Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-30
STRENUOUS. SEATTLE
APT TO GET WRONG IMPRESSION
OF CITY.

In a communication to The Star. dated At
Seattle, Wash. Major Herbert w. Meyers
Of this city, who II touring through the
far western states. says:
1.-THE fastener hears 30 much about the
strenuous Seattle. the wide-awake. go-head
city Of the Pacific northwest that he Is
very apt to do as I had done. get an er-
roneous impression Of the hilly city. One
would imagine that the people here were on
the go all the time from morn till night.
and that they would have no time to think
of home or social life but. on the con-
trary, the business or professional man
here, although he works while he Is at his
office or place of business, spends more
time with his family and in his home circles
than does the average man In other clues
We have heard much Of the great increase
in shipping, the enormous increase In the
building permits issued the governments
expenditure of six millions on the great
canal connecting Puget sound and Wash
ington lake, but we have heard nothing OF
the many beautiful parks. natural lakes
and fine residences.
Those who rode on the scenic railway at
St. Louis can imagine the feeling of the
easterner when he takes his first ride on
the Seattle electric cars. The grades, which
are much sleeper than any in San fran
cisco, apparently unsurmountable go per
cent? are made with perfect ease by the
Seattle cable cars. The up and down
grades remind me more of the old-time
roller coasters than anything l have ever
seen.
Hair-Raising Rides.
I'VE take one of these hair-raising rides
and find ourselves on the top of a high
prcmontory in the midst of one of the
prettiest, most homelike suburban resorts
II the country. Seattle being completely
surrounded by lakes and mountain ranges,
the resident of the city can certainly testify
to the wisdom of the old proVerb, "A thln8
Of beauty is JOY forever especially II ne
is fortunate enough to live on Queen Ann
or Capitol Hill. These places are both on a
500 or 6OO-foot elevation. On one side the
bea utiful snow-capped Cascade mountains
are seen from any window and on the otner
the ever green Olympic peaks In their state
ly ma esty are seen, while on the south, IN
the distance towering in massive grandeur,
Mount Rainier is discernible on clear days,
and down in the valleys, on all sides, Green,
Union and Washington lakes add grandeur
to the scene. Located between two magnif-
cent bodies of water, Puget sound on the
west and Lake Washington on the east,
with evergreen forests and high mountains,
reaching the horizon in every direction, and
upon a site consisting of broad ridges,
sloping hills aid elevated plateaus, the
ma tural condition are such that Seattle can
be made the most beautiful city In the
world without expenditures which would
become q great burden to future taxpayers.
Public and Private Parks.
For the recreation of her citizens, Seat
tie has a number of public and private
parks located in different parts of the CITY,
some on the lakes, some on the higher alti-
tudes and some overlooking Puget sound.
A system of boulevards is projected to run
along the borders of the lakes and sound.
connecting all the parks of the city In one
grand system, and when this work is com
pleted no city will excel Seattle in this
respect.
THE electric and cable car service here is
not so good as at Los Angeles or at San
Francisco but has the distinction of being
the best patronized system in the country,
due. l think, to the fact that the city is
so very billy that the exertion necessary to
climb one of these small mountains Is too
great. Car patrons ride one square In
Seattle Indeed, it's only one block from
I'd avenue to my hotel, but 1 have ridden
this block time and time again, and think
nothing of walking a mile or two in Wash
ington. The future of Seattle has been
spoken of in every journal in our land, and,
as this is a foregone conclusion shall not
speak of 1t here.