The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-09-02
TACOMA AND sEATl.E E.

TACOMA AND SEATTLE.
The National Editorial AssOcIn-
tfon Royalty Entertained.
NUMBER Z.
In former article mentioned the ex-
trcme liberalitv and courtesy OF the
railroad companies Of Oregon during
our stay in the state, but in so doing
neglected to refer to the most conspic.
uous evidence Of this aud that on the
part OF the Oregon Railroad & Nayiga.
tion company. Mr.. w. II. Hurlhurt, gen
eral passenger agen. OF the road, issued
to each member OF the National associ-
alton a neatly bound coupon book Of FIVE
coupons, left blank for the owner to fill
out for any side trip he desired, to any
point on the Railway line or port reached
by the compsny's steamships Ito San
Francisco OF any port on the coast, OF
even to far-off Alaska. The ticket vas
extremely conyenien, to those who wish
ed to visit friends throughout the state
and on the Whole was just a little bit
the most liberal courtesy ever shown the
National Press association by any rail
road OH its travels
Tho most striking features, to a stran-
ger, about Tacoma are its plank pave.
ments, broad streets and alleys, beauli-
fnl harbor, magnificent park aud charm
ing view Of tho sound from Its principal
residence streets. The town has seen in
its day fearful boom, and perhaps a
worse collapse, but on tile whole it Is a
long ways from being an oyerrated city.
1t is told that in the boom days the city
had something like two.score banking
institutions; now it has six-but they
must be very busy, for the town is full OF
life and activity There are manufac-
turing concerns employing hundreds Of
men, the biggest lumber mill, think, in
the world and Tacoma is the wheat ship
ping point of the Pacific coast. The
city lies at the extreme inland arm OF
Puget Sound and is beautifully located
upon bluff 300 feet above the water.
Some Of the finest residences are located
upon nicely laid out street skirting the
bluff, with view that surpasses the pal
atial homes along the Hudson. 1t is the
farthest inland point where the ocean
ships meet railway cars, and with u har-
Dor of 200 feet of water. Great ocean
grain bearing ships sail or steam right
into the harbor and dump their ballast
anywhere; no need Of heavy government
appropriations for dredging here. The
Northern Pacific company has been an
important factor in making Tacoma, and
has expended nine million dollars in
that direction. The streets of Tacoma
are none less than so feet wide and the
alleys 40. Many Of the streets are paved
with plank, lumber being the cheapest
material at hand.
We left Portland sometime in the
night ard reached Tacoma in time for
breakfast. A couple Of hours were given
to stroll about the business center and
then as many as desired to make the trip
were given barge ride on the sound to
mammoth lumber mill, with the OBJ
jectlve point Defiance Park, about five
miles from the city, while the remainder
Of the party went out to the park on the
trolley line. This park is, or was, a gov.
ernment reservation of about 1000 acres
located on Point Defiance, aud donated
to the city. 1t holds commanding view
of the sound and naturally one OF the most
beautiful parks in the world. The gov.
ernmeDt still retains the right to use il
in case of war. Very little improvement
has been made yet and it still remains
largely a forest Of prlmeval giants
Many OF tho frs reach height of 25(
feet, straight as an arrow, without 6
twig within 100 feet Of the ground
Where one has fallen, it lies undisturbet
in all its pristine glory, surrounded b,
shrubbery which the florist can scarcely
equal. Winding paths lead down to thu
beach Of The sound, where little folks OF
their outing days wade the salty shor,
and bring out from their messy retreats
crabs, CLAIMS, shell-6sh and other crawl
ing things.
Under the towering frs in littl
park-like spot was spread splendit
lunch for the newspaper pilgrims, witt
baked clans from pit close by an,
clam chowder from the cooks tent al
important feature. N.Y. but that chow
der was good.
Going aud returning from the park W,
had our first good view Of Mt. Tacom
| (or Mt. Rainier, as they call it in Seattle
the most beautiful snow-clad mountai
we saw in the west. TIE mountain !
sixty miles distant from Tacoma, bu
does not look ten. 1t has an elevation Q
nearly $4,000 feet, about the same q
Pixies Peak, and down Its side as far u
can be seen it is white with perpetus
snow, reaching down two miles from th
peak. l wish that I might 6ttingly pit
ture one Of these giants of the wester
range: its feet resting in the greenes
of verdure, its breast wrapped in fleec
clouds and Its head crowned with spo
less white glistening in the tropic Sill
Paintings AMI photographs do them fai1
justice. In Seattle they don't know I
any such landmark as Mt. Tacoma; the
call 1t Mt. Rainier, and If you call it NJ
Rainier in Tacoma, they get hot. 1t
, kown OH the government charts as Rail
ier. but the Tacoma people claim th'
tho Indians named it Tacoma years al
. years ago-beforo there were any char