Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-20
THE CITY OF SEATTLE
Ten Thousand Houses Set
on the Hillside.
PHENOMENAL GROWTH
NEVER AMOUNTED TO ANYTHING
UNTIL TWENTY YEARS AGO.
Is Exceedingly Prosperous and Claims
a Population of lac, 900 and Prop
erty Assessed at $50, 10000
BY WILLIAM Z. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
SEATTLE, Wash, August 10, 1904.
As you approach Seattle by water 1t looks
as If 10000 houses had been spattered care
lessly over long range Of hills, when rise
around a bay like the walls OF an ampm-
theater. 1t is apparent that the nils were
once covered with a forest, for myriads OF
stumps are still visible among the vacant
spaces between the groups of houses. Ihe
trees have been gradually cleared on ana
cut up into lumber and shingles at saw
mills that still linger, half idle, one the
shores of the bay. The stumps are not or
namental, nor useful and have an in
fuence on the price of the land. In Japan
they would be transformed into objects OF
beauty and made features of a decorative
landscape scheme, bu, in Seattle they are
pulled out by machinery, blown to frag-
ments with dynamite and removed by the
easiest processes available. A stump In
door yard is often an attraction. but not
in Seattle. The soil of all the cleared forest
lards on the Pacific coast is full Of vitality
and makes beautiful turf so that several
of the residence sections of the city are
bright with lawns adorned with plants,
flowers and young shade trees.
The avenues run like terraces, one above
tie other. along the range of hills following
the contour of the bay, and are connected
by cross streets SO steep in most places that
cleats are nailed to the sidewalks to pre-
vent absent-minded citizens from sliding
into the water when they come downtown
liz the morning. Some of the sidewalks
are made of concrete with ribs running
across from the building line to the curb
fer the feet to cling to- The people of
Seattle are climbers in fact as well as
fancy, and develop strong hearts and power
full legs and lungs by the enforced exer-
else going about town. Lines of cable cars
run up the heights i'll dizzy manner and
are calculated. to excite the apprehension
of nervous people, but l am told that acct
dents seldom occur.
Arrangement of the City.
The railways occupy the edge Of the bay
with their tracks and warehouses, and
parallel piers run out into the water at the
foot of every street. For two or three
blocks up the hill ard on both sides of
long avenues are compact masses Of mod
ern buildings, stores, banks and offices as
fine as you will find anywhere. The busi-
ness part of the city resembles Minneapolis,
and the size of the stores and the displays
made in the show windows indicate large
and profitable trade There are no finer
stores on the Pacific coast nor in any city
of the size of Seattle in this or other
countries.
Following the parallel streets above the
business section are the residences. show
ing by their style of construction the sue
cessfve periods of the cfty's growth and the
development of the taste and culture of the
people. The older streets remind you Of the
West Side of Chicago, the new ones re-
semble those of Kenwood, Hyde Park and
Evanston; and while one sees but few pre-
tentious residences, there are long rows
of attractive homes and many little gems
of architecture They are widely scattered,
however, vast open spaces intervening.
Seattle covers an enormous area, equal,
have been told, to that of Greater New
York, with building lots for five millions of
people already laid out and plotted and Of
fered for sale at the offices of real estate
agents. And 1t Is astonishing that prices
should remain as high as. they are with so
many square miles of unimproved property
on the market.
The residential sections are all reached
by trolley cars. There are a hundred miles
of electric tracks in the streets. which
make all sections available, and according
to the local statistician $4,000, 900 passen-
gers were carried in the cars last year
and the city treasury received per cent
of the gross earnings as compensation for
the franchises. The street car lines have
made Seattle possible. Without them such
town could not exist. And they pene.
trate a considerable distance into the coun-
try. One line runs over to Tacoma. forty
miles distant, and the journey can be made
in an hour and a quarter for 60 cents The
electricity Is furnished by water power
which Is unlimited among the surrounding
mountains.
Phenomenal Growth.
Seattle has had phenomenal growth 1t
is typical American city-founded In 1853,
and incorporated in 1865, but 1t never
amounted to anything until 1884, when the
railways reached this point. Since then 1t
has had many sensational experiences and
many vicisstudes. Its history consists of
alternate booms and panics, fires, floods and
failures. Just now it Is unprecedentedIy
prosperous and claims population of 140-
600 and property assessed at $4,000 COO
There are 1,400 manufacturing establish
ments, employing 10000 hands, who were
paid $13, 1000 last year as wages The
capital invested in these Industries is s18.-
100000, and their output last year was val
ued at 100000. The bank clearings in
1903 were $206, 913, 81, and / am told that
they will be 40 per cent greater during the
current year. In 1903 the sum of 81 go O94
was expended by the municipality for street
improvements, and 6,914 building permits
were issued, representing a value of S. 1885,
Isl. The city owns its water supply. from
which it derived a net revenue of $685. 372
last year.
On every side a stranger can see evidences
of wealth enterprise, audacity and extrav-
agance. Prices of everything are very high
Pennies are never seen. People have no use
for them. Although this section of the state
produces the most prolific crops of fruit
grain and vegetables, the prices asked for
food in the markets are astonishing The
hotel charges are the highest I have ever
paid In any part of the world more than Ia
charged at the best hotels in London. Paris
Constantinople or st. Petersburg: and when
you inquire the reason you are told that
they are necessary because of the cost of
servants, food and rent and everything else.
A Hotel Railway.
One of the hotels sits on the top of the
hill very awkward to reach, but affording
magnificent view when you finally get
there. little cable road, just one block
long, carries you from the street car line to
the portico. No charge is made for the as
cent. and the proprietor of the hotel. who
seems to have the proper sense of humor,
furnishes annual passes to his guests on
cards inscribed:
This railway may not be as long as some
of the great trunk lines, but 1t is as wide as
any of them"
Speaking of railroad passes reminds me
that some years ago an enterprising young
man of Seattle had himself elected presi-
dent and general manager of a little log
gng railway which ran nine miles to a
sawlnill in the forest. AS soon as this honor
was conferred upon him he had handsome
pass designed and engraved and sent copies
| to the presidents and general managers of
| all the railway lines in the United States.
Many of them responded with an exchange