The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-27
CITIES GROWING
LIKE TH|sTLES.
Most Live Part of Our
Country Lies West of
the Rockies
u
SPOKANE CENTRE
OF INDIAN EMPIRE
Water-P Power Which May Open
Up Great Industrial Region.
The Spokane River and
Its Falls-Live Things
in the Up-to-
Date West.
By Frank G. Carpenter.
Especial Correspondence to The Times
Dspatch.),.

- = TIN NJ val PSAASSIs Ias.lN9
Especial Correspondence to The Timcs-
Dispatch.),.
SPOkANE.--Co1tcw with me this Sunday
morning, and let ns lunch together away
out here IN the wild and woody West.
Where shall we go? TO the Spokane Club.
No, that snvors too much Of the splcndors
OF New York and Boston. The million
aires OF the town belong to 1t, and the
same Is true OF the Country Club. on
the golf links overlooking the city. Sup
pose we try tavern? How about the
Spokane Hotel? It has restaurant
which makes one think OF Eerlin; the
dining-room has a low Dutch ceiling. with
rafters showing out OF the plaster. a red
brick floor and furniture Of weathered
oak. The band plays there at night
while dinner Is served, and the swell
Spokaners come in With their families
and eat side by side with .he strangers.
But you say you are afraid Of Western
taverns?
Then suppose we eat at a restaurant.
Davenport's claims TO be the finest in the
World. and so far have seen none like
1t In America. Let US drop into the bar
as we go through. 1t is known as the
orange room, because 1t Is lit by blazing
oranges, inside which are electric Jets;
and also on account OF the palms and
ether tropical plants which stand around
tne wal. ~ RAISING on, VIC COIHe lIltO d
public dining-room, gorgeously decorated.
The cashiers desk Is on the top of an
aquarium. in which great fish are swim
ming. and another quaint conceit is the
mantelpiece. upheld by tho crysta az pillars
Us big around as your waist. in which
gold fish dart back and forth. The pillars
are really tubes OF glass filled with water,
the only difference between their appear
ance and that of the solid crystal being
that the gold FISH are moving.
We sit down to our meal in one OF the
cabinets and enjoy It. All the delicades
OF the East and West come to Spokane,
and one can live quite as we'll here as
in New York or Chicago. II you doubt
this, take walk wiz. me through the
ba sement OF the establishment where We
are eating 1t is finished In pure white
: marble, and It contains cold storage cham
bers SO arranged that one can look in
and see the supplies. In one room there
are hundreds OF beeyes. and In another
mutton, pork and game are hung up.
THE beef lis brought from Chicago in
cold storage; and the cuts are Of tho
Il same shape and size, so that one can
give dinner for fifty am have each
& CUES. served the same. This can proba-
bly, be, done in New York or Boston. but
doubt IL as we'll as here In Spokane.
The Up-to- Date West.
Indeed. the most live part OF the United
States to-day lies west OF the Rockies
All the cities out here are growing faster
than thistles in Canada. Spokane. Seattle,
Portland and Los Angeles have on their
seven league boots, and they are striding
ahead like giants on the rond to greater
population and wealth.
AS far as age Is concerned, Spokane is a
E baby among our American towns. 1t was
born just generation ago. but It now
has eighty thousand population, and Is
4 h,ot a renrPSente6
clearing house figures, OF sl60, 100000 a
year. It has ten banks, with deposits of
s140oOOO0. and Its business establishments
have a capital OF about $l5,O0O,O00 Its
factories last year turned out about $lO.-
10000 worth OF goods, and 1t has q news
naper the Spokesman-RcvieW. which
boasts daily circulation OF .4llrty thous-
and copies.
stootlann hay greater number OF
telephones in proportion to It's population
than any other city In the country. It
has eight thousand. It has five trans
continental railways and enough street
railroads. II they could be stretched out
in one line, 20 reach from New York to
Albany: and the additional suburban
lines suff1cient to connect New York with
Washington city.
It Works While They Sleep.
Have you ever seen Spokane?
II not. you have missed one of the
sights of this continent. The city lies
in valley on bith sides of the rush
Ing Spokane. This river here pows Its
way through mighty gorge. dashiny
down over fall after fall, having de-
scent Of one hundred and thirty-two feet
in a quarter of mile. The waters rage
and foam as they drop from level to
level. sending up spray which the sun
4 turns into diamonds They run part Of
the way through turbines, which have
been SO connected with machinery that
they are worth more TO the city than
7 diamonds themselves.
The river, In fact, doDs the greater part
OF the work OF tho city. 1t labors away
day and night. day in and day out,
every night ana every day all the year
through. The fails have a minimum ca.
pacity OF a00o horsepower, and OF this
5000 has already been developed. The
river lights the city, turns Its mills and
factories, operates Its street railways and
travels over a hundred miles OF wire
to the Occur d'Alene mines, and carries
there the electricity by which they pro-
d,lce about one-hfth Of all the lead OF
the world.
A Mighty Water Power.
Tho energy OF the Spokane River il
enormous. In addition to the 81, 900 horse
power which lies In the heart of Spokane,
there are several million available horse.
power IN tho river above and below ths
city The Spokane has big volume,
and 1t flows for DISTANCE OF ninety
d miles above and below here. through n
gorge Of such nature that factories ca n
he built all along It, In this ninety miles
the river falls l,200 feet, or more than
twice the height OF the Washington mon,