The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-05

me as s1i. part Of he Island vas almost . v,,der.
once vas hrst opened ~ r Sse ~. ~ me
csss s,x months trial wss found = - so Iu.
iocsfs1 s g me ahipping public ana 90 poorly
ticn o. smuggling. d tSct upon ..' the auss,
cs,.tc ~ ue1sury department, the collector Of
AZ ~ M. ..s g ron Townsend and the commsnder
- - .neysstgete and relocate the ONES Xfte.
rsse stody Of the situation they unanimonslv
Ffidsv H fnis me once should be removed from
sf,cs nalDol % Roche Harb0r, where Il has
N.Y. N.Y.. remained, and where no ouestion Of it,
ms1e - n, q proper location has ever been
have m.dn me present collector and bis deputy
th ~ s'eierence g the map It win be seen that
-. .a.9uS OF this county are particularly from
petition tsss q: And By reason Of their peculiar
3. pfesent and future Commercial relation VIII
s ssrsn sCoiupbla, and especially with Van
49, s. nsano. For years quite an extensive
.oop schcoers and s o. email poas.
sssamGs are entirely cut on from all regular
c,sa :mDoat communication and the settlers can
s noa! trading craft. These boats are ali re-
gua5eu 20 report at the custom house for entrance
to- clcarance, or, II under tonnage, for inspcc-
i atsrbor II the once were at Friday Hsrbor all
this @ Friday Hsrbor, distance & ABOUT eass
sonSou.en those % sSs sonr,n At che y.
western part of this county. az
desiring g come here or elsewhere for business
snns making . voyage Of nearly twenty 1--WE
toms oicer At Friday harbor, wRo accordinc u 70
probably Be enjoying his daily Sorseback exer.
cise over the island. They could of course await
nis pressure In returning.
tegeous and convenient place for the shinnin
PuDilc We are right upon the regular highway
OF travel between this country and most Of the
Nearly al vessels going to and from those ports
pass Just outside our harbor, within q mile or
g q THIS plsce Is naturally the last port in
vessels desire to touch There is no better har-
POT anywhereI with deep water and excellent
Socks, % tnat such vessels can transact their
venience, delay or expense Besides, il is
veil known that when the office was estab-
h hrnso here, this port furnished no
since that time, however, there has been built
Up mere one OF the largest and most important
industries on the Coast. 1t is important not
here, but to the shipping and Commercial
inereets Of the whole Northwest The Tacoma
Roche Harbor Lime Company located here has
capacity OF 1900 barrels OF lime per month
and OF nearly 1000 sets of slaves and heading.
Inis business OF itself now brings large numbers
g vessels Tor csrgoes. which are sent in every
them either come In from or are bound for
foreign or coastwise ports, and must enter or
clear The Union Pacific Railway Company for
line OF large steamers. carrying lime from here
70 Portland, Or. During the busy portion of the
year their schedule was vessel every five days
ana they almost invariably want TO enter, or
clear, or both. This work is done while they
are taxing cargo without Inconvenience or delay
ana they are Immediately ready for sea. We
both lime and barrel material to San Francisco
and Honolulu, and ahipments of both have
already commenced. This will bring an addi-
the services of the custom house. If there were
no custom house in this county all classes of
vessels above mentioned would be obliged to
and retrace the same distance, making from
nifty to one hundred miles of extra travel II il
were located at Friday .Harbor they would have
miles and back again, In ell about thirty miles
OF extra travel. In either event the business of
the once would be totally destroyed, and the
necessarily injured, and San Juan county would
be out on from all communication with the
outside world by means of the foreign and
which in any way effects the foreign or coast
wise trade, or which would attract there
any vessel engaged in such trade and
the route pursued by all vessels which would
have any business with the custom house, ana
az point OF observation TO intercept or prevent
smuggling, would be worthless. II it were nec-
essary TO move it from there nearly ten years
ago for the very reasons above given, when ship
ping was comparatively limited and when there
important that 1t >sh0uld remain here now.
When the collector states that aas . port of In
formation Roche Harbor Is unfortunately stu
and tortuous entrance" ssand shut OF from all
sources OF information" and that It ssshould be
moved to Friday Harbor, where there 10 travel
submit to all who know anything whatever of
the situation, that he simply publishes not only
hisignorsnce OF the geography OF the country,
but also OF the important and vital questions
pertaining to shipping and to smuggling which,
by virtue of his position, he 10 supposed to
Friday Harbor, and, being located right upon y.
the national boundary line, an officer can in five
minutes place himself in position where he
observe the movements OF all boats attempting TIM;
time be within cali OF the whistle
vessels desiring to enter or clear OF course he
would miss his equestrian exercise, but that
would not be necessarily fatal. But in all can
attempting to guard county composed OF thirty
or more islands? Does the astute collector ex-
pect his brave boys to run down the willy snug
will be interesting information to the snug
Cling fraternity and especially alarming to that
class who do their smuggling across DE Haro
straits equipped like his officers-on horseback
Oh, shade of Captain Paul Boyton! Your pro-
iession is to be stolen by the low and ignoble
herd
As to its removal to Blaine we have only to
say that If commerce requires a SUPPORT at that
place, one should be established. But this
county should not be bottled up, and the Office
closed In order to give them one there A vessel
coming to Roche Harbor for a cargo of lime
should not be required to go to Blaine in order
TO enter or clear: Neither should vessel desir-
ing to go there for a Cargo of "Blaine
boom. be required to come here in order to COM
ply with the customs laws.
In conclusion. almost every transportation
company on the Pacific coast and large major
ity OF all the masters and pilots who navigate
these waters and for whose special convenience
and advantage supports are established and
maiNEained, have already protested in
the strongest terms against any interference
or change whatever with this Office.
Are their voices and the interests OF commerce
which they represent to govern in such ques-
tions? Or are the opinions of a collector and his
stramp" deputy, the price of board, the height
of the hills and the condition of the roads for
horseback riding to be alLpowerful? Let the
public decide. Very truly yours,
JOHN S. McMILLIN.
SOUNDS OF THE WINTER.