation- There is no means by which
they can be rendered valuable without
transportation. 1t IS impossible to get the
value out Of such ores as this region pro-
duces without such massing OF heavy ma
terlals as is impossible In mountain re-
gion. Within the district there will, of
course, be reduction works, which will do
the rough work of throwing out the
grosser and non-mineral substances found
in the ores. The concentrated product
viii be carried to some point available to
general transportation for smelling. 1t is
inevitable that that point shall be at or
near Seattle. For railroad from this city
there are two routes OF easy approach.
From Arlington east up the Stillaguam-
ish river the distance is about 100 miles,
one-half of which only remains to be built.
There is no obstruction of any sort; no
engineering problems to be met 1t is, in
fact, an easy grade from the sea level to
the Monte Cristo basin. The other feasible
route is from Hamilton, in Skagit county,
east by way of the Skagit river and south
by way of the Sauk. By refe renee to the
maps it will be easy to trace these pros
pective lines. 1t is to be said in favor of
the Skagit route that 1t will pass near 10
the coal, limestone and iron of the Skagit
valley. and also bring 1t much nearer to
the Cascade mineral district.
/ cannot close this letter without refer
ence TO some of the incidental obser-
vations of the trip. / went by rail to
Hamilton; from there up the valley of the
Skagit twenty-six miles; from there up the
valley of the Sauk about forty miles, and
from there over a mountain road, still fol-
lowing the Sauk, into the mines. In re-
turning l crossed the divide which separ-
ates the Monte Cristo from the Silver
Greek district, and iourneyed in the sad
die for two days down the Skykomish to
Snohomish, thence by rail home again. A
trip like this expands ones ideas of the re-
sources and capabilities of the country.
In all this distance there was scarcely a
mile of territory without its special at
traction for the industrial immigrant.
The river valley lands are covered with
| timber, but when this timber is removed
they are surprisingly rich and productive.
There are TO be sure no wide ranges OF
clear land. but there is what is infinitely
DttLcIs q SOll C<iDdDlt OF varied
The valleys of the Skagit and the Sky
komish have in an unimproved state
just such lands as produce hops,
onions potatoes fruits, etc, in the valleys
of the White and Puyallup rivers between
this city and Tacoma. 1t is region where
vast amount of labor may be massed
with profit upon a very small area. In one
| of these valleys a farmer can get more
value and make more profit out of ten
| acres of land than out of l60 in the grain
region of Oregon.
But the thing that is most striking is
the wealth of timber. The roads
are little more than vast aisles through
the forests. The fir, the pine, the
cedar, the spruce, the maple, the ash and
the cottonwood abound in quantities in
credibly vast. After travelling for days
through these dense forests one is very
ready to believe what the sawmill men as
sert-that there is timber enough in the
| Puget sound country to supply the whole
| world for a century to come.
| The Monte Cristo is one of the three
| mineral districts which have lately been
| brought into notice by very rich discoveries.
| The Cascade district lies thirty or forty
miles TO the north, while the Silver Greek
| district is separated from the Monte Cristo
| by a single high mountain line. / passed
through the latter, but was unable TO de-
| vote any time to its examination. Enough,
however, was plainly evident to show that
there, too, there are some very rich de-
posits. 1t is not intended toneglect either
| the Silver Greek or the Cascade districts,
and it has already be made the errand of
correspondent of the Posr-ISTRLLIGEScEg
| to visit and report upon them.
| wish it were possible to give the reader
some idea of the glorious mountain
scenery. To say that the mountain peaks
are thousands of feet high; that they liter
ally reach into the clouds; that their sides
are snow laden, even in August; that their
SUBMITS are rugged beyond comparison;
that their colors rival the rainbow in vari-
ETY. and depth; that thousand cascades
| leap from their sides and wander at their
feet-to say all this still leaves the reader
without picture in his mind. One who
! recalls the beauties and splendors of The
Glacier Basin feels that it would be pro-
fanation TO attempt to picture it to those
| who have not seen it. So grand is this
basin tnat if ever it shall be made easily
accessible il must become, like Yosemite,
one of the famous beauty spots of the
| earth. ALFREp HOLMAN.
Mineral Discoveries in Bokhara.