Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-03-20
A WORLDS WONDER.
In the Rapid March OF Events In The
Great Nortnwoxt


Great Northwest.
In the northwest verythlug seems TO
have happened within the last ten
years. Events which would be OF ep-
och making Importance IN any country
at any time have here crowded one up
on another with wanton prodigaiity. 50
that the northwesterner plumpod down
In the whirl OF great things can HIM
self hardly grasp their full significance.
contenting himself with confused su-
perlatives.
Think OF this march OF eventsl IL
was barely eight years ago that the
goldields OF the Klondike Were brought
to the knowledge of the world. causing
rush OF Americans to the northwest
and building up suddenly new and
important business for the Puget sound
ports, where the miners QUILTED and
took ship. Following the Klondike ex-
element came the various Alaska dis
coveries, and Seattle and Tacoma were
and are the natural headquarters for
most of the supplies shipped northward
as well as the entry point for the re-
turning miners with their treasure, not
little of which is left to enrich the
people of the ports.
Hardly had the gold excitement calm
ed TO the PAGES of a steady business
enterprise when the Spanish war broke
out, and these Pacific cities were
thrown into the turmoil OF visiting bat
tleships and OF provisioning and trans
porting the army OF the Philippines.
Then came the opening trade with our
new insular possessions In the Pacific,
the Chinese war and its call for equip
ment and its stir OF soldiery and trans
ports, followed by the recent CONNER
cial expansion of Japan, with It's trade
demands. And now an element has
just entered into the calculations OF the
coast-the construction of the Panama
canal-which will revolutionize whole
departments of the worlds trade and
exercise a profound influence for good
or evil on the cities of the northwest
ern coast.
Many Of the events, 1t is true, nota-
bly, the opening of the door to the far
east, are mostly promissory~ assets, and
yet their prophecy OF a golden future
has not been without its effect on the
growth Of the Pacific cities and the at
traction Of energetic men and money.
To the Pacific ports will ultimately
come most of the trade of the Philip
pines, worth Seo,OO0oO0 annually, and
growing share OF the 81 600 600 600
or more of the annual business of
China, Japan, Siberia and the Dutch
East Indies, to say nothing of the large
foreign trade of Australia and New
zealand. Alaska, once regarded as q
hopelessly distant and irreclaimable
waste of mountains and snow, is also
progressing with wonderful rapidity.
not only in it's mines, but I'm the de-
velopment Of its fisheries and In the
utilization Of it's forests and its agri-
cultural resources, so that today the
Alaskan trade is Of much Importance.
While these world events were
crovding upon one another the devel-
opment OF the country tributary to the
coast, upon which the solid progress of
the cities must ultimately rest, was GO
Ing forward with unprecedented randi
ity. Western Canada was opening to
settlement, is opening now in a mar
vicious manner; railroads were build
ing. schemes for irrigating the arid
lands were In course OF development,
crop production was increasing. timber
was being cut from an almost mex
haustible supply to supplement the
waning forests OF Maine aud Michigan.
coal mines We're being opened ana
salmon caught. all the forces of indus
try working together with a rapidity
which must always remain a worlds
wonderfully Stannard Baker In Gen.
tury.