The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-31
LESTER IN THE NORTHWEST.
THE GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN ON
THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST.


Some of the Things He Has Seen in
That Section of This Great Coun-
try-An outing ON Puget SOund-A
Description of Beautiful Land
Locked HarbOr-The Temperature
of the Region About Seattle-A
Days Fishing and Its Results.
other Matters of General Interest.
Seattle, July %, 1901.-The extended
visit of the congressional rivers and
harbors committee (of which Col. Ru-
fus Z. Lester is a member), to the
state of Washington and to Alaska,
was a happy omen for the future de-
velopment of the new Northwest. Ev-
erywhere the people did their utmost
to welcome and honor the distinguish
ed guests. The weather was perfect
and every cruise and excursion a COM
ly pleased to note the deep interest
and thorough manner in which the Wis
iting congressman investigated the
many important government works I'M
der way, or in contemplation. The
committee expressed genuine surprise,
confessing they had no adequate
knowledge of the growth and resources
of the West; and of the grand provi
sion nature had made on Puget sound
for the growing commerce; and that it
seemed as if nowhere within the United
States are the demands for federal aid
CO in, "a
suits they will surely accomplish. No
possible presentation of facts and ar
guments could compare with the
strong impression that a visit to Pu-
get sound makes upon strangers.
For over a week the committee and
their ladies were the guests of the city
of Seattle, in fact longer, as all ar
engagements and expenses for the Alas
kan tour had been provided by the
Seattle Chamber of Commerce. The
itinerary included four days cruise on
the lower sound. and a New England
member of the committee wondered
how they could put in so much time on
what he supposed was a narrow, linn
tied arm of the sea: at the end of the
trip, he stated four weeks would be
brief enough to fully enjoy the outing
offered. The fact that eleven large
counties of this state border on Puget
Sound, and two entire counties are
formed from islands of the sound, gives
some idea of it's extent and ramifica-
tons.
Many features of the entertainment
of the committee and ladies, forming
a party of forty, were out of the ordi-
nary line, in fact were quite unique
One of the strange greetings being
when they were taken by the Seattle
Reception Committee to view the
naval station. a salute of seventeen
giant fir stumps, which had been mined
with powder, and fixed in such a way
as to make their destruction success
sive, provided a novel sight and showed
the manner of clearing the land as
well as the appropriate salute of sew
enteen shots in honor of the visitors.
In the great drydock of the naval sta
ton was the revenue cutter Bear and
the United States transports Egbert
and Rosecrans, and the torpedo boats
Rowan and Goldsborough were at the
wharf. After viewing the large dock
and extensive machine shops, and as
the party were gathering in a grove
near the residences of the officers for
luncheon, a timely occurrence was
the arrival of the Pride of the Navy
the famous battleship Oregon, which
anchored here for the first time since
she had started from Puget sound
three years ago, on her memorable trip
of $4,000 miles to crush SPANS sea
power off Santiago. Her glorious career
makes not only all the Pacific coast
but the entire nation proud of the Ore
gon. She will remain here for several
months undergoing repairs after her
recent long cruise in the China seas.
A day was devoted to examining the
project, already undertaken by the
government, of a ship canal at Sea tile,
connecting Lakes Union and Washing,
ton with the waters of Puget sound.
This situation cannot be duplicated in
the entire world, where a beautiful
land-locked, fresh water harbor with
nearly fifty miles of available shore
line, and a depth sufficient for the
largest vessel ever launched, lies with
in three miles of one of the finest and
best salt water harbors in the world.
After refreshments at the Country
Club and a cruise on beautiful Lake
Washington the committee and friends
returned to the city to start that even
ing on their four days rip on the
sound
They were accompanied by a local
committee. who, to add to the enjoy
ment had with them several accom-
plished musicians, vocal soloists and a
violinist Rarely has a congressional
committee had more enjoyable time
than on this cruise of the new steamer
Majestic, new furnishings throughout.
every comfort, weather clear, cool and
delightful, and leisurely steaming along
the most magnificent inland body Of
water on the face of the globe. Away
out the straits of Juan de Fuca near
Cape Flattery they call at a Neah Bay
Indian village to buy baskets and study
the needs of a harbor of refuge: then
to Port Angeles and across the border
to British Columbia and a visit to the
beautiful Parliament buildings at Vic
toria.
Returning. are charmed with the fine
view of the serrated snow capped
Olympics. Cruising among the beauti-
full San Juan islands. comparisons with
the Thousand Isles of the St Law
renee were heard. with results favoring
the Western group. At times were
startled by the apparent proximity of
the Jagged Cascades to the eastward,
with the marble-like dome of Mount
Baker. far up yonder to the northeast,
while to the south and boldly outlined