The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-27
SAVIOR OF SEATTLE.
His Son Among the officers of
the Philadelphia.
He DROVE BACK THE INDIANS.
Rear-Admirai Phelps, Who Com
manded the Decatur, Cheered the
People I'm Their Darkest Days.

Rear Admiral Phelps. I. &. ~. whose
son. Lieut.. T. s. Phelps, is on The flagship
Philadelphia, IS ere Of the patron saints
% Seattle. TWO distinct chapters in his
life entitls him 70 u a distinction. The
first OF these vas his service on board
the old Decatur. when a. The battle Of Sc
attic. in IS5S he shelled the woods in
which the Indians were ruassing for an at
tack upon the town. Readers OF history
are now familiar with the story OF how
the savsges. frightened at the fire and
noise Of the guns, the ike OF which they
had never seen or heard before, gave up
the fight. and how the town was saved.
But there Is a later incident in which
Rear Admiral Phelps again came to the
rescue Of the city. IN a less wariike but
not less effective service. His son tells
the story IN a way TO make IL worth the
hearing: and while his modesty prevents
his giving as prominent a place TO his
fathers work as another reiator might do.
Yet his personal knowledge OF the events
makes him a good authority. He was
seen aboard the Philadelphia yesterday,
and IN answer 10 questions about the mat
ter said:
The incident 10 which you refer IN
doubtedly aid a good deal to turn the
fortunes OF Seattle. II was in the spring
OF 1873. / think. when the Northern Pa
cifo people had determined upon Tacoma as
the terminus OF their road, and the prop
erty owners IN Seattle were badly fright
ened at the announcement. Jay Cooke C
Co. had arranged for a great sale OF lands
at Tacoma, and Eastern capitalists, with
their pockets fun OF dollars and their
heads full OF tips. came focking out with
a view to investing. My father at that
time was In omInand OF the Saranac. and
had been cruising about the Sound. with
which he was already familiar. II SO
Glanced that just before the land sale had
been arranged for, he had been ordered
to Old Tacoma, and had made very thor
oRgn ~soundings. which, of course. he had
carefully recorded. The net result of his
Investigations there was that he found no
anchorage whatever. When the bow of
the boat was on the beach her stern was
IN 80 fathoms Of water.
Coming back to Seattle, he found ev-
erything stirred up over the approaching
sale, which was to take place within a
few days, say the following Wednesday,
Some OF his old friends, Yesler, the Den
nys and others, told him that they Were
thinking Of investing In Tacoma and per-
haps disposing of their Seattle interests.
He told them they were foolish to think
OF such a thing. Seattle has always occu-
pied a warm place in his heart, and il
touched him to hear some OF her staunch-
est friends and earliest settlers talk OF
abandoning her. It may be imagined,
therefore, that he spoke with considerable
warmth. They were incredulous. for they
could not believe that Jay Cooke & Co.
would make the mistake OF selecting a
seaport terminal without anchorage. My
father then shovel them his soundings
and charts, and they were convinced.
That was, however, only part OF the re-
suit. The town was full OF Eastern pros
pective buyers, and as soon as the rumor
OF my fathers statements reached them
they beset him for information, and for
two or three days the ship was besieged
by men who wanted TO see those charts.
One by one they looked and were con-
WINGED. The land sale came off, but there
was a sad dearth Of buyers, and the mon
ey and influence that would have gone TO
the new town was thus diverted TO Seat
tie, which soon jumped from a town OF
5000 or 1900 10 a real city. 1 need hardly
say that my father has been gratided at
the progress of the city, which he had the
pleasure Of visiting again four years ago;
II justides the judgment and foresight
which led him years ago 10 select this
spot as the site OF the future great city or
the Northwest.
N fathers connection with Seattle's
history was very pleasantly revived for
me the other day by the visit OF a little
Girl who came on board the Philadelphia.
when she heard my name she told me
that her grandfather was Beriah Brown.
one OF my fathers firmest friends, and
that she had the pleasure Of reading at
her home the old manuscript journal
which my father kept OF his voyagings
about Puget sound. ] sincerely regret
that 7 have been unable during our pres
ent sofourn in these waters 10 pay my re-
snects 10 some Of the older settlers here,
OF whom I have heard my father speak
So often. but usually I have not been able
70 Get ashore until an hour when ii was
announcement 70 find the older people"