Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-06-04
IMPORTANT FACTS
Some of the Resources of the State Of
Washington

Some of the Resources of the State of
Washington
The State board OF trade, with head
quarters at Seattle, is busily engaged in
compiling statistics and gathering state
ments regarding the resources OF the
state Of Washington. The following are
excerpts from the advance sheets issued
by the board:
RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION
The building of new lines Of railroads is
constantly opening new territory to set
Element. Washington is large state,
with an area of &C, $50 square miles, and
there is room for development In this d.
rection. According to the report of the
secretary OF state, made December 81, 1890
there were 2,0s0.93 miles of completed road
in Washington, 95l.4l miles in course OF
construction, and / ,472 miles more sur
veyed or under survey, several hundred
miles of which have since been transferred
to the list OF roads in course OF construc-
ton. The same authority gives as the
result of work in the year 1890 372.l5
miles OF completed road at cost of 81
O40, $40, Ash miles of graded road at cost
81 2S5, 600, and other expenditures OF <S25,-
coo. The Northern Pacific was the
pioneer road Of the state, encouraging the
Is yet busy In extensions and the con-
structon of feeders. The Union Pacific
has several hundred miles of completed
road in the state, and has done much
work on the extension which will make
Puget sound its terminus; the Great
Northern is constructing its main line
across the state from east to west; the
, Canadian Pacific has established itself on
the shores of Puget sound, and the south
) ern transcontinental roads are at the
doors OF the state. In addition to these
, lines there are nearly a score OF indie
pendent lines within the state, and the
possibilities in the development or rich
territory give room foi more.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
! Washington has wide range in agri-
cultural products, the two principal items
/ OF export being wheat and hops. In 1890
t the wheat yield is estimated by state Of
fcers at 21,000,00 bushels an average OF
J cas- per acre, the largest In the country
! While conservative authorities regard
! these figures as too high, they make nc
! attempt to limit the W heat raising capaci-
, ties of the stale to l,ss than 20OOOO.U t
: bushels annually. There has never beer
j failure of crop. yields of 40 to 60 bushels
Z per acre are common and on one measured
= acre in 1890, over l0l bushels were raised
a This was a test acre cultivated with thu
: utmost care. In 1890 the value OF whea
h and -four shipped from Puget sound port
was 81, $500. almost entirely from th'
n crop of 1889 In 1890 the hop produc
i reached $1,000 bales, sold at highly re
= munerative prices Large areas in West
g ern Washington are peculiarly adapted Z
: hop culture, as also are many localities II
. the eastern part OF the state. The averag
Q yield Is 100 to 800 pounds per acre
Oats, rye and barley yield heavy crops
IS potatoes 400 to 800 bushels per acre; othe
~ a,x1 .kt.t.A Ia frrttf
" Of every kind nontropical thrive to de
n gree unknown elsewhere. Washington |
1t certainly the paradise of the farmer, III
,r gardener and the dairyman, for grasse
"a are green and growing the year through
y MINERAL WEALTH
is People In Washington have not ye
~ learned all there is on top of the groun
ne and cannot be expected to know all tina
:. lies underneath. Certainly the iron an
a. coal are ipexhaustible. State officials Civ
the coal product Of 1890 at .349773 ton
while the United States Census Office RI
~ ports only g93,724 tons, worth at tb
y mines e., 203, 1855. Much Of the coal is {
~ excellent quality for cooking purpose
no tention, but the beginning has been mad
made In development. The smelter ;
d. Irondale, SUPPORT of Port Townsen'
az produces the best car wheel iron know
In the world. Smelters are being erecte
~ at Kirkland. a suburb OF Seattle. and ,
DO Ellensburgh. The bullion product OF Il
state In 1890, as reported by the direct'
~ OF the mint at Washington, ID. c., was m
en- large, but indicated the growing profits
4, the mines, which now are receiving niue
:" attention and promise to become one
as the leading industries of the state In Il
r. Immediate future. Claws OF all kinds ~
abundant and already serve many lines
at manufacturing. Other minerals, Dol
precious and base. offer alluring openlni
to the capitalist and prospector.
ly Washington, and particularly the ives
III ern half OF the state, is covered by hea'
m forests. Fir Is the most abundant, 70
> lowed by cedar and spruce. The lumb
output OF the state for 1890 was I SOS, III
IT 222 feet, and the cut has had no percept
h bic effect on the supply. The quality