Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-08-30

Erenbee Publishing Coz
Capt. A. B. Cove, carried the mails
between Olympia and Victoria. She
made one round trip a week and took
the whole time to do 1t. Her passen-
gers numbered from Is to 80 each
Trip. and her mail was. at times, lim-
tied to single sack for the entire
Sound. Olympia being the distribut-
ing point. Capt. Cove bought the
steamer at auction at Olympia, in
March. 1853, for $10,05O, the United
States marshal being the seller She
was succeeded by the steamer Julia,
and some time later by the Wilson G.
Hunt and the Eliza Anderson, both
side-wheel steamers. The latter boat
literally coined money, carrying pas
sengers to Victoria for SIS, by a days
run, meals extra, and to the amount
was added so cents of internal revenue
tax each. which was Immediately col
lected Of all through passengers to
the foreign port. Proportional charges
were exacted for carrying cattle-for
horned stock, from Steilacoom to Vic
toria. she received $S per head and for
hogs and sheep she received 81 each.
She received besides $36, 5000 per anu
mum for weekly mail service. Her
commander, Capt. D. B. Finch, who
came to the Sound poor man. in
few years was immensely wealthy. He
ran travelling bank. advanced money
at exorbltant rates to shippers and re-
ceived pay on delivery of goods. chat
tells or cattle, anything that was pass
fvnsv H. l. h~l
steamers earnings to loan. and specu-
late with and in perfectly legitimate
manner.
The money earned by the Anderson
largely went into the building Of one
of the finest steamers that ever came
to the Coast-the Olympia-which was
designed to take the place of the An
derson, but she was not q fast boat,
and that fact became evident on her
first regular trip. An opposition boat,
operated by the then mail contractor,
Hale Winsor, and Crosby, beat her. on
the run from Victoria to this place,
and her owners Immediately sold her
to the Hudson Bay company, to ply
her the Princess Louise.
Prior to the remarkable career of
the Anderson. Geo. Parkerson obtained
the steamer Enterprise. new steamer
built in San Francisco, to perform his
contract for carrying the mail. In
about six months she, too, was bought
by the Hudson Bay company and
placed on the Fraser river routs
Parkerson's bondsman. Philip Reach
of Steilacoom, was obliged to perform
the service, which he did with the
sloop Narcissa. This was, of course,
unsatisfactory. and the service was
finally relet.
The Northern Pacific railroad hav-
Goodwin and Sprague. and in re-
sponse to liberal appropriation of
lands by our people, made a Christ
mas present" at midnight December rs
of the tidewater transcontinental term
linus to the people Of Olympia, a season
Of prosperity ensued, but in about six
months, 1t was ascertained that
the company had repudiated the trans
action and were building on the north
ward, sidetracking our town, and it af-
terward pursued q policy of discrimi-
nation against u.s. 1t Is not surprising,
therefore, that while building its road
to Grays Harbor, few years later, it
offered to come via Olympia for
cash bonus of $4,000. This was
looked upon as a splendid opportunity
to strike back. The bonus was at once
subscribed, but as yet we have never
heard of dollar being paid.
Finally the people determined to
build the strip of Is miles of railroad
to connect at Tenino themselves, and
adopted during the good weather and
long daylights of summer field days"
once a week. on which occasions ev-
erybody in town closed his Office or
store, or abandoned his personal busi-
ness. and appeared with pick, spade
and axe, on the grade through Tum-
water to Tenino. Good long days
work completed nearly the whole
grade. In the meantime vote was
submitted and carried for the issue
(Cnnfinupd m na0o A.