The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-12
BIZ AN OMAHA NAN.
An OrrsIDER's IMPRESSIONS OF
The QUEEN CITY or rHE SOUND.
The Seattle Man nipresent In TIE
Paefnc Cosnsry-The Acquisition
~ the Nfppon Yasen Lilac y Fit
dag Prelsde 70 the Obse4sies Of
Portland ~ . Seaport.

The Omaha Bee Of October contains
bright and well written article OF SEAT
tie. the Queen City of the Sound" IL Is
from the pen OF Mr.. WI K. sxeazy.
Seattle. The Queen City o. the Sound"
Is the sobriQuef which every inhzbstass Of
that busting community owes 10 cali sas
Place CT AS adoption. be says. The Sat-
tie nan 10 oranipresent IN The great region
adjacent TO the sparkling waters OF The
Pacine-i You mset him sn the n.-srE
towns Or the railroad trains and On the
steamboats, ard upon all occasions his fec-
taxes upon ftsslf cheerful aspect .t shc
mention OF the subject OF his labcTs sc1
future hopes
Seattle. Why. certainly. live there.
IL Is the only town on the coast he as
sures you D:searding his paper. he CAIN
~ backs you into a corner ard the irspas-
stoned esoauence OF his nature finds Voice
somewhat after the following: in an
eient times all roads were said 10 lead 10
Rome. In the present day the old strong
hold has counterpart IN the modern Sc
attic as IL sits like the Eternal City upon
Its seven hills. Every ocean vessel on the
north shore steers for its protecting har-
Dor and the land trafic has but common
center"
1t has been asserted that San Francisco
and Portland have advantages In mari
look OF inenable sadness u.ornentarsly
overspreads the face Of the Seattieite as
he replies. This Is indeed a painful sub
1ect Ii Is such reports emaEating from
ignorant and evii-mEnded people which
give Fasteners an erroneous idea OF our
beautiful city. However" he adds with a
resumption OF his former cheerfulness,
I'VE are burying them one BY one. The ae-
QUESTION OF the Nippon Yusen KaIsha Jap
ancse line short time ago served as a
hitting prelude TO the obsequies OF Port
land as a seaport. and the subsidized ham,
let fosiered by the Northern Pacific few
miles south OF Us threw up the sponge of
commercial prestige many months ago."
Seattle! Why, certainly you have heard
OF our town. We are the seven days won
Ger OF the Pacific slope Located upon the
shores of Elliott bay. an inlet of Puget
Sound. the city sprung into existence from
primitive lumber camp. In $50 We had
population of Lot; in 1850. ASA: In isso.
EST, and a. the present date over so,0oo.
In June. isss. the whole business portion
OF the city burned 10 the ground. In sin
gle day over f23 acres OF buildings went up
In smoke. and when the sun shone forth
once more upon the blackened timbers
and bricks of our former possessions.
many OF US were obliged 10 start life
anew
The SeattIeiie's voice has a tremor as he
-
native cheerfulness holds sway and he
goes on "Phoenix-llke. from the ruins OF
the old Seattle has sprung the greater Sc
attic OF today. Streets that formerly We're
narrow have been widened. Solid business
houses sprang up on every hand as If by
magic, and today you view a picture.
which as the smoke of the great confia-
grafton rolls away. seems the work OF an
industrial genii- The business portion is
formed entirely OF structures built OF
brick. stone and iron. and nowhere will
you see the miserable shack which does
so much TO disiigure the symmetry OF
Eastern cities.
I'VE have q harbor with a surface area
OF 20 square miles. waterfront OF six
miles. and wharfage at which any vessel
even be 1t built upon the lines OF the Great
Eastern. may tie to. Within a short dis
fance OF the shore the water is 80 feet deep
and beyond this blue, clear and unfathom-
allie until II rolls US mighty food into the
broad Pacific
We are headquarters for the largest
lumber mill In the world. the largest dry
dock in the United States. There are two
steel vessels for lne government being
constructed in our shipysrds. San Fran
cisco and Portland wanted the job. hut we
beat them at their own game. The gov
eminent has started construction on a
ship canal to cost s. oooooo II VIII extend
Washington. The addition OF this sheet
OF water TO the harbor facilities of the
city VIII give Seattle a double water front
which has no counterpart in the world
Lake Washington. be IL known. is - miles
long. from two TO five wide and has an
average depth of over 30 feet. IL lies par
alei 10 the Sound and is but 10 feet higher
than the mean tides Of salt water. When
completed. the canal VIII form a means
90 chap hull cleavage TO the vessels
which pass Into the lake. as IL is a well
known scientific fact that the marine veg
citation and animal matter which foul
their bottoms are quickly removed By the
action OF the fresh water without the APP
plication OF a scraper. This process of
cleaning viii prove a saving to the Anleri-
can government alone OF thousands Of dol
lars annually and the income derived from
foreign patrons ought 10 more than pay
for the improvements In a very short Pc
riod.
Within eunshot of the city we have
coal. iron. zinc. copper. silver and gold
and lumber In vast quantities. The agri-
cultural interests Of King county alone
are immense and We raise in the fertile
valleys contiguous TO the rivers every
thing found in the catalogue OF the East
err farmer. including many things that
are strangers 70 him In the city we have
a perfect fire department. good sewage
railways and police department run
upon metropolitan basis Why. do YOU
know
II the newcomer shows signs Of weaken
ing az this moment he IS lost. hut in ore
instance az least the whistle Of the
Flyer" the fas; boat Of Puget Sound.
proved a saving CLAUSE 4 stranger la
that country was fast approaching the
young metropolis ard he hunEerei for 4
NJ ha Sr IN
which had Just been described &c hisa.
Hard tines On. yes replies the lee
turer In response 70 a parting Shot 9eliv-
cred by his late audience. I'VE have suf-
sered some. bat we are Bow or the upward
wave % prosperity. Yen SEE. we control
ste entire Sound trade. ne are the supply
dsf-ai fer al Alaskan points. and have
the wholesale business II things continue
coming oev way as they have for the pas,
yesr Vs. Will have money 10 throw AT the
relghhors. Now. WILL Just state on this
fseiEs'
A second NlAss ~ the whistle interrupts.
The powerful engines which have been
rropslling yen toward year destination
cease 70 fhroe, A short Interim ensu~S
while ths big white hua g3laes silently
through the waters - It's welcoming
dock. A splash. TIRE landing stase IS
pushed over ard the CHEEKY voice 81 TIE
r.urSer announces sAn ashore
A walk oF two blocks brings the
stranger into she business portion - sns
city TIE Hrst impression os Seattle is
ccrtzinly rsoSt pleasing ore. Great
hsfi4SuSs tower overhead ard fogiow ere
another tr rapid succession down tfs~ liHe
% perspective 0ngn tss@ eye GncoG ScsoNsSv
vrosgvs them into single rnAss 80 rre-
rrcss walFs. TIE r>sstts and ham ~ q eez-
rrar@7tan c8tx IN encountered afte. Soar