The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-27


Mason. secretary of the territory, wrote
from Olympia on the 18th of February to
acknowledge prompt receipt of an official
letter from Elisha Whittlesey, first comp
troller of the United States treasury at
Washington City, dated the 18th day Of
December preceding. Such was the then
prevailing idea of rapid transit
We could look from Puget sound at the
grand snow-clad summit of the Cascade
mountains. and possibly dream of the
land of bunchgrass and jackrabbits be-
yond, but the widest of insane dreamers
dared not predict the coming of railway
across the mountain chain-leastwise, not
one of 'these hyur steam kyars" about
which an occasional crank from the East
would relate fairy tales.
Logging camps and sawmills constituted
about ali the industries on the Sound in
the COS. The men who worked in the
camps were a peculiar product of the
times-generous to fault; usually kind
hearted, after homely fashion. but merci-
less in guying "tenderfoot." These men
were from every state in the Union, from
the Canadian provinces, from England.
Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and
most everywhere else "a cosmopolitan
association together in the rough and
tumble of that sort of life usually sufficed
to beget a community feeling of brother
hood. That is, brotherhood toward every
"feller who wasn't 'stuckup'" A new
conner, unused to the ways of camp life,
would be spotted at once. If he escaped
getting "broke in" many weeks it would
not be the fault of the boys. Wild steers
and refractory oxen were broken In" to
the work in the woods by discipline that
was always kill or cure. A similar pro-
cess awaited the uninitiated stranger who
essayed the work of a logger. His
mettle was sure to be tried. If
he xvaA odd E.xh&
occasion might offer he could probably
command respect in very short time.
No good qualities however commemorate
could make up for the lack of physical
courage. If he affected the airs of dude
or fop. or failed to fall into the use of
current slang vernacular and the off-hand
free and easy style OF the times, he was
promptly treated as one foreign to the
body polite and out of harmony with it.
To stake him down peg" would be con-
sidered patriotic duty and a privilege too
pleasant to let slip. Most of the single
young men then at work on Puget sound
were drifting about, working for wages.
and looking for chances to make stake"
Very few had any definite aim in life, and
most every one was expecting to return to
home and friends some time or
other. They were hardy stock
for the most part, men who had the
courage and enterprise to break away from
early anu lduncn OUT lnLO
the world in search of an opportunity to
conquer fate. No wonder that they laid
the foundations of a mighty empire. That
MANY of them drifted into dissipation is
due to the fact that they were removed
from the refining influences of earlier
years in other lands and that their social
natures needed relaxation. Self-reliance
and courage were the qualities mainly
cultivated. There was very little in the
surroundings to inspire poetic or senti-
mental tendency. 1t was mostly hard,
stern reality. The neighborhood "shin-
Dig" Fourth of July horse races and Sum-
day afternoon poker games constituted
rancher in Clallam in the "sixties"
who had an OK team was considered
unusually fortunate and forehanded.
John Thornton had a cart, and
Elliott Cline an old wagon that
had crossed the plains. These men
to use clumsy sleds. When John Thorn
ton and J. A. ]. Shaw brought a span of
horses from Oregon for farm work it was a
neighborhood event, and was talked about
for months. My father, who ran black
smith and wagon shop in the little hole in
the woods where our log cabin stood. built
the first wagon ever made in the county.
1t was for George Gypson, who offered to
pay for it in greenbacks when they were
worth 40 cents on the dollar, whereupon
my father sold it to the Port Discovery
Mill Company. Soon afterward Daniel +.
Brownfeld built a cart, the wheels of
which were obtained by saving off Sec
tions of big tree about six feet in dame
ter. That cart was lroned and finished at
my fathers shop. 1t may still be seen as
a relic on the farm of Mr.. Hall Davis.
Thus did the farmers gradually emanci-
pate themselves from the days of sleds and
OK teams. Victoria was the principal mar
rAt 4 e..
got far enough along to be able to ship 500
or 600 bushels of potatoes he was consid-
cred nabob. The freighting was done
entirely in sailing vessels and canoes.
CLAIMS and fish supplemented other table
supplies, and leather breeches and mecca
sins were more fashionable than at pres
ent. Roads were almost out of the ques-
ton, except such as were an unavoidable
necessity for getting to and from salt
water. Houses were mostly built of logs,
with clapboard roof and clay fireplaces.
When Captain McAlmond built one of
real lumber throughout, actually lathed
and plastered inside, with real boughten
doors and a cornice around the roof, there
was general feeling that the county had
taken long stride toward the opuIence
and luxury of the old world. The captain
was elected justice of the peace out of pure
Difference for his superior attachments.
The Dungeness people enjoyed life, how
floors were entirely unknown, and only
the upper ten could afford chairs with raw
hide bottoms. The others had to worry
along with wooden benches and stools;
and very little time was wasted either, in
vain regrets and longings for more lux
uries. Each house had its big, open fire.
place in the largest living room, and that
fireplace, if it were of the regulation size,
would accommodate four-foot backlog.
Against that backlog would be built a
fire to correspond in size and heat with
the severity of the weather. Long winter
evenings would be spent by the family in
front of that fire. If there was bearskin
rug in front of the hearth for the smaller
children to play upon they were
happy and contented. The older
members of the household would
play fox-and-geese or read the newspapers
if there happened to be any The men
would load their pipes and perhaps spin
yarns about the most remarkable of their
''Injun" fights on the plains, or may be
they would tell the wonder-eyed young
sters about ''ole Missoury' or "Kentuck''
or "Eelynoy," or they would speculate as
to whether or not Abe Lincoln could slick
them there Southerners"; or. dropping
into reminiscent mood, wonld tell of
corn huskins'" with the boys and gals
"thirty years ago." At this stage of the
evenings entertainment mother might be
seen to pause in her work and snuff the
tallov candle on the cedar table at her
side, and may be wipe her specs"
as she recalled some pathetic or
romantic incident OF other DAYS. We
children used to suspect that she thought
a great deal more than was expressed.