Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-12-27
PUGET SOUND SHACKS
PICTURESQUE DWELLINGS THAI
FRINGE TACOMA BAY.

The Arab has his tent, tho Knffir his
kraal and tho red man his wlgwam. but
| no one OF those primitive habitations is
more distinctive and characteristic of tho
surrounding conditions Of llfo than tho
"sback' Of tho laboror In tho Puget sound
region. This lucky unmarried lnborlng
man Of the northwest has no iinplacablo
boarding master to satisfy weekly, He
pays no ront for furnished room. His mar
rlcd mate docs not anticipate with fcar
and trembling tho monthly visit Of tho
landlord, who wants large percentage OF
! his earnings down ON the nail No. Ho
lives in his own shack, and rent, that bug
bear TO tho poor in eastern cities, Is un-
known to him.
The shnck in itself, temporary In
complete, or makeshift residence Is simple
md comprehensive. Tho conditions TINT
gayc IL birth and make it's existence posi-
bio require calculation to be seen clearly by
tho turbid vision Of those who live among
less favorable circumstances. Tomnke IL In
tolligiblo one must contrast the conditions
of tho commonwealth in tho northwest
and those on tho Atlantic scnboard. In
| tho latter case tho broad difference In
| Glasses and tho penury stricken condition
| OF tho lower masses exhibit striking con.
trnsts, painful in tho highest dogreo TO tho
| altruistic observer.
Perhaps there is no section OF country
IN tho world more FREQ from those distress.
ing disslmilarltios than tho Puget sound
basin, In tho western half Of tho compare.
| lively now state of Washington. This
happy condition Of affairs arises from vari-
| Gus causes, tho main onc s being naturally
| that tho country IN as yet undovoloped,
and that tho lines between tho rich md
81. l.. 81 l..
| tent, nro still underlined, aud that tho no.
| gion Is sngularly rich In resources, and
| Of most salubrious and healthful eli.
mate.
Secondly, Puget sound hns shore line
| Of 700 miles and Is dcusoly wooded to
| the very edge Of tho water with tho finest
timber remaining on tho North American
| continent. At Intervals Of "a few miles all
along this vast boundary aro sawmllls,
] gradually gnawing their way into the
] primuyal forest and tho broad wntcrs of
| the sound aru constantly covered with i'm
monso boolns. or RATS, Of great snwlogs
/ being towcd from tho logging camps to
| tho mills, or ships bearing away to all
| parts VI tho globe tho manufactured prod
uct
Is IL any wonder, tho above state OF
| things existing, and tho price of sawed
lumber being only 81 per thousand foot,
and sometimes less with slabs to DO had
/ for the taking, that tho lnbUrcr who flnds
/ 81 desirable to build him ono of those tenn
| porary residences called shacks finds tho
| lumber involved In tho proposition no
great iinpodiment 20 tho fullllmont Of his
wishes. If hu cannot lind IL ndrift, or
strcwn along the shore by the tide days
work will supply the cash necessary for
its purchase Then, with hammer and
pound or so Of nails tho shack goes mer-
rily NJ, and Mt nightfall tho builder is no
longer n homeless man.
Agnin, in all tho northwestern cities,
moro land IL plated" thnn will bu built
upon for 30 or 100 years to come, Seattle,
for instance, Incorporates slightly loss nren
than Chicago, and tho baro places, which,
1t must DO acknowledged, nro usually tho
least desirable from residential point Of
vlow are utilized by tho shack builder, !;
for such a thing ns ground rent is uu-
known except on business streets. Thcn,
again, there Is thu water In tho bays, full
Of building possibilities, with the best OF
foundations eligible, with no moro trout
bis than tho rolling together and fastening
Of few Or tho great logs which lie un-
claimed in prudlgal variety along tho
beach Enough unclaimed and roioctctl
timber lies cast up on tho shores OF Puget
sound to build shnCks for the whole army
of unemployed
Tho bustling city OF Tacoma on COM
moncemcnt bay contains rather more than
tho usual proportion uf shack dwcllcrs and
they have become common phase Of thu
life Of that city. Most Of tho shncks here
aru occupied by mill laborcrs- Tacoma
being largo lumber shipping point
while unmarried workingmon generally do
not disdniu to live In them, and thus save
board and lodRing-froquently moro IA
tho pity-to squandor tho amount In somu
other way.
Often tho sbaoks are unsightly To tho
oye and rudo and primitive In the highest
dcgroo, but rn-S frequently they nre pic
turosquo md form nm attractive feature In
the landscape. Occasionally ono Is seen
that Is an idoal residence. Tho writer has
como across several In Old Town, North
Tooomn. that are charming to look Mt and
as convenient md comfortable to inhabit
rs much moro proteniious abodes. Ono In
particular has u lattlcod porch overgrown
with honoysucklc, and a rose sprinklrd
doorynrd that slavery jungle Of sweetness.
On tho tide flats ut tho hond Of Com
monccnont bay there Is mammoth saw
mill, and noar 1t tho walk skirts canal.
or rather lngDou-thnt Is, q narrow arm OF
the buy penetrating deep into the land.
Some one with a poetic soul has aptly bap-
tiled this place Little Venice" and hore
shack hahiiations begin. Along this Ia.
goon arc some Of tho quoerest looking,
most bizarre and picturesque dwellings
imaginable, They nro ono story shacks,
built on massive log rats and inoorcd I'd
tho bank with hugo rusty iron cables
Some arc morn prctentions, and instead OF
aratt they use great substantial squar,
ecows to build on, md occasionally the
houses arc painted with an eye to effect
that would paralyze Turner or make him
sunset groom with envy.
ono Of thom Is tinted with q oombinn.
tlon oi dazzling orrngs and brilliant pnl,
that gives MS tropical tone TO tho land
scapcs as II 1t wero In Coylon. ON the
other hand, the majority Of tho shaoks arr
guiltlcss OF pigment Of any kind, and The
soft, Spinber grays of the inded and wealth,
or bcaten frnmos arc delightful and restt,.l
to tho oyo.
Most Of these shncks have only one
room, but some arc inu-e eommodiOus and
contain several. In this case tho proprio.
tor Is n family man, u fact that can be
v.Nlllss IL.