The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-24
NOTES BY THE WAY.

I hare . small collection Of phctcgrsphs
ofeeettle. taken between the years ISL
ana 1875. which prize very highly These
pictures ccnp-ize views OF Commercial
street. then the principal business thor
cughfare OF the city. the residence sec
ton from Capitol hin looking south down
Third street: the harher and city water
'front.' Front street. as II then existed. and
picture OF the mud Oats south Of town.
Some OF these pictures were taken by Mr..
George Moore. who Is stfil q resident OF
Seattle ard others by Mr.. Hiram Hcyt.
who left many years ago.
One Of these pictures shows Joe Surper's
Pile driver In the act OF driving the first
PIE on the fats for the Seattle 4 walla
Waiia railroad This pile was driven On
the morning Of May 4. 1874 and marked
very important epoch IN the history Of Sc
attic. During the previous year the North
ern Pacific Railroad Company had located
It's terminus at Tacoma. and the people Of
Seattle. who had offered the company prop
erty worth more than the entire assessed
value Of Pierce county as an Involvement
to make this city the terminus Of the road.
determined to put their shoulders to the
wheel and construct a railroad OF their
own from Seattle to Walla waIia. ana four
days before the driving Of this piie-the
lst day OF May. ls74-was set apart a. q
day to hseak ground. This was a monu-
mental day in the history Of Seattle.
Referring TO this event. q gentleman
familiar With the facts writes an Follows:
TT was claimed and believed that IN case
OF necessity Seattle could herself furnish
enough iaborers, who would take stock
for their work. to build sufilcient portion
or the road to insure its completion. The
breaking OF ground was therefore to be,
not merely form, but q solid days work
by the whole city. When May day dawned.
therefore. the city was astir. All the
steamboats, and steam mills hailed its APP
proach with long blasts Of their whistles.
A few Pieces Of artillery added their thun-
ger to the shrill screaming OF the steamers.
The church bells and school bells also
Joined IN the din. the latter. however, not
snmmoning the whining schooiboy to his
books. nor the former the women to their
go with the men to the rendezvous on the
Duwamish. Business was wholly sus-
pended. and At an early hour the whole
city was aboard steamboats, or barHes maxi
Ing Its way to the point Of beginning on tho
ROAD There was much good natured jolli.
~ on the way. and one craft. the Comet,
with schooner In tow. stuck her nose In
cation Of the men and women on board.
Many or the people took the wagon road
10 the scene Of action. There were 800 men
To manipulate pick and shovel and roll the
oarrows. An encouraging piece Of road to
work upon was wisely selected. and before
noon q stretch OF the grade quite visible
was thrown up. Mr.. +. r. Morris. the en-
sineer, was there TO direct. and many BUSH
ness men who had not done q stroke Of
manual labor for years were proud TO ahov
what they could do"
This was not all meant as play. The
people Of Seattle fully intended to shovel
their way through the Cascade mountains
oy their own Drawn. II necessary, and
while II was mirthful sight to see Judges.
bankers ana business men iaboring to keen
up with their expressmen and gardeners
II nad an heroic touch to Il. While the
work progressed the children had . romp
ana picnic. and after the appetite was an
peased the ladies spread a hearty dinner
under the trees for the laborers, and In
the sylvan fashion the BANQUET vas mar
taken OF. After the eating there Was .
speaking. John Denny. the recognized
rather OF the city. being father of its
fcunder. was hrst called upon. He was an
oid campaiener ana a speaker Of
rare Wit. and from his position
good old times Of long ago. Judge
orange Jacobs next spoke and created
much merriment by appearing on tha
stump in his working clothes. which wers
badly stained with earth. Henry I. yes
Ter won hearty applause when called on
Tor speech by looking up at the past
merioian sun and bidding the roysterers
quit foolsng and go 10 work Then the
afternoon section OF the road was graded
rms volunteer work was kept kept IN
during the summer, and by fan fwelva
miles OF the roadbed had been graded
While this road never reached wall.
Walia. It tapped valuable coal mine. AZ
Renton and Newcastle. opened up a most
Fertile section Of rich agricultural lana
ana added hundreds Of thousands OF DOL
lars to the taxable property OF king
county. furnished work to Seattle's labor.
ers and enabled the Queen City TO success
faliy tide over one Of the most trying per-
iods In her corporate existence.
seattle was queer looking town IN those
days. As write have before me a mic
lure OF Commercial street. looking north
from the New England hotel. taken In
100. Nine-tenths OF the buildings along
the street were one-stofy wooden shacks.
On the corner OF Washington and Conn
mtrc'al. where the magnificent Dexter
Horton a. Co.'S brick building now stands.
was squat.y. one-story stone building
used FOR banking purposes. ard beyond
this stood Schwabacher's two-story brick
the first structure OF its kind in the city.
At the head OF the street. which was cut
on by Mill street. now Yes.er way. stood
row OF one-story wooden buildings
about where the grass plat In Pioneer
place Is now located In one OF these
buildings Waddeli 4 Miles carried on a
thriving trade in stoves and tinware. In
another Leonard Diller ran the City meat
market and In still another the late Mat
thew A. Kelly kept a drug store.
On Washington street, opposite and
south OF Dexter Horton 4 Co.'S bank.
stood two-story building, originally con-
s'ructed for Kinds. Stone & Burnett a. a
general merchandise establishment. but
at the time OF which am writing Occur
pied downstairs by Phelps a wadleigh as
butcher shop, just as the building now
on the site Is occupied by Frye Il Bruhn.
while the upstairs was used for ofYlces
Dr. J. c. Grasse having his dental par.
lors there and George Moore his photo
graphic studio. Al Gray. bookkeeper for
Phelps & wadieigh. now captain on the
Columbia river. and Harry Kent. now
chief engineer Of the fra boat also roo,ras