Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-04-13
A Letter from Gen. MGGn.

/ state OF w asAlngt0n, VIII prove
interesting to his many friends IN
this section.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, !
March, 2S, 1894 I
CAPT. JNO. II. GRABILL,
DEAR CAPT.
acknowledge with pleasure the re-
ceipt of the specimen copy of the
HERALD |: is a highly credltable
county paper and hope ! t. will
prove great success. InclOSed
please find subscription for three
months, at the end of that time
expect to max, a visit to Virginia,
with my wife and son, the latter to
60 10 some school in that State.
I contemplate with much pleas
ure a visit 10 Shenandoah where
nearly forty years of my manhood
were passed. | want to look oyer
the old routes and most particular
Is to take by the hand the many
friends that | think left there.
1t is hard to realize that l am
on the other side Of a continent,
yet IN daily communication by
telegraph and post with my own
people. | take the daily Balti-
more Sun, which, though week
old, gives US all the Virginia news.
The daily papers here give US all
the news Of the world. enclose
you the two morning daily papers
of opposite sides IN politics, which
| think yOu will say are creditable
specimens. Tines are very hard
here, but the moment confidence is
restored the city AMI state will grow
in wealth and population. 1t is
the jumping off place, for the rest
less American people are stopped b.
the Pacific ocean from going farth-
er. They turn their eyes towards
Alaska, bat that inhospitable
climate, except along the coast,
stops thems. The state is about
equally divided by the Cascade
mountains. The eastern portion,
through which the Columbia and
Snake rivers run, is almost a tree
less plain, but when irrigated all
the fruits, vegetables and cereals
grow IN profusion. Companies
backed by eastern capitalists are
digging bitches, taslng the water
from the mountain rivers and
creeks, for which they charge the
farmers so much for so many
inches.
1t is hard to realize that the cat
tie are out grazing next to the
British Columbia line. This l.
caused by the Japanese current
winds from the Pacific which blow
up the Columbia River Valley,
melting the snow IN eally Fehy.
The western portion of the state is
entirely different. Here we have
no ice, no snow ofcOnsequehce, but
plenty of rain. When you strike
the mountains the snow commences
and 60 feet have fallen this wlter
upon the summit of the Cascade
where the Great Northern r. X.
crosses. The packed snow at that
point Is uow % feet deep.
The climate influences are totally
different on this coast from the
Atlantic.
The Cascade mountains ami
their spurs are filed with gold,
silver, coal. iron ore and other
minerals. Tue Rockefeller, Colby
& Hoyb Syndicate has expended
four millions in cOncentrators,
smelters, railroads, trsm..ways, &c,
to reach these gold ore deposits,
and are just ready to commence
realizing on their large invest
ments. This Is one of the few
syndicates of this country that
could undertake such gigantic
enterprises. Plenty of money IS
ready to reat this enterprise If sac
cessful.
There is an iron plant OF three
millions to be erected here in this
city if the expert, who Is to e1-
anime the iron deposits, should re-
port that there is enough ore in
sight for the erection of so large
plant. The propose to build fifty
freight cars a day for the East and
load with lumber. The transporta-
ton Of this lumber will enable
them to sell their cars on better
terms than the eastern made cars,
&c. You know the forests of
Western Washington are the finest
in the world.
The ore they are working st
now is on the Pacific side Of Van
courei's Island, British Columbia,
and say te Mr.. Newman that it
anaI, zes Gj and 66 per ceut OF iron
q I'D bnt a trace of sulphur and
phosphorus, said to he "a @l to