The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-01-04

cost S2000.o0o. II has focty-seVeii
hotels, all told. 1t also has a fire de-
partment. ma in taiued at an expense, Of
$50, O,O6O yearly. Tacoma :; has well
equipped water works. and gas works
and perfect system for sewerage,
which accounts. In part. for the eX-
tremely low death rate with which the
city Is noted. In word, Tacoma has
a series of we'll designed public parks.
public buildings. music halls. opera
houses, libraries, etc, worthy OF q
greater city. If its wealthy citizens
live in luxurious residences. Its poor
and humble citizens are housed in neat
and tasty cottages 1t Is truly charm
ing cityof homes anddomestlc comfort.
The streets of Tacoma are eighty to
one hundred feet in width, while the
avenues are from one hundred to one
hundred and forty feet wide. The new
streets on the terraces are heavily
shaded and paved with asphalt. In the
.'Old Town" and business portion, the
entire street surface Is laid with fir or
cedar plank from three to five inches
thick and very long, making the roads.
valleys and incline, alike, as smooth
as house floor and pleasant to travel
upon--a novel sight and experience to
us Fasteners.
Iicr Public Parks.
ward system is inaugurated on liberal
scale. 1t covers $500 acres Of land-6i0
acres being native forest. ceded to the
city for park purposes from the late
United States Military and Indian res
ervation, which contained over $4,000
acres. On this ceded tract besides other
attractions, are thousands of giant frs
and cedars many measuring six to ten
feet in diameter. and two hundred and
10 1,tv slra1 fnnf In
What city can boast within it's very
limits Of such imperial possessions? A
section of these giants in the western
part of the city of $40 acres and one In
the Southern part near "School Section,
of another $40 acres are connected by an
excellent boulevard system, covering at
least 500 acres. This when completed
will excel any public park west of the
Mississippi.
Numerous small tracts. public and
private, are located at various points
In the city. The most prominent is
Central or Wright Park, covering thirty
acres, "a three minutes walk from
Hotel Tacoma,) handsomely located on
a high plateau overlooking the harbor.
This park is adorned with statunry late
from Italy, and in the hands of expert
landscape artists. without regard to
cost, is being made by Mr.. Wright the
gem" of city parks. We We're cour-
teously escorted over the entire city and
suburbs by our genial landlord who
pointed out the various places of inter-
est and with members of the board Of
trade furnished us with this and other
data which a reading public may rely
upon as correct.
An Almost Ideal Climate.
Tacoma boasts of healthful and sa-
lubrious climate. The cool breezes from
Puget Sound render The summers cool
and delightful, there being no excessive
heat; the winters are short only two
months being called winter. Scarcely
does snow fall when 1t suddenly melts.
The climate is such that flowers bloom
in the open air the year round. Straw
berries ripen in open air gardens at
ChYistmastide. The climate is espe-
cially adapted for roses, which for beau
ty and size, exceed any portion of the
North Pacific coast. Elegant lawns are
maintained all winter The thermo-
meter rarely falls below twenty-five de-
grees in winter. or rises above eighty
in summer. and then only for few
days. The climate here anl along Pu-
get Sound compares favorably with
that of Virginia. The summer is a
long June and the winter a mild Decem-
Der. There are no thunder storms, no
cyclones. bliZzards or high winds, no
excessive heat and no excessive cold.
Taken as whole, the Pacific north
west is country of cool summers and
warm winters; and briefly stated, the
causes Of the cool summers are Sne high
latitude and that the prevailing wind
during the summer months Is from the
north, which is in the nature of a trade
wind. The cause of the warm winters
is the warm Japan current when
breaks all along this coast and produces
the same effect as the Gulf stream does
in England, Ireland and Scotland. and
the prevailing wind in winter Is from
the South. Like the north. wind of
summer, this south wind of winter is
in the nature of n trade wind and is
constant. rarely failing. Most of what
at the east is snow in winter Is rain on
the Pacific coast and the winter here
is called the rainy season. With such
a climate. a safe and commodious har-
Dor and a combination of natural
sources of wealth, such as scarcely can
be found nowhere else in America. the
future prosperity of Tacoma is assured.
j. Il. Richmond.