The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-20
The PASSING IHRONG.

People who krow Tree b wilccx. OF
FoFl.AI1c- conservative banker. BUSINESS
man and Capitalist that he - ALI ap-
preclzte che compliment ne raid Seattle
YESTERDAY. ard wfll val1se MS epialon %
she 11tNre q the Northwest. y PsSt-In-
tethsencer reporter Saw Mr.. wilcox oa
Ire private car ca which hs Travelled fEora
portland VITA President M3assr 81 ths
ote.oa Railroad and Navigation. on the
Trip 10 Seattle Tuesasy AIR wilcox
said Z wiz a5zniG EAat / vas scarcely
prepared - witness such evidences %
pus1aess activity ana aSperity as / have
seen every wfatre III Seattle during my
snort stay here, although. OF course I
had heard that the Seattle merchants
were reaPjng a substantial harvest from
the Alaska outhtsins trade. Severt AelesS.
i confess did non loek for the eustae and
lie displayed On the streets and sn tbs
stores There seems 20 ne no question
that Seattle wiu DO the LARGEST portion of
LIE A-7sks clI3lGr.ng business. Every
one knows the conditions thar exist here
4 am compelled 70 osiieve that for the
next Few years the whole Northwest Will
witrsss growth and development com
pared 10 which anything that has gone
before will seem small and unworthy of
note. With this growth and development
always along legitimate lines. will come
. tremendous irmi grafton into Ire states
OF Washington and Oregon. For believe
that oregon will share Ia the approaching
era 81 prosperity and growth. There are
. 1ndssputaoss evidences that the whole
Northwest IS 70 enjoy better tin4ee than
ever before. that the resources of the
country VIII receive the attention they
! warrant and that in the development OF
Alaska and the constant opening up Of
new gold producing areas all lines ~ BUSH
ness and commercial vocatiens will profit.
People VIII come here 10 do this business
They VIII MI up the farming areas, now
that agricultural products ara paying 4
pIoht.
Il am not inclined 10 be too optimistic.
nor 10 overeStimate a movement OF this
kind. now headed toward Alaska. Yet
! venture the prediction that inside OF
the next three 10 five years the popuia-
ton OF the states of Oregon and Wash
ington will be doubled.
How are times in Portland? Better
than they have teen for a very long time
past. OF course the city is not so lively
as Seattle. We are doing good deal OF
business. and although we may not do as
much OF the Alaska business as is done
in Seattle, Yet we hope 70 reach d point
| where We Will be able 10 leave the rough
places behind and sail along smoothly
and easily as does this city"
j. \. Hood, OF Aberdeen, until recently
the editor and publisher of the Aberdeen
Recorder, arrived iii the city last even
ing from Port Townsend. where he had
been TO secure mis- credentials as deputy
collector OF customs at Aberdeen. Mr.
Hood has turned his business over TO his
erstwhiie local contemporary. the Repuh-
lican. and will devote his entire time TO
his official calling. He states that the
Grays harhor country is f1ourishing and
10 al ffFs,nS h.
a great impetus in the lumber business
There are ship yards with work on the
stocks al both Aberdeen and Hoquiam.
and all Of the mills are enlsrging their
capacity. The Grays Harbor Company at
Cosmcpolis is preparing 10 put on u night
crew: Wilson Bros * Co. are enlarging
their plant ana Will double their capacity;
West & Slade are putting in new machin-
cry and will double their crew, and the
Hoauiam Mil Company is building
rev shinxie mill. Prices of logs have
advanced from $50 per thousand to $40
and S. and the wages OF loggers have
been raised. There is small competition
among the mills, each one reaching out
for a different business. The Eastern,
foreign and coast. markets are all sought
by one or the other OF the mills of Grays
harbor. Mr.. Hood leaves this morning
for Aberdeen.
IiCI@lS ltSRikt, il. the ZIMMERMAN or
Tacoma, was in the city yesterday ar
ranging for a shipment of ! 000, 600 feet OF
lumber TO Dyea and Skaguay. where
there is a great demand for building ma
terials Of all kinds. Two ships are to be
chartered by Mr.. Hewitt and his assoc
ciates to take the lumber to Alaska
Mr.. Hewitt said yesterday that the
coke making plant owned by Col.
Griggs and other Tacoma capitalists
at Nilkeson would shortly he increased
by building twenty-five ovens. There is
lively demand for coke from the smell
ters on the Pacific coast" said Mr. Hew-
lit at the Butler yesterday. "and to meet
that demand We have determined 10 dou-
Bile the capacity of the plant at Wilkeson.
We have lately purchased so acres OF
coal land adjoining the mines owned by
the Vilkeson Coal and Coke Company
This property viii be developed into a
mine and additional ovens will be con-
structed as sooG - possible