The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-18
THE FIRST KING COUNTY COAL.
Interview With Wal1a Wal1a Perkins,
Who Opened the First yein

CLALLAM BAY, Oct. 16.-[Special THE man
who claims the honor of opening the first vein
OF coal in King county and of bringing the first
load OF it into Seattle to SELL talked freely on the
subject day or two ago to Posi- -INTELLIGEN-
GER CORES pendent.
The old gentleman is w. W. Perkins now a
resident of Ciallam county, and known to his
associates under the cognomen OF "Walla Walla"
Perkins. He is a veteran in the history of Puget
sound, has passed through more than the usual
run OF hardships experienced by the hardy
pioneer of the coast, has seen his tides of for
tune ebb and flow, but with happy-go-lucky
disposition makes light of the piles of wealth
that have missed him and struck elsewhere.
l arrived at Seattle in 1855, said he. and
went lobblng around at one thing and another
uolng little machine and steam boat work and
such like for several years. In the fall OF 1862
While at work in a small foundry, L. r. Andrews
came into the shop with several humps of coal
done up In Hour sack He told me he had
found II out at SQuak, and wanted to know if
the stun was any good. | tested the coal and
too him It was frst-rate. He then proposed
That should go out and look at the vein. | did
so, and we made an agreement 20 work together
Inc land Is situated about where the Gilman
mines now are. Ii was unsurveyed, aud he
went anead AT once and located a pre-enption
claim OF loo acres, OF which was TO have forty
acres to work myself. 1 proceeded Immediately
to develop the vein with crew of four or FIVE
men.
That winter we took our first load. $50 tons of
coal, into Seattle, and it was purchased by the
storekeepers aud the steam boats then plying on
the Sound. l remember that the government
steamer Shubrick was then in port and took
about forty tons of the coal, the captain being
mighty glad to obtain it, To get it into town
we had 10 haul ii i'll teams mile and a half 10
samanish lake, then by scow along Sougk
slough 10 Lake Washington. On the shore of
the lake about where the Casino is loeated) it
was landed by the scow and then teamed again
into Seattle. The first lot brought 81 per ton
and that price was maintained for about a wear
then II dropped 10 SIS and KEEP. going down un-
g. mo he gas. IL.
This rate did not pay. as the cost of transpo
ton was heavy, and quit delivering coal after
eighteen months at the business. The mine lay
dormant for number OF years, until Gilman's
company got possession and had secured rail-
road faciitiesa
During the time that l was operating the mine
quit coal bunker on Ieser's wharf TWAS
me hrst one in use and had capacity of $50 10
20 bushels The Yesler mill was rather a
primitive concern in those days, one interesting
feature OF IL being the manner OF getting rid Of
the sawdust An employe named "Dutch Ned
used 10 carry all such refuse out in box on his
PACK and dump it most anywhere. very often
using II 70 tll up holes in the streets
Seattle was only trading post when the coal
business oegan. There were probably 800 peo-
pie there The business OF the town comnrised
four stores, owned re speetiveIy by H. [. Yesler
Doc Villa ms On, Charles Plummer and snmna,,
h. Kinds. Three saloons fiourished on
the churches, / remember the Rev. Dan
Rev. Father PrefOntaine the Catholic The ONLY
newspaper, the Seattle Gazette, was run by J. p
watson He was good fellow, and / recolleet
giving him barrel fall OF the first lot OF coal
Tree OF charge. don't suppose he could have
pald tor II anyhow. but liked his STYLE
After quitting the first coal mining venture
ana abandoning the claim, went over TO the
newcastle mines. where somebody had struck
the mineral, and obtained two claims in thar
section, 30 acres, | made very little out al
the speculation, as / sold the land TO a eorpora
uon which had agreed To develop the claim. !
received twelve shares of the stock The whole
Y s. was 500 on before coal was taken out
IL was game OF lreeze-out, and wasn't in IL