The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-19
A BOOMERS RETURN.
II. II. Mcneil Reyisits Scenes Of
Former Activity.
HIS FlHsT rap TO ssscoRTEs.
Fesmer Manager % the o. T. 60. and
Manner Of the Rams Horn .-Eiijah
Smiths Downs.ai- Eaairosd Notes.

II. ". McSoii. Of o.kaloosa. Is. for
merry general manager Of the Oregon In
pyoyement Com sany ia this CITY. accom-
panied hy his niece. Miss T. l. Little. are
guests st tie Rainier hotel. Mr.. Mcneil
q TIE ssne bright. genial. hearty, keen
vitte1 man OF energy and enterprise as
when he ief; Seattle about three 7ears ago.
To reporter for the posT-IsTELIfsxscgE
he said: ~ have retired 20 Ear into private
life that 1 arm afraid | cannot do you rs
much good as could formerly. While |
make my horne in fows am interested IN
IN anthracite coal proposition on the
Canadian Pacific near Ban1. We are do
ing quite well there and working up quite
nice business. | am here 70 collect
little money due ms and NJ the same tsfne
pat IN few weeks looking around the
Sound. ! used 70 be pretty numerous
around here few years sgo and pat in
two years oi such activity here IS ! never
again expect TO spend. Yes. this Is the
first time have been back here in three
years, and after looking over the rebuilt
city all can say is that Seattle Is an IRE
pEessible proposition.
Il funny thing happened on rny way
down ( stopped OF az Anacories. OF
which claim 10 be the father. and the
frs: man met IVES Capt Taylor. About
for years aro be was tie FIRST man met
there when the spot was wilderness.
The circumstances were these; ] had been
ordered from Ncw YORK to investigate and
report on a number OF things in relation
90 shether town could be built there.
and vent over IA tug from Port Towns
end. The place was then an almost i'm
penetrnble wilderness, without apparently
single inhabitans. After tArashing
nrousd in the woods | came across a
shansy, and after knocking on the door
a. last aroused 3 man inside who wanted
90 knox shat I was trying % do TO the
house. ! told him 20 come down and open
UP and bEigd a fire. as ! expected to stay
there few hours. Capt. Taylor was abe
rfaii. and what vas my surprise To find
in his shanty one of the most COM
plefe stocks Of wines, liquors aud cigars
10 be found anywhere on the Sound.
After sampHng nearly everything in his
STOCK, asked bin what In thunder he Vas
doing away do.H there in The woods with
sneb stock OF liquors. with not another
sont on the island. That's all right he
sald. they're coming, though | asked
him what he meant, and he said there
would ne plenty Of people there by and by.
afterward found out that some of the
Northern Pacific people had told him. a
year or 50 previously. that town would
be built there, and acting on the informa-
ton be bad gone there and stayed until
came along and started the town.
Those were pretty active times out here
] had several thousand men at work,
building the Seattle & Northern, the Port
Townsend Southern and the railroad down
near Olympia, and we had our hands full.
/ had Charles j. Haines then for my right
hand man. Poor fellow. he's gone. and so
also are those other wheeI-horses, Bailey
Gatxert, DIR. r. I. Miner and G. Morris
Haller. Poor old Elijah Smith is down at
Coos bay. as he says. waiting for the tide
10 come in.' lie was ono of the strongest,
hralnlest men that ever operated on the
street. He was called the hydra-headed
president, from being at the head of fifteen
or twenty big corporations.
"a strange thing occurred about year
after left here. was domiciied in a sort
Of lullaby proposition Up near Banfi,
trying 10 take things as comfortably as |
caild. when who should step in one day
but Elijah Smith. He had been III for
sonla time and he stayed with me for about
tso months. No one knew where he was,
aud ore day got letter from his brother
asking mc Il / had heard anything about
hini. a. they had lost hlm. Poor man, he
hsti co. ali Knocked about in a railroad
wreck some time previously, aud he was
not himself after that. Why, one time
when there sas little slump ia the mar
Hes caused by the Arsentne tfoanles fore-
Swallowing shs Barring collapse. he Just
locked himself in his Office and stayed
there day and nleat for several days. hsv-
tac A.s aassss sFvasht 10 him and refusing
g sTe any one. not even his brother or his
hsakers with whom he had heavy deal
sngs. AID there te sat and allowed a cool
million - slip through his fingers. as bis
brokers in the meantime had To sci. out
his cos.Assfals lie vas a big. strong man
enc time, though.
Yes; { see the rams horn il still a
trcuh.esome question BY the way, had
tie honor q eivIa. that name to the now
celebrated rlgat-ofNag. Oh. there's no
tetsinFs | may come here 10 1--we again.
iSag a. present | aIn only looking around.
didp't know bat wnst there might be a
sold tains sticking up somes here asking
somebody &c appropriate il. You know
the onse 10 gather ehestauts 3 n ben other
peop.e tAsas they are not ripe"