The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-24
THE PASSING THRONG.
What the Visitors to Seattle
Think and Say.
EARLY DAYS ON THE CoAsTs
Reminiscences of the Days when Dir
Mclaughlin Was Here-wisconsin
Democrats for Cleveland.

Few men know more of the history and
traditions relating to the early settlement
of the Pacific Northwest than John Me-
koughlin Harvey. of Fairhaven. who is
now stopping at the Arlington hotel. Mr..
Harvey is the son of one of the Hudson
Bay Company's agents, and his grand
father, DR.. John iMcI.oughlin, was in his
time the most famous man on the Coast.
When the Hudson Bay Company bought
out John Jacob Astor's trading post "a
Astoria, DR.. Mclaughlin was sent out in
1924 to take charge. This station was
afterward taken to Vancouver, where
the doctor had his home for many
years. Mr.. Harvey himself was born in
Oregon City thirty-five years ago; and he
net only has 3 personal recollection of
many events which have occurred during
his lifetime, but he has made copious
notes of the "reminiscences of his mother,
DIR. McLoughlin's daughter, who died in
1854 She was a woman of remarkably
fine memory, and she furnished much
material for Bancroft's history of the
coast.
There are hundreds of interesting
Stories" said Mr.. Harvey last night,
"some of which have found their way
into print, and some Of which have not.
Some day l must make notes of them all
and put them into shape. You see,
carry here an heirloom" and ne showed
an old gold watch that had been carried
by his father, and before that by DR..
Mclaughlin himself.
Few people," continued Mr.. Harvey,
"have any idea how well the officers Of the
Hudson Bay Company lived out here in
the wIlds. The company was making
enormous sums of money, and could af-
ford to pay its employees well. The off,
GERS were usually men of good family and
line education. and they brought with
them so far as possible the English Gus
toms and comforts. Captain Couch
whose heirs are among the wealthy people
OF Portland-came out here in early days
in command of a vessel. While she was
lying at anchor at Vancouver he received
from DR.. Mclaughlin an invitation to
dinner. The captain himself used to tell
how he supposed that in trading
post at the last limit of civilization
there would be no style of any sort,
and so be dropped around to dinner, wear
ing his sea togs-a red flannel shirt and
no collar. He was Mortified, however, to
find that the officers who came to the dim
ner were scrupulously dressed in swallow
tail coats. And then, to add to his embar-
rassment, the dinner itself was served
with as handsome silver, china and linen
as would be found in most English homes
of the higher class. But the old doctor
was very hospitable. and put the rather
bewildered captain at his ease.
II remember in looking over my grand
fathers papers l came across an old packet
containing some gray dust This was
sample of the dust that settled down over
the country to the depth of half an inch or
so after an eruption of Mount Hood. do
not recall the exact date, but think that
this volcanic disturbance occurred soon
after the doctor came to the Coast. Once
or twice even in my memory dense cloud
of smoke has hung over the mountain,
and we have supposed it was due to some
activity in the crater"