The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-10-28
NORTHWEST BREVITIES
Evidence of Steady Growth
and Enterprise.
ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST
the Thriving Sister States
-W0ahin 1tOn.


Ritzville is to have an electric light
plant.
The tax levy for Tacoma for 1897 has
been fixed at 10 mills.
Lewis county must pay $14, 99l state
tax this year, and $l5, 56s school tax.
The Mealy-Lacy mill at Chehalis,
after being idle for some months, has
resumed operations
A vegetable farmer near Dayton ex-
poets to make "a, 900 this year from
the products of % acres.
The owners of the cannery at What
com, which was recently destroyed by
fire, will rebuild the structure.
Every effort is being made to get
enough threshers into the Palouse
country to save all of the wheat crop.
Notice has been given in Colville
that all of the business houses in that
place must close Sundays henceforth.
The Port Townsend board of trade is
endeavoring to devise ways and means
for the completion of the Port Town
send Southern railroad.
The tax levy in Whitman county for
current expenses this year will be
about 16 mills and g.. mills additional
to raise funds to pay warrant indebted
ness.
Four steam threshers from the Walla
Walla country have been shipped into
the eastern part of Douglas county and
yet there are not enough in the county
to finish the work before snow flies.
Stockmen in the vicinity of LOOMS
have realized the largest figures this
year since 1889, namely, $50 for 3-year-
old steers: $50 for 2-year-old steers,
and $25 for fat cows. One firm recently
purchased between 700 and 500 head
at the above figures.
During the past year 1888, 200 jute
bags have been manufactured and dis
posed of at the Walla Walla peniten-
tiary. The brickyard is in active oper-
alton, there having been an output Of
about 925, 900 brick, and 1850 wool
bags have also been sold to the sheep
raisers of the state.
Port Townsend was visited recently
by committee of army officers known
as the artillery board. appointed by
Secretary of War Alger for the purpose
Of visiting the various sites of fortifica-
tions and coast defenses and reporting
on their needs in the way Of artillery
equipment. The party put in busy
day, visiting first Point Wilson, and
later Fort Townsend and Marrowstone
point, the work in progress at the latter
point being carefully inspected.
The warehouse at Guy collapsed
under the weight of 10000 bushels of
wheat. The building, 5Oxl50 feet, is
q total wreck. The foundation gave
way and the wheat burst through the
sides, letting the roof fall in. Only
two men were injured, neither seri-
ously. Only three men were in the
warehouse at the time. Had the crash
occurred 10 minutes earlier, seven men
and four teams would have been caught
and crushed to death. The report could
be heard half mile and created great
excitement in the little village.
The foreign expectation Of lumber
from Gray's harbor for the first eight
months of 1897 has exceeded the entire
foreign trade from the harbor for the
year 1896 by 100 per cent. The exports
from Gray's. harbor for 1895 were:
Eleven cargoes of lumber. aggregating
3, 500, 900 feet, valued at $50, 500;
1000, 900 feet of this amount being
shipped to Mexico, while Japan, the
Fiji islands and the South Sea islands
each received one cargo of SOC, 900 feet.
The shipments from Gray's harbor for
eight months Of 1897 are 1857 200 feet
of lumber, valued at $4,000. The
trade with Mexico for eight months Of
1897 was 4,472, 900 feet, or more than
twice as much as the entire trade for
1896. The trade with Honolulu for
eight months is $780, 900; while in
1896 thew had no Honolulu trade.