East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-01-21

ty Writer and Traveller.
Nanamo, Jan. 17.-(To the East
Oregonian) )-Nanaimo 75 miles north
of Victoria, on the Victoria, Esqui-
mault & Nanaimo railway, is the sec
ond town on Vancouver island in
point of size, has a population of
about 5000 people, and at the coal
mines in operation here claims to dis
burse the largest payroll on the Pa
cific coast
1t probably does. The amount of
the black commodity in sight, coming
out of the ground at the mines, and |
being loaded on cars and on ships, |
seems practically without limit
Nanaimo is situated on the east
coast of the island, has good harbor
where large ships find good anchor
age. The day was here one deep
sea monster, 500 or 700 feet long,
was loading coal, taking 5000 TONS
and the loading process was not a
had lesson in applied mechanics.
The coal comes from the mine to
.-ricks and huge shovels into the ele-
Vator, where it is put through some
sort of a separating machine and
emerges in several different grades,
drops back into the cars, is taken TO
the wharf where the bottom drops
out Of the car, the coal falls through
a hatchway onto a slide and disap-
pears in the hold of the ship, to re-
appear again and brighten firesides
somewhere on the other side OF the
world.
Great Fishing Industry.
The fishing industry is another i'm
portant factor here. The finny tribes
come in here in shoals and seem to
walk into the nets, spread for the
unwary. with a trusting simplicity
which has been witnessed nowhere
else by the present writer.
One morning the first sight to greet
the eve from the hotel window, was
a man in a boat, who seemed to be
standing in a solid mass of nsn'
which he was dipping up in buckets
to other men on the wharf. ms
boatIoad was only one of a NUMBER
of similar cargoes caught that morn
ing-it was then about O'Clock. On
inquiry. the fish turned out to be her-
ring. which were being barreled anc
shipped to New Westminster, where
they are converted into oil and guano
The British Columbia legislature
however. seems to think that the in
dustry is in danger of being over
worked. and the herring extermlnat
ed. and a bill is before that body t.
stop the wholesale destruction, in tn
near future. The idea which ha
penetrated the legislative mind seem
to be a good one, as there are quit
a number of people here and ther
through the world. who don't ge
enough to eat; and to whom squar
meal of fish occasionally would b
very palatable.
Vancouver's Old Town.
This is an old town-one of tn
oldest on the island, but its growt
seems to be a tale that is told. Their
are no new buildings going up exceT
scme laborers' cottages at a new min
a mile away, and unless some new en-
terprise comes along the limit OF dc
yelopment seems to have been reacf
ed.
The inducements to a life of eas
and leisure for the man of moderat
means are many. From his cano
without going out of sight of his ow
habitation, he can catch various hn'
of fish in abundance; he can shou
der a gun and without going IL
from his own dooryard can find gan
in abundance, feasting his eyes meal
while on some of the finest scenery
the world, and ever in his ears Il
song of the sea; that wonderful son
which through the countless ages
the worlds history, has lulled
peaceful slumber or reused to ami
tious dreams.
The Enchanting Sea
Some writer says: The India
hear this same song out of the P
cifie, this same wind fingers this sal
instrument in the sea of Okhotzk a
off the windy cape of Good Hol
This is the lutte Camoens heard; t
Balboa knew; this the Romans fe'
ed. and the Greeks faced boldly. TT
who smiled to Ophir, or to the
Casterrides knew 1t. The music
enchanted old Vikings, pirates, b.
canneers and explorers Of the
known"
This island is over 300 miles 10
and at this point Is as miles wi
and on the west coast nearly oppoi
here. the Pacific cable touches Ia
after its long stretch across
ocean. The northern part Of the
land. 50 say the natives is practicf
unexplored. and these waters all
the western coast are particula
dangerous to navigate, being kno
as the graveyard of the Pacific.
Returning. the boat leaves Nanai
at in the morning, which in
northern latitude comes a while
fore daylight. the darkness, howe
IS presently dispelled and the pict
which comes with the dawn, Il
delight TO the eye. To the eastw
across this narrow channel,
snowy SUBMITS of the coast rang'
British Columbia is plainly visi
away to the south as the light
comes clearer, looms up Mt. Ba
and other points in Washing
p-o.ant1,, tho sun reaches the hor