Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-07
WITH A WOODEN KEY
Unlocking Uncle Sans GAZE
ways to the Orient.
MARKETS WORTH MILLIONS
Big Steamers That Carry Freight for
Asiatic Trade.
ASSETS IN ELECTRIC POWER
Manufacturing, Shipbuilding and
Fishing Industries of the
Pacific Coast.
Copyright, 1906. by Frank G. onrpcnter)

Copyright, 1906. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
Special Correspondence OF The Star
SEATTLE.
Seattle Is fast becoming Uncle Sans
great corner gateway to the orient. Some
of the best harbors of the Pacific are sit
uated on Puget sound: and this town could
develop landing facilities enough to accom-
modate all the boats of the world. AS It
Is now the largest steamers which ply be-
tween China and the United States sail
from Smiths cove on the edge of Seattle. I
went down to see one of them during my
stay here. 1t was the Minnesota, one of
James j. Hills two mighty freight car
riers. If you will imagine an apartment
house about seven stories high. and wide
enough to fill the average city street from
end to end of a 630-foot block you will
have the outside dimensions. The ship will
carry several hundred cabin passengers
and in its hold can be stored 5000 tons
of cargo, or enough to load a solid train
four or five miles In length. The Dakota is
of just the same size. and understand that
the two are loaded on their every trip
across the Pacific.
Unlocked With a Wooden Kew.
These ships are the outcome of Mr.. Hills
hunt for Great Northern freights They
are an annex to the Great Northern rail-
way, which has unlocked this door to the
story has been told by Mr. Hill himself
he had built his road from St Paul to
Puget sound and started the trains After
a snort time he found that his cars were
well niled going from east to west: but
they were returning half empty He also
found that It cost him just SIPS to carry a
car from Seattle to st. Paul and the way
seemed clear toward a large losing bust
ness Then Mr.. Hill went over the road and
looked out for freight He cast his eves
into the woods Of this great northwest and
saw something like four hundred billion
Feet OF the worlds best timber ready for
cutting. other men had seen IL before,
but as Hill looked through the woods he
also saw trains flying toward the east car
rying it to the markets
He began to figure. The other trans
racine railways were charging about a
cent pound for that sort of freieht hin
calculated that he could carry it for half
a cent and less, and ne gave that rate TO
the lumbermen. The result was a big
tramc The Washington cedars and frs
began to build the houses of the Mississinnj
valley and shingles by the billion to travel
over the Rockies toward the Atlantic The
forests rose enormously in value and lum-
per Jumped from almost nothing to SD or
SIS per thousand.
Cotton Freights.
In short time the cars were carving
more toward the east than toward tina
west The empty trains were now on the
other side of the ledger, and Hill had to
NIL them. He again cast his eyes toward
the west. and this time sent them ON a
voyage across the Pacific He saw that
half the worlds population lived on tine
oIher side OF that great ocean ferry and
that they all dressed in eottons He then
began TO plan to carry the products OF cur
southern Plantations thither mart Of
tnat scheme was the combination OF the
Northern Pacific Burlington and Great
Northern railroads. and another part the
building OF the Dakota and the Minne-
sofa. HIS work at once began to show.
In E0l he was carrying TO Puget sound
lS.tUO bales OF cotton piece goods and H.
N1oo0 pounds of raw cotton One wear
later ne had increased the piece goods al
most five hundred per cent and the raw cot
ton fully three hundred per cent. while AT
the same time he was building up a good
business with the orient in hardware ma
chinery and nails.
These big ships were a necessity in order
to bring down ocean freights, for Hill has
TO compete not only with the other trans
Pacific roads and such ports as San Fran
cisco, but also with the big steamers from
France, Germany and England. whose
goods are not loaded with a long rail haul
across the Rocky mountains The general |
freights have been so cut that ar ton can
now re sent from Chicago to Manila by |
way Of Seattle for S. The distance is |
about 5000 miles. so that the freight is |
toted thousand miles for a dollar or a |
hundred miles for dime Mr. Hill says |
that the rate will eventually be reduced |
to 81 Ier ton.
Our Trans-Paciflc Trade.
In the meantime our trade across the
Pacific Il increasing All along the coast