The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-27
OUR RIVERS AND HARBOks.
Senator Bqufrs's Presentation Of WASH
Iuxfou's Claims for APPROXIMATIONS.

etr Squire LAS D<e1 co1sIdIus1sr1 JPN e-o
Gear presentation Of the Warrington claims for
spproorIsttons in the river and harbor bill A
before stated, the senator appeared before the
Senate COMMITTEES on commerce and presented
statement upon this subject OF Washington I'M
proFemeats and showed what was desired OF
the people OF their state Senator Squire briefly,
but completely. reviewed the situstion in
Washington, and his statement 10 one which
carried great weight with the river and baToor
committee. The points which Senator Squire
made are 90 concise and clear that the people OF
his ststs should know what they are Inc sen
ator said:
/. will b remembered that las, year q number
Of amendments 10 the river and harooE bill were
suggested in response to the requests OF the peo-
pie of the state Of Washington, ss expressed IN
memorials OF the state legislature: fhese de-
rnsnas could not be complied with, a. surveys
had not been made, and IL Ia not tie practice OF
the government 20 make appropriations for i'm
p-oyernsnis until surveys have been made and
accompanied By fsTorsDie reports from the en-
As territory weshington hsd no survey for
river improvements Of any i'm portancs. since
then, although surveys have been made and re-
ports received of several localities, little work
has been dons- From the laSt congress the state
received no appropriations Is asked for By her
representatives, except the small sum OF $1,000
for the expenses VI sRaz boat. For these rea-
sors II is manifest that q liberal spirit should be
shown By the present congress in dealing with
tie reg uirements Of the state
-
ceived. and will continue 70 receive, some Dene-
n from tins Improvements made On the Column
bia river, and these Improvements are heartily
encouraged and approved BY the people OF
Washington, but IL must be understood that the
greatest proportion of the population and the
largest amount of the commerce Of the state 10
NOT upon the Columbia river, neither at present
nor progressively, but upon Puget sound, 70
which several OF tbs great railways are already
built and toward which others are in progress.
By the esusus OF 1880 it il proved that about
ftfp@s 1fs 9
westward Of the Cascade range of mountains,
and tbs majority of them are located in the
vicinity of Puget sound.
The southwestern part Of the state 10 being
Developed OF Late, particularly In the vicinity OF
Grays hsr0or, Biliapa harboY and near the Co
lumtis river: Tut the principal commercial in
conferred on Puget sound, and 9 very large pro-
portion of the products of the eastern part OF
Washington, and even OF Oregon. are now being
brought ~ ,aii 10 Puget sound for expectation.
There are several important riTers raar have
their outlet ia Puget sound which merit i'm
pfoysment; tie largest OF these, the skagig, has
. nasigaDle Ieng.n Of no miles a. by the engi-
neers report, snd drains . very richly prod1c-
pve country. The steamers regularly plying on
this river carry an average OF 30yo tonscf ir-sgat
PEI month and large nunbe. OF Passengers
There are also other steamers that visit This
river and the siougns connected with il at irreg-
ular intervals which carry ABOUT 600 tons
%ov.mes sh' of ~ sS ,, m1sins nas,, total
lides immense quantities of timber In logs.
Two other rivers, the Nooksaek and the snO-
hoiaihh, are nayigsbls for many miles and drain
important and rapidly improving regions. Thur
Tar the only appropriation made for these rivers
has been only small sum for TIE expenses of
snag Loaf. Tie engineers report that this boat
has done great good 20 navigation. but that the
amount available has never been sufficient TO
enable i, 20 do the necessary work In the re-
port OF the engineers the rivers Skagit, snonorn-
lsh, sfiliegusmish, NooxEack and Snoqualmie
are grouped together, aud the amount asked ior
the fye rivers Is s5o,Do1. In the bill before the
committee the amount proposed to be sppro-
priafed under the title 0. "Pugs. sound aud
tributary waters is $4,000. La view of tie
necessities o: the commerce Of these rivers ask
that this may be Increased 70 $2o,oJ0.
Another important improvement which has
been tavofaoiy reported Is tnst OF the Columbia
river from the mouth of the Willamette TO the
upper limits OF the city OF Vancouver, the cniy
obstruction being bar just fellow the town,
which II Is now proposed TO remove To demon
strate how important Is the commerce that will
be benefited by this improvement, will state
that the commerce carried On over this part of
TIE riyer during the year ending June q 1851,
was as follows: Passengers, 3194l2; grain
l,22l tons; lumner, 2i76 5I9 feet live eiocE lyS1
tons; general merchandise, S0,773 tons. The
finishing OF the railroad bridge over the Column
bis river at Vancouver should eventually make
vancouver al important port for ses-going YES
ssls, Tor which 1t will be well fitted when the
aooVestafed improvement is made, tho total es-
timatec COST OF which is 1885, go In view OF the
great benefit which this small amount vlII con-
Ter on TBS commerce OF the city OF Vancouver, I
u.
improvement Is to be made by building a dam
across that portion of the Columbia river be-
tse=n Hayden island and the Oregon shore. SO
channel.
The Improvement of Olympia hsrbor. from
Fourth street bridge TO deep water in Budd's
inlet, is another item TO which wish to cirect
particular attention Olympia is the capital of
the state OF Washington, the real and personal
property IN which 10 assessed az e, $1,000 and
Is city OF considerable commercial and man
MN
develop rapidly now that the great railroads
are reaching IL The Union Pacific, Northern
faeinc and for. Townsend southern railroad
are ouiiding their Iiaes within the city limits
Ihe Northern Pacific has dredxed at the foot
OF seventh street aud filed in seven acres for
depot grounds, the Union Pacific viii fll in III
teen acres Tor the same purpose, the Por. Towns
end railroad has built coal buukers In fact
everything points to Olympia becoming a con,
siderable railroad and shipping center in the
near future.
The population Of the ely in 1889 was 3, 2ss. in
lssJit was $3.50, an increase OF LASS equal 10 a
per cent IN the year There are four luIn Der
capacity OF is5,eo feet per day, and one with a
capacity OF 2,Vt10D per year: there are also
oiher manufactures with combined pay roll
o. sJ'ooo Per month The companies Operating
boats Oh the sound have nineteen vessels ton
mage carried 25,s11, being an increase If Al rer
cent over the previous year. The engineers
estimate OF cost CT the necessary Enforcement
Is $4,000. The amount proposed to be an
pr0priated by the bill before the COMMITTEE 4.
$29,JOl In view OF the rapid increase OF this
eiIg ana It's commerce, AMI the great need that
exists Tor the immediate improvement of tha
haroor ask this may be increased TO s,OU00
Another improvement worthy of prompt at
tention Is thaE OF Snohonish slough, so as to
give depth In the channel of iour feet below
mean low water. This 10 valuable waterway
IoI local steamboats, plying on the Sound for
rats, logs and lumber and small sailing vessels
carrying merchandise and taking ont the mo-
ducts OF the country. Its improvement viii hs
OF Immense benefit to the commerce of tie
sksgfI delta, through which il passes Ths
pfoa OF the country are hay, oats, fruit. etc
All trafhc passing from the waters on watch
are situated the towns OF Padilia- Raw W.
Edison, samish. Anacortes, Guemas and ali
p9ints IN " hateofn county, 20 Seattle, Tacoma
SEmpla, CoupeYille, Oak Ha-bor, Snohomish
sianNooc, ana ali points south OF skagi; bay
are directly affected by this route From me
country tributary to il there are shipped an
nuAIly 1,1O toas OF oats, ~ 900 tons of hay and
other products, and 800 tons OF mercbape1 a.
steamers in the trade and forty-two vessels lnsE.
ing occasional tripA
The estimated cost for q four-foot channel Ia
sl-4-5a The amount proposed TO be apDrnDrt
atsd in the bill is only $500 an auonnt xhpIlv
inacequate Tor the rapid progress of the work
which Is essential / therefore ask that at Ieast
Appropriated. A' 20
Another Improvement PROPOSED 1. thar p,
Gray haroor ard bar aud exsenaIag uD che
hAiis raFer TO &onteszno Gray's srtor fftv
t taaies lfeLa me mouth OF the Columbia river,
mas Laiaiy oeen made a port of entry in the col.
lection district OF Puge. sound. In IssO the an.
tlrs popuiaiion Of Cnehaiis couuty in whfrh
Sfsys haroor Is situated, did not exceed SIS: in
~ Il wa. s-e9 lwo-thirds of this increase n
,.Shd N towns immedistely on this hzrt,or-
Moatesa1o, Cosmopolis. Aberdeen Ho1uIarn ana
trays Harbor Clty-al built alrnast aor,-aiv
within ths last four years In isS5 the assessed
in lsea this had increased "a & -
V1 IN lSS2 two steamers and rwo