The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-11
THE CITY OF NANAIMO
Leading Coal Shipping Port Of
Pacific Coast.
EXCELLENCE OF THE HARBoR.
Railroad Connections-The Large Pay
Roll OF the Miners-Omcers
Of the Municipality.

Nanaimo is favorably situated on IN in
dentation of the east coast of Vancouver
island, forming splendid natural harbor,
nearly opposite the terminus of the Cana
dian Pacific railway. at the city of Van
couver, on the mainland. While Nanaimo
is at present within connection with the
Canadian Pacific railway, by practicable
ferryage across the Straits of Georgia, the
distance can be abridged to an hours jour-
ney by means of projected and feasible
railway route from a well-sheltered ship
ping point on the southeast, corner OF
Gabriola island to the port of Nanaimo.
and on the completion of this connection
with the great continental highway. its
continuation by means of trunk lines Of
railway from Nanaimo to the north of
Vancouver island. and thence to the ports
on the northwest Pacific nearest to Japan
and China, will be the natural course of
development, and must rapidly be accom-
plished.
The calm and lanAlocked bay of Nanai-
mo is secured from the force of all storms,
by Gabriola, Newcastle and Protection,
the surrounding islands, but there are two
clear channels for passage into the straits
available at all seasons of the year, and at
every stage of the tide. There are no bars
to navigation, and the anchorage is good.
Many of the largest steamships and sailing
vessels adoat frequent the port of Nanai-
mo, and are loaded with the utmost facility
and despatch at the great loading wharves,
alongside which the deepest ships can ride
safely. The annual tonnage of vessels ar
irving and departing amounted for the
last fiscal year for Nanaimo port, to 1.203,-
CAB tons, including foreign and coastwise
shipping resorting to the port.
The city of Nanaimo is beautifully To-
Gated, it has frontage of several miles
upon broad sheet of water, and recedes
from the shore by easy gradients to the
western verge of the townsite for about
mile, where an elevation is reached, from
which Is afforded grand panorama of
scenery as the spectator views the whole
horizon.
Besides the railway to Victoria there are
we'll formed wagon roads from the city to
the farming districts of Cranberry. Cedar
and Oyster, and through them to CO.
wichan and Victoria on the south west
erly to the Hardwood estate, towards
Mount Benson and the Little Mountain,
and northerly to the rising town of North
field, named after the North or New Well
ington coal field OF the New Vancouver
Coal COMPANY, which is being vigorously
mined and shipped to an eager market
over the company's Mortified railway
and loading wharves at Newcastle Point.
Mortified claims to be thorough
union mining camp" is an extra
ordinary instance of rapid growth
of a coal mining town, being only
lately plated and sold. 1t is now thickly
populated by a thriving and well con-
tented people. who, excepting the trades
men and artisans engaged in building
houses, etc., are entirely employed in the
company's New Wellington coal mine
there.
The city of Nanaino and suburbs. with
the 5000 or 1000 inhabitants, owes its pros
perity and its very existence to the New
Vancouver Coal Mining and Land Com
pany, which. in 1862, bought and obtained
a transfer from the Hudson's Bay Com
pany of the valuable Nanaimo estate, with
the coliieries. it's town and other build
ings, sawmill and shipping wharves, in
Guiding all the dominent foreshore and
other rights and privileges, held by the
Hudson's Bay Company by virtue of its
special charter and grant from the crown.
The mines and works of the New Van
couver Coal Mining and Land Company
form the main resources of the
town, and the great bulk of it's
inhabitants are directly or indirectly
dependent upon the success of the coal in
dustry, which is promoted so energetically
by the company. For several years after
the commencement of it's career the COM
pany was struggling against many diff
culties. Natural faults" in the subterran-
can strata and other causes together,
effected discouraging results, so that the
total output between 1862 and 1888 only
ranged from 10000 to $4,000 tons of coal
per annum, the highest figure being
reached in 1888. In 1884, by more ener-
getic management, the output Of coal rose
to 103, 900 tons and steadily increased until
a production of coal from the mines of the
New Vancouver Coal Mining & Land Com
pany amounting in round numbers to
SOC. 600 tons per annum has been achieved,
with a most promising outlook for a
further increase in the demand for the
famous Nanaimo, Southfeld and New
Wellington coal, mined by this COM
pany only. OF the immense out
put about 100000 tons were ex-
ported and about $1,000 tons were dis
tributed in local sales, and the remainder
put for consumption in the furnaces of the
thirty or more engines of the company
itself, which use an average quantity of
100 tons day. To meet the great extern
sion of the company's business the capital
of the company was augmented, but by no
means correspondingly with the expansion
of the concern
The company has at present five mines
open and four in active operation--all COM
menced since 1874. They run down to
great depths, and have double shafts Tor
pits) for ventilating, the law not allowing
more than limited number of men to
work in a mine with but one shaft. The
gross output from these mines has aggre-
gated 1900 tons a day.
The city officers are: Mayor, Andrew
Haslam; clerk. Samuel Cough; police
magistrate, ]. I. Planta. ]. p; surveyor,
r. Heyland. C. E.. street superintendent,
Benjamin Baker; health officer, E. A.
Praeger, NJ. ID.