The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-12-18
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wheel steamboat engines for power
Early in 1853 he moved to Port
Orchard, few miles east of fhe pre-
sent site OF the government dry dock.
Later on Capt. Renton moved his plant
to Port Blakeley, where he lived to
build up the largest lumber. manu-
featuring plant in the world, nowith-
standing the fact that during the last
twenty years of his life, and during
the period of the greatest progress in
i his business career, he was totally
blind. 1t is not unusual to see twenty
or more deep-water ships in Blakeley
harbor for cargo, two-thirds of which
are foreign.
"In July, 1853, says A. A. Denny,
Capt. William G. Talbot came to the
Sound i'll command of the schooner
julius Pringle to select site for a saw
mill, in the interests of William c.
Talbot Il Co., the firm being composed
OF himself and A. J. Pope, of San
Francisco, and Charles Foster and
Capt. j. P. Keller, of East Machias,
Me. Among others on the schooner
Cyrus Walker, present manager of the
Puget Sound Mill Co., E. S. Brown,
millwright; Nathaniel Hill, Hilmon
Harmon, David Foster and James
White, all of the state of Maine. The
cargo of the Pringle consisted of lum-
ber, tools and supplies necessary for
the beginning Of the proposed enter
prise. They first anchored in Port
Discovery bay, from whence they made
explorations around the Sound as far
south as Commencement bay, and
finally determined to locate at Port
Gamble, to which point the schooner
was taken and discharged as soon as
possible, and building commenced.
On September 5, 1853 the schooner L.
p. Foster, commanded by Capt. ]. P.
Keller, arrived, 154 days from Boston,
having on board his wife and daughter
who were the first white women to
land at Port Gamble
"The Foster brought the mill
machinery and general outfit and after
loading with piles at the head of the
bay, was taken to San Francisco by
Capt. Talbot, Capt. Keller remaining
in charge of the mill, where he con-
tinued as resident partner and manager
until his death.
"The trio of noble pioneers, says
Denney, Pope Talbot and Keller, being
now all dead, think may with pro-
perity speak of their high character
for business integrity and enterprise.
They belonged to that class of men
who do not idly wait for something to
turn up, but were full of energy and
push, and not only helped themselves,
but were ever ready to extend a help
ing hand to the needy and unfortunate.
"About the time the Gamble mill
was being constructed Capt. William
P. Sayward and J. K. Thorndike were
engaged in building a mill at Port
Ludlow, which in time become one of
the principal mills on the Sound,
under the ownership of Arthur
Phinney's death this mill became the
property OF the Puget Mill Co.
Laurence Grennan Thompson and
Campbell located at Utsalady in 1858.
Five years later Thomas Cranney
succeeded to the interest of Thompson
and Campbell, and under the firm
name of Grennan & Cranney they
built steam saw mill. This mill
grew until it became one of the largest
on the Sound. "A few years ago the
Puget Mill Co. acquired this property
also.
"Seabeck was located in 1856 by
Messrs. S. Adams and Marshall Blinn,
of San Francisco, and ]. r. Williamson
Hill Harmon and w. B. Sinclair, of
the Sound. In July, 1857, they COM
menced to cut and ship lumber. A
few years ago this mill was destroyed
by fire and has never been rebuilt.
The owners, however, acquired the
plant at Port Hadlock, near Port
Townsend, which they are operating.
Most of the founders of the concern
are dead, although J. r. Williamson Is
still a resident of Seattle.
aAmong the other pioneer saw mill
on the Sound was one at Tacoma,
built by McCarver, and afterward sold
to Hanson, Ackerson & Co., and one
at Milton, or West Seattle, which was
dismembered when the land on which
Is stood became more valuable for
townsile purposes than for the manu-
facture Of lumber" s