Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-17

ager here. tells me that oil Ia economical
as fuel wherever coal sells for "a ton.
When II reaches that figure the furnaces
are rebuilt and crude petroleum Isl used
Oil Is displacing coal every day and work
ing northward slowly along the coast. This
makes the discoveries iIrs alaska and the
deposits in Whatcom- eelnty- Of greater inn
p0rtance and value
Near the center of whateona county rises
Mount Baker. one of the nobiest and most
picturesque peaks on-the American conti-
nent. reaching height of II. 100 feet, and
Sioping on into range varying from five
to eight thousand feet. which is stored with
all kinds of treasure-gold. silver, copper.
IRON and other useful metals; but there Is
neither capital nor labor here to develop
the deposits. Only a few men are putter-
ing away. doing the best they can to bring
to the surface this great wealth which ma
ture has placed around them There are
gold mines almost within sight of the city.
from which the miners are taking aut
about 10000 month There are seven gold
and silver mines in the county that. are
paying expenses. Some of them are taking
out az much as s2t0 a. day. but the owners
and operators lack capital and until re-
Gently there have been no transportation
facilities.
Railway Facilities.
There are plenty of railroads furnishing
Bellingham outlet, to. the east for the
Northern Pacific. the Great Northern and
the Canadian Pacific lines all pass through
the town. and the Union Pacific and the
st. Paul company have made surveys to
Beilingham bay, which has an area of fifty
square miles, with water from twenty to
seventy-five feet deeD-an Incompatible
harbor. The largest steamers in the world
can tie up to the banks almost anywhere.
With the railways running east and the
Pacific ocean open to the west, there is no
lack of transportation means for reaching
any market among the habitations of men.
The people are proud of their highways.
For the last twelve years Whatcom county
has been credited with having the best
wagon roads in the west and they are al
ways used illustrations by the experts of
the good roads bureau of the Agricul-
tural Department at Washington. This fall
the good roads convention has been
called to meet here in order that delegates
from all parts of the United States may
see for themselves the 591 miles of wagon
roads that have been made at cost of
SI3oS2. But while these roads are almost
perfect as far as they CO. there are no
facilities for reaching the mineral districts
of the mountains in the eastern part of the
county and the authorities are very SOW in
providing them. Their need is demonstrated
by the fact that more than 2.G03 tons of
machinery have already been hauled over
the roads that have been built this year.
The streams that flow from the mountains
into Bellingham bay provide an unlimited
supply of power to those who will. come
and utilize it. Whatcom creek the mouth
of which is owned by the municipality, has
a fall of 80 feet in less than three miles;
and the falls of the Nooksack river. 500
feet to the mile. almost within sight of the
city, capable of developing much
horsepower as can be- needed for gem
Grafton. There is already plant es-
tablished. with five thousand horse power
for running the street car lines and lighting
the city. Fifteen miles of trolley road are
in operation, and franchises have been
granted for Seventy-tive. miles more, to
reach the agricultural and mineral section
of the country.
Cost of Farm Land. -ss-, .-' .
Choice tracks of land within easy reach .
of the city may he had for from $40 to $40
acre; and ten acres will produce as
much as 100 acres Of ordinary land in the
eastern states. The ocean currents render
the temperature mild, and the humidity
and other atmospheric conditions produce
prodigious results in the fields and the for
ests. Hops, yield LOO pounds to the acre;
sugar beets, eighteen tons to the acre: tim
othy and clover hay yield two crops of from
three to five tons an acre, and timothy
grows TO height of five six feet, with
heads ten to twelve inches long. Potatoes
yield from 80 to 80. bushels an acre and
sell for GO cents a bushel; oats yield eighty
bushels to the acre and sell for 40 cents:
and other grains grow quite as well. Straw
berries yield as high as 300 crates of TWEEN
ty-feur quarts each to the acre, and the
average price last season was A.50 per
crate: apples sell from 80 cents to $1.23 per
bushel and every other kind of fruit
pears. plums. cherries and berries-are
equally prolific. t--.
The pastures are as rich as the gardens
The grasses are ever green and always full
of nutrment. Creamery butter averages
% cents the pound the year round. eggs sell
from % to 80 cents a dozen, and chickens 3
from 75e. to 81 each at the groceries of the
town. Everything to@feata is- scarce and
high Notwithstanding the prolific growth of
all vegetation. There is plenty OF idle land.
but nobody to work it,, La Dor is so scarce
hot Un rxvY1n nnFyayya ayadc N
a day and unframed servant girls expect 50
a week. The wealth that is offered here,
that lies eager for development, is unlfm-
ited but the owners of the large estates
are willing to let them be idle, and those
who own the small ones cannot pay the
wages that are demanded. - =.
No place on earth offers better prospects
than Bellingham, but the town will never
amount to what it ought to be until there
have been few frst-cfass funerals. and
some other equally interesting events.