The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-20
NOTES OF THE PAST.
"reminiscences Of Seattle Life
Eighteen Years Ago.
PUBLIC AFFARs AND TRADE.

Promise Of the Great City to Be Was
Evident 1t That Time to Men
Of wisdom.
In September, 1872, Mr.. Fisher, resi-
dent of Seattle, started for his claim on
Lake Washington Turned from the trail
by fallen timber, he wandered through the
woods for two days and nights with
nothing to eat but few crackers. He
finally reached town much exhausted.
During the summer Mr.. Wetmorc, who
had a ranch near Lake Washington,
brought in several bear which were killed
within two miles of the Occidental hotel,
one of them within half mile.
The state university reopened in Sep
TENDER under the charge Of Professor +.
X. Hill The pioneer boys and girls had .
good record, as the following for the first
month shows: Whole number students,
SO; percentage of punctuality, 99.2; per-
centage of attendance, 1885, The roll Of
honor, neither tardy nor absent, contains
the following names, the first twelve being
also perfect in department and industry:
b. Wetmore, Theodore Brown, Perry
Clymer, Annie Spain, Madge Denny, Mary
Boron, T.. Sanderson, +. Snyder, Clara
Robinson, William Theobalds, Eben Os-
borne, j. Denny, James Scott, A. Mona
han, Philip Reach, Arthur Hanford, Lula
Preston, Annie Preston, Martha Hanson,
A. w. Denny, L. Coleman, Charles Denny,
George Coleman, H. Shattock, L. Booth
and Nettie Horton. Theobalds, Osborne
and J, Denny ranked the best
The winter of 1878 began early, the
first snow being in the middle of Novem-
Der. 1t only laid a few hours, however.
In the beginning of December the weather
Saturday, December IA, Seattle was visited
by the hardest earthl quake ever expert
enced here. The first shock was at 9:4.
There were three shocks in all, lasting
twelve minutes. The motion was from
south to north without any violent jar or
irregular upheaval. Water tanks, ETC.,
were tipped to an angle of about thirty
degrees. No damage was done except by
the fright. The Indians and Chinese made
the lower end of town bedlam with their
yells and shrieks. At Snoqualmie there
were twenty-four distinct shocks, covering
three days.
On the night Of December @, snow fell to
a depth of six inches. This was followed
by q warm rain which did considerable
damage. Sidewalks on the hillside were
covered with sand, several lots that had
been terraced were washed down and
crevasse was formed across Front street at
Marion, six or eight feet deep, and twenty
or thirty feet wide. The same food caused
land slide near Olequa which detained
the Northern Pacific trains for two days.
In January, 1873, articles Of incorpora-
ton were filed in the King county auditors
Office by Chester w. NJ Smith, w. A.
Wheaton and George w. Tew, under the
name of the Elliott Bay and Cedar River
Coal Mining and Railroad Company; cap
ital stock, $500 900. These gentlemen pur-
chased certain mines near the mouth OF
the Cedar river, and their object was to
work the mine and construct q railroad
from there down the valleys of the Black
and Duwamish rivers to Seattle.
In regard to the coal business at that
time, quote an extract from letter pub
lished in the San Francisco Commercial
Reporter, written by gentleman of Sc
attic:
1.-THE Seattle Coal Company is a stock
company, organized under the laws of Cal
ifornia; Office at San Francisco. The mine
is located seventeen miles from Seattle;
four miles is railroad, narrow gauge, the
Lakes Union and Washington. They are
taking out an average of eighty tons per
day, employ about 40 men, two steam
tugs, two large barges, one steam engine,
forty horses and 100 two-ton cars. The
coal is conveyed from the mines to vessels
at the port without change of cars. Last
year lls7i) they mined Is, 600 tons, 10000 of
This year they have taken out 5000
tons and 5000 was shipped to San Fran
cisco. 1t is now worth there $3.50 per
ton. The expenses are as follows: $3.50
per ton to mine it and put it in ships at
Seattle. IS per ton for freight, leaving
1n< >a<~kxk A - H.
Charles J. Shattuck is superintendent and
resides here (Seattle); the other owners of
the stock live in San Francisco and New
York. The demand for the coal is said to
be steadily increasing. The mines are
very large, in fact, the different mines on
this Sound now known would supply the
United States for fifty years. 1t is second
Pennsylvania for coal and iron, but it re-
luires capital to work the mines. The
company has not capital sufficient to run
il as it should be. If they owned their
own ships they could save or make for
themselves 40 per cent. more by proper
outlay; then it could be placed in ships at
81 per ton"
In January, 1873, the price of Seattle
coal advanced to SIC per ton in the San
Francisco market.
A commercial circular issued on the LIST
of January, 1873, shows that the small
town of that date began to foreshadow the
future great city. 1t says: For Seattle
it (1S72) has been a year of prosperity;
there has not been failure of a business
house during the time; many new firms
have started; a number of new business
houses have been built; large number of
substantial residences ornament our hill
side where a year ago the fir tree was
standing. Seattle of a year ago and today
shows a growth in population and en-
HANGED value of property of at least
So per cent. and with better out
look for the coming twelve months
than there was year ago. We have
had no real estate excitements the past
year, no rush for town lots by spectators;
but a steady purchasing by persons who
have come to Seattle to make il their home
to cast their lot with us and help build up
the commercial city of the Northwest.
which nature has fixed as the spot around
which centers all the business of Puget
sound, and the false idea is fast passing
away that the railroad company, even if
they wished, could turn the channel of
trade ont ofits natural course
The number of vessels that passed the
lighthouse at Dungeness during October.
November and December, 1872 are as fol-
lows: Ships, 81; barks, 40; briggs, 10;
schooners, "a; sloops, so: steamers, l52.
On January 30 Seattle had another cold
snap, accompanied by slight furry of
snow. The thermometer registered 80
above zero, having fallen 20 degrees in
forty-eight hours.
In March, 1873, company was formed
and operations commenced for the con-
struction of an extensive wharf at the foot