Tacoma, Washington - Compendium of Information Concerning the City of Tacoma and Washington (part 1 of 3)

A. Anderson & Co., Printers

The City of Tacoma is the Western Terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, located at the Head of Navigation on Puget Sound, and offers opportunities for Profitable Investments in Real Estate equal to those offered by Minneapolis, St. Paul, Denver and Duluth, half a score of years ago.

In General

II WASHINGTON TERRITORY is bounded on the north by British Columbia, on the east by Idaho, on the south by Oregon, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. It comprises an area of 69,994 square miles, of which 3,114 are water, leaving 66,880 square miles of land surface; of which it is estimated that about 20,000,000 acres are in timber lands, 5,000,000 acres rich alluvial bottom lands, and 10,000,000 are prairies and plains. The Cascade Range of mountains extend across the entire Territory, north to south, dividing the Territory into two sections (of which the eastermost is much the larger), and renders direct communication between the two sections in the middle and northern portions of the Territory impracticable for teams, except during the summer seasons, when the Snoqualmie and other mountain passes are frequently traveled by herdsmen driving their cattle to the Sound. Communication is carried on by means of the Cascade branch of the Northern Pacific railroad.

The assessed valuation of the property in Washington Territory for the year 1880 was $23,708,587. For 1886 the assessed valuation of the property in the Territory was $50,683,896, showing again of about 125 per cent., and for 1887 it was $56,177,453, showing a gain of over ten per cent in one year. The above figures do not include railroad property. The population of the Territory as estimated by the Governor is 162,076 for the year 1887.

The fertile cereal-producing prairie lands and plains are situated in the eastern part, and nearly all the rich, alluvial bottom lands are in the western part of the Territory.

The scenery of the Cascade Range is indescribably grand, affording views of such colossal peaks as Mount Baker, Mount Tacoma, Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams. Another beautiful range of mountains of lesser height, called the Olympic, lies along the coast between Puget Sound and the Pacific, affording a delightful prospect from the Sound and its vicinity.

The picturesque attractions of this country, with its glacier-covered mountains, its waterfalls, its majestic winding rivers, with their precipit- ous bluffs, its mighty expanse of inland island-dotted sea, its deep, broad, forest-bordered lakes, certainly furnish a new and interesting field for the tourists and the artist.

The great Columbia river, rising in the vast water-shed just north of the eastern part of the Territory, receives the copious waters of Clarke's Fork, flowing fresh from the Rockies through Take Pend d' Oreille, then the Okinagon and other considerable streams, making its great bend to the westward, and thence flowing southeasterly , is joined by its great affluents, the Yakima and Snake rivers, thus traversing the entire eastern section referred to; then flows along the southern border of the Territory, receiving the Lewis and Cowlitz rivers west of the Cascade Range, and empties into the Pacific Ocean. It affords great facilities for commercial traffic, and abounds in delicious fish.

Just north of the mouth of the Columbia river is Shoalwater Bay, which has a good entrance from the ocean and is full of shoals and flats. The latter are covered with oysters, thousands of baskets of which are annually shipped to various cities of the Pacific Coast. Herring, codfish, halibut and sturgeon also there abound.

Twenty-five miles farther north is Gray's Harbor, having an excellent entrance from the ocean, bordered with extensive and valuable forests of fir and cedar, receiving the Chehalis river from the east, and the Huntulup, Wishkah and Hoquium rivers from the north, which drain great fertile valleys.

Climate

It is not so very long ago that it was almost unanimously believed that the whole of this northwest region was a barbarous, uncivilized country, the home of savage Indians and ferocious wild beasts, where no unsuspecting intruder would be safe from the disfiguring scalping- knife or the hug of the grizzly. It was asserted on every hand as an uncontrovertible fact that the climate was so cold as to be almost arctic, and the people in the latitude of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where the rivers are hermetically sealed by ice for months in the year, positively stood aghast at the idea of going so far north as what we now know as Washington Territory. Their idea of climate was of the simplest nature; with them south meant heat - north, the reverse. As an absolute truth, however, the climate of Washington Territory is mild and equable - as mild as that of Virginia and at the same time exempt from its extremes of heat and cold. This difference is caused by the Japan current which flows from the South Pacific ocean to the North and Easterly, set in upon the northern coast of California and rushing northward as far as British Columbia, modifies the climate of the North Pacific coast in the same manner that the Atlantic Gulf stream tempers the climate of Great Britain and Ireland.

Washington Territory And Tacoma

Changes are not violent, for summer comes and goes almost imperceptibly. Hot nights are unknown, while during the day the temperature rarely ranges above 90 degrees, this mitigation being the effect of the cool, fresh breath of the sea that laves the Western shore of the territory. The chief feature of winter is rain, but there is always an intermission of pleasant weather, lasting for a month sometimes. These wet seasons are not drenching, downpours of heavy rain, but are as a rule gentle showers, working much good to the soil and fitting it for the reception of seed. In the coldest weather the mercury seldom touches zero, while snow rarely remains on the ground, and then only in the unexposed quarters, for more than a few weeks at a time; indeed a heavy fall of snow is rather the exception than the rule. In the summer months the land is fanned by gentle breezes wafted from the ocean, while heavy gales and violent storms, save on the coast, are unremembered by the oldest inhabitant. The temperate and genial climate, especially in its freedom from the sudden variations which prevail elsewhere has much to do with the general healthfulness of the Pacific Northwest. A comparison of the rates of mortality in Washington Territory with those in the older states shows greatly in favor of the former, while there is absolutely no prevailing type of disease in the region, which is undoubtedly due to the excellence of the water as much as to the climate. The liquid is to be found in its pristine purity in every river, creek, brook and spring in the territory, and it never requires preparation to make it fit for household uses.

Ily ESTERN WASHINGTON embraces all of the Territory lying between the Cascade mountains and the Pacific Coast. Its climate differs widely from that of Eastern Washington, the winters being milder and the summers cooler. There is very little snow in winter and a good deal of rain. Spring opens in February. The summers are never excessively hot, although there is almost unbroken sunshine. The autumns are pleasant, and the fine weather lasts until December. With the exception of a few small prairies and river bottoms, the whole surface of the country was originally heavily timbered, and most of it is still in that condition. Settlement was first made in the valleys of the streams where clearing was comparatively easy, or on the shores of Puget Sound where lumbering operations were profitable.

The climate and soil of Western Washington are favorable to the successful raising of wheat, oats, rye and all the fruits of the temperate zone. Wheat is raised to some extent, but oats is the chief grain crop. White clover is a native grass, and red clover and timothy prodce luxuriant crops.

The general character of the soil may be described as follows: In the valleys it is a dark loam, containing a large proportion of vegetable mould, and having a clay subsoil. In the bottom lands near the water courses, it usually consists of rich deposits of alluvium. Of such lands there are often large tracts of great fertility, termed beaver-dam lands which, as the name indicates, have been formed by the labor of this busy amphibious rodent during countless centuries. The constituents of this soil are earthly deposits or humus of greath depth, producing from decayed vegetable growths. All these various soils are of wonderful productive capacity. Under cultivation they are quick, light and friable, yielding astonishing crops of hay, hops, grain, fruits and vegetables for a series of years without manure and with only indifferent plowing. The ability of the clay subsoil to retain moisture explains, to some extent, the enduring quality of the land. The bottoms are mainly covered with a deciduous growth of hazel, cherry, thorn, vine-maple, alder and crab-apple with only occasional firs and pineS, and, as a rule, are confined to narrow valleys. Unlike prairie lands they must be cleared, at a cost varying from $15 to $50 per acre, before they can be plowed. Usually, however, the wood and lumber thus secured will pay for the work, and the farmer will afterwards find his reward in the abundance of his crops.

The soil of the uplands is fertile, but somewhat inferior to that of the river bottoms. That of the undulating foot-hills and more tillable mountain-faces are red, brown or black loam. The more elevated lands afford excellent natural pasturage, and also produce good crops of grain and the hardier fruits and vegetables.

Ik General

PUGET SOUND is a great, deep inland sea, extending nearly 200 square miles from the ocean, having a surface of about 2,000 square miles, and a shore line of about 1,594 miles, indented with numerous bays, harbors and inlets, each with its peculiar name, and contains numerous islands inhabited by farmers, lumbermen, herdsmen and those engaged in quarrying lime and building stone. Admiral Charles Wilkes has described this pride of Washington Territory as follows:

Nothing can surpass the beauty of these waters and their safety. Not a shoal exists within the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Admiralty Bay, or Hood's jCanal that can in any way interrupt their navigation by a seventy-four gun ship. I venture nothing in saying that there is no country in the world that possesses waters equal to these; they cover an area of about 2000 square miles; the shores of all its inlets and bays are remarkably bold, so much so that a ship's side would strike the shore before her keel would touch the ground.

The country by which these waters are surrounded is remarkably salubrious, and affords every advantage for the accommodation of a vast commercial and military marine, with convenience for docks, and a great many sites for towns and cities, at all times well supplied with water, and capable of being well provided with everything by the surrounding country, which is well adapted for agriculture.

The Straits of Juan de Fuca are 95 miles in length and have an average width of 11 miles. At the entrance (8 miles in width) no danger exists, and it may be safely navigated throughout.

No part of the world affords finer inlands, sounds, or a greater number of harbors than are found within the Straits of Juan de Fuca, capable of receiving the largest class of vessels and without a danger in them that is not visible. From the rise and fall of the tide (18 feet), every facility is offered for the erection of works of a great maritime nation.

On the eastern part of the Sound are situated two important fresh water lakes of great depth and beauty, and bordered by great forests and rich deposits of coal. Lake Union, the smaller of these, having an area of six square miles, six miles shore line, and an average depth of 75 feet, is one and a quarter miles distant from the Sound, and is connected with it by a small stream entering Salmon bay. The eastern shore of Lake Union is separated from Lake Washington by a low isthmus 1,600 feet wide. Lake Washington has an area of 60 square miles, 75 miles of shore line, and an average depth of 200 feet, with numerous landlocked harbors. This lake is connected by a slough, navigable for small steamers, with Sammamish Lake (nine miles long), and drains a country rich in natural resources.

The most important rivers emptying into Puget Sound are as follows: The Des Chutes, emptying into Budd's Inlet, at Olympia, notable for its fall and its water power; the Puyallup, flowing through a rich valley, mainly devoted to hop culture, into Commencement Bay, near Tacoma; the navigable Duwamish, with its tributaries, the White, Black and Cedar rivers, fertilizing rich bottom lands, which enters Elliott Bay near Seattle; the navigable Snohomish, with its tributary, the Snoqualmie, which makes a sublime, perpendicular leap of 270 feet, celebrated as the Snoqualmie Falls; the Skagit, also navagable and fertile in its surroundings; the Swinomish, entering into Belingham Bay; the Lummi, which has the Nooksachk for its tributary, and also enters into Bellingham Bay. Near the outlet of the latter stream are the reclaimed tide lands, remarkable for their immense crops of wheat, oats, and barley; the Skokomish is the largest stream emptying into that arm of Puget Sound called Hood's Canal. All these streams are serviceable for the shipment of logs to tide-water, ex- cept in instances where the debris from the forest has lodged and formed snags interrupting navigation. The Government should make ample provision by appropriation for clearing out these streams. The immense wealth ot this country in its timber calls for the utmost! consideration on the part of the Government in favoring shipments thereof to tide-water.

The deep, alluvial soil of the valleys is excellent for general farming and for hay crops, and is probably the best hop land in the world. Hops grow in great perfection and yield more heavily than in any of the hop regions in the east or of Europe. The crop runs from 1 500 to 2000 pounds to the acre. Oats are an important crop, being extensively grown on tidal flats, reclaimed by sea walls. Apples, pears, plums, quinces, cherries, small fruits and vegetables grow excellent crops. Proximity to the markets of large towns and ready access to deep water navigation makes the Puget Sound lands very valuable, and the agricultural area is being constantly increased by clearing off the forests.

Timber

Figures fail to give an idea of the lumber product available in this section. One of the finest bodies of timber in the world is embraced between the Columbia river and British Columbia, and the Pacific Coast and the Cascades. At a low estimate one-half the growth of this Puget Sound district consists of trees which will yield 25,000 feet of lumber to the acre. The approximate quantity in this great tract, which is nearly as large as the state of Indiana, is not les than 160,000,000,000 feet. The principal growths are fir, pine, spruce, cedar, larch and hemlock, although white oak, maple, cottonwood, ash, alder, and other varieties are found in considerable quantities. Trees attain an unusual growth in height, girth and symmetry of form. The red fir is not unfrequently 250 feet high, the pine 160 feet, the silver fir 150 feet, the black spruce 150 feet, white cedar 100 feet, and white oak 70 feet. Cedars have been found 21 feet in diameter and 120 feet high. Trees from 6 to 8 feet in diameter are frequently seen in the forests of this region. Some of the logs sawed are of great girth and sometimes 1 1 5 feet long. Immense saw mills are in operation in Tacoma, Port Blakely, Seattle, Port Madison, Port Gamble, Port Ludlow, Utsalady and other points, and lumber is furnished to points on the Pacific coast and to foreign countries.

Coal

There are extensive coal fields at the foot of the Cascade mountains, which are worked on a large scale at New Castle, 20 miles from Seattle, and at South Prairie and Carbonado, about 30 miles from Tacoma. The coal is brought by rail to the Sound and shipped to San Francisco and other places for locomotive, steamship and domestic use.

Fish

Oysters, clams, halibut, salmon, salmon trout, herring, tom cod and other food fishes abound in the waters of the Sounds. Clams grow to such size that one will sometimes make a meal for a large family. The product of the fisheries of Puget Sound is an important item of wealth to this region.

Commerce

Puget sound has an extensive commerce. Dumber is exported to China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America. Wheat is shipped to Europe. Teas are imported direct from China and Japan. Coal is shipped to San Francisco. Daily steamers ply between Tacoma and Seattle, and Victoria, British Columbia. The Sound ports are connected with San Francisco by regular steamship service. A large fleet of steamboats is employed in the local trade of the Sound.

PAST OF THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS, it must be remembered, v, the climate and natural features of the country are very different from those of the great basin lying west of them, so that the popular divisions, Eastern and Western Washington Territory, are warranted.

In the eastern section the thermometer is much higher in summer and lower in winter than in the western section. The rainfall is only half as heavy. From June to September there is no rain, the weather being perfect for harvesting. The heat at times is great, but not nearly so oppressive as a much lower grade would be in the Eastern States; and the nights are invariably cool.

The winters are short, but occasionally severe, snow ^seldom falls before Christmas, and sometimes lies one or two months, but usually disappears in a few days or weeks. The speedy melting of the snow is due to a somewhat remarkable phenomenon, the so-called "Chinook Wind," which blows periodically up the channel of the Columbia river from the southwest. Created by the warm Japan current of the Pacific Ocean, this wind operates powerfully to moderate the climate of the Pacific J northwest.

In Eastern Oregon and Washington spring begins in February, with warm, pleasant weather, and lasts until the middle of May. At this season rain falls in sufficient quantity to give life to vegetation and ensure good crops. The average temperature is 520.

Autumn weather in October and November is generally delightful. There is often frost by night, but the days are usually warm and bright. The season is marked by showers, and also by thunderstorms in some localities. The mercury ranges between 55 and 70°.

The rainfall is considerably less than that of the region west of the Cascades, being lighter near the Columbia and Snake rivers, and increasing gradually to the northward and toward the mountains.

The foregoing description of the climate of Washington Territory must be understood, however, as applicable only to the general meteorological characteristics of the two grand divisions of the country. These characteristics are naturally modified to a greater or less extent by locality. The region is vast enough to embrace much variety of climate within the broad limits of the facts here presented.

The soil east of the Cascade mountains is a dark loam of great depth, composed of alluvial deposits and decomposed lava overlying a clay subsoil. This, in turn, rests upon a basaltic formation, which is so far below the surface of the ground as to be visible only on the banks of the deep watercourses. The constituents of this soil adapt the land peculiarly to the production of wheat. All the mineral salts which are necessary to the perfect growth of this cereal are abundant, reproducing themselves constantly as the processes of gradual decomposition in this soil of volcanic origin proceeds. The clods are easily broken by the plow, and the ground quickly crumbles on exposure to the atmosphere. Although the dry season continues for months, this light porous land retains and absorbs enough moisture from the atmosphere, after its particles have been partially disintergrated, to ensure perfect growths and full harvests. This assertion is so at variance with common experience that it might well be questioned. Happily, it is susceptible of explanation. In spite of the fact that there is scarcely a shower between May and the following October, and that the average rainfall for the year does not exceed twenty inches, there is always the requisite moisture for maturing the crops. Paradoxical as it may seem, if the rain were greatly in excess of this low average, damage would certainly ensue; and it is equally sure, if successful farming depended upon the limited rain-fall, there would be poor harvests. The clouds supply only in part the moisture which is needed. The warm air currents, surcharged with vapor, which sweep inland from the ocean up the channel of the Columbia river, prevent drought. The effect of these atmospheric currents in tempering the climate has already been described. Their influence upon the vegetation is no less vital. The moisture with which they are laden is held in suspension during the day, diffused over the face of the country. At night it is condensed by the cooler temperature, and precipitated in the form of a fine mist on every exposed particle of surface which earth and plant present. The effect is that of a copious shower. This is apparent on taking a morning walk through the grass, which can only be done at the cost of wet feet. In this region it is no unusual phenomenon for a smart shower to fall when clouds are invisible and the sun is shining. This occurance is explained also upon the theory that the vapor in the atmosphere comes in contact with an upper current of cold air, which causes rapid condensation and consequent rain. A summer drought, therefore, which in most climates is a calamity, is here a benefit. The soil needs no more rains after those of the spring are over, and the farmer may depend upon cloudless skies at harvest time. For example, the wheat crop of Eastern Washington in 1883 was 6,500,000 bushels, and no rain fell between May and September. In the whole vast basin of the Columbia river, an extent of 150 miles in width by 500 in length, there is great uniformity in the general character of the arable soil. There are, of course, modifications of its component elements as between the valleys and the higher plateau and lower mountain slopes. In the latter an admixture of clay to some extent is often found. In general, the soil of the foot-hills is more productive than that of broader valleys.

The exceeding fertility of this great area has only of late years been known. Some of the large wheat farms, which now are most productive, were marked not long ago upon the maps, by the United States surveyors, as "lands unfit for cultivation.'' The prolific nature of the soil was discovered, finally by a thoughtful investigator, who plowed and sowed a small strip as an experiment. The result was a surprise and a success. It at once opened the way to the profitable cultivation of the hitherto despised land. Now, wherever bunch grass grows, the fact is accepted that wheat will flourish. Of such lands, there are almost boundless tracts' awaiting settlement. A mere fraction of the vast fields has yet been taken. In course of time, however, these unoccupied lands will be settled. For the most part, these vast expanses of good, arable soil are the grazing grounds of countless herds and flocks, which thrive, unsheltered, the year throughout, on the natural grasses, and supply with their increase the markets of Utah, Nevada and other States.

Most of the fruits grown within the temperate zone are raised at various points in the low-lying lands in great perfection. Peaches, pears, apples, plums, grapes and berries of fine flavor are produced. Orchards come forward rapidly, peach trees bearing often three years after planting the seed.

Commerce And Railways

The past two years have been the most important in the history of railway enterprise in Washington Territory. Within that period the Northern Pacific Railroad has completed its line across the Cascade Mountains, the Canadian Pacific has been finished, and the Oregon and Cali-

To Washington Territory the completion of these great trunk lines is of the utmost importance. The loss of either one of them would now be seriously felt. In the completion of the Northern Pacific across the Cascade Mountains the Territory has been freed from a disadvantage which was very great, and which seems not to have been appreciated elsewhere. It was generally known, indeed, that a direct communication by rail could be had from the East with Eastern Washington Territory, or with Puget Sound; but it was much less commonly known that neither Puget Sound nor Eastern Washington Territory had a direct communication with each other. This, however, was the case. From Ellensburg to Tacoma is a distance that requires now a few hours' ride, but it is no more than a few months since a person, journeying from one of these places to the other, was compelled to expend nearly a day and a half in doing so.

The same, in greater or of less degree, was true of all the eastern half of the Territory. The consequences was that, much the greater part of the people of the two districts remained strangers to each other, and were far better acquainted with the society and the trade of Oregon than with that of their own Commonwealth. Their only communication with Puget Sound or with the world beyond was by way of Portland.

This gross inconvenience was an inconvenience to the people, not merely as travelers, but as producers and as shippers. It long remained an almost intolerable burden to the farmers of Eastern Washington that they had only one line by which they could ship their crops to the seaboard. The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company possessed a monopoly of the finest wheat-producing region in the Territory, and, during many years, charged rates that were altogether exorbitant. It is safe to say that the growth of the Walla Walla district has been seriously retarded through these exactions.

That portion of the Territory which lies at the foot of the eastern side of the mountains, though it did not suffer in the same degree with other portions from the exorbitant rates of freight charges, had equal cause to rejoice in the completion of the road across the cascades.

The completion of the "Cascade Division" meant to these people new markets, which before, though near enough at hand, they had not been able to reach. If all accounts are to be believed, I am safe in saying that the prosperity of the Yakima and the Kittitas Valleys has been increased 50 per cent, by this easy connection with the Sound. The districts first named are almost exclusively agricultural, and they are particularly adapted to the production of many vegetables that are difficult to grow on the western side; so that they had the utmost need of quick communication with the growing cities of tide- water.

ful to us. Besides tending to reduce fares by competition, it has, upon the whole, aided the settlement of this region by a considerable immigration over its line. The class of settlers that have come by it is reported to be very worthy, and it is certain that many of them leave British Columbia for the American side.

The Oregon and California is a line the completion of which is far more important to us than the people of the Bast seem to imagine. By this line the time between Puget Sound and San Francisco is reduced to two days. A still further reduction is reasonably certain. But the chief advantage to us is not so much in the saving of time between California and this region as in the fact that those who wish to come here from that State are no longer compelled to do so by sea. The sea voyage requiring not only three or four days, but it involved inconveniencies and dangers that caused a very great number of persons to give up all thought of visiting or settling in this Territory when they were disposed to leave California.

The acreage of the Territory is rapidly increasing. No statistics, indeed, can be given that can be relied upon, but it is clear, from reports from all the counties and from many grades of public officers, that much more land is tilled than formerly. The assessor of Walla Walla county reports an increase of 56,000 acres of cultivated land since last year.

A much greater increase of acreage must be expected in the eastern than in the western counties. The former are nearly all left clear by nature and ready for the plow. In the latter there is very little that must not be cleared by the hand of man - a task, in many districts, of arduous difficulty. Wide as has been the extension of agriculture there in the past year, it is a most reasonable expectation that the coming twelve months will witness much more.

The agricultural development of eastern Washington is justly a matter of pride to the Territory. An impression had long been too common in other parts of the United States that that portion of Washington Territory lying east of the Cascade Mountains was a desert that could never be reclaimed. Its wide plains, its infinitely fine dust, were everywhere described in the most discouraging terms. It was only, it was said, in the roving herds of stock that we had anything to hope for in that extensive country between the Cascade Mountains and our eastern boundary. After a time, however, the increase in the crops of grain attracted attention. These so multiplied every year, that it was at length conceded that as a grain-producing region Eastern Washington was of great importance. This fact is now known throughout the world, but it is the most that is, generally speaking, allowed to be the merit of a remarkable region. It is yet little known in other parts of the United States, and, indeed, it is only lately known in the western half of the Territory itself that Eastern Washington is to be great, not merely in the production of grain, but in a variety of crops far more varied than was imagined or than can be seen elsewhere in the world farther north than the thirty-eight parallel. Erroneous notions of the climate had much to do with the mistake. As has been remarked in another place, the mistaken opinion is common in the United States that Eastern Washington, as it is not warmed as thoroughly as Western Washington by the Japan current, must have the climate of Dakota and Montana, in the latitude of which it lies.

To give, in any detail, the productions of Eastern Washington would not be easy; nor could it, in all cases, be safe to class among its productions as yet what many persons regard as such, but which are at present only experimental growths. It is certain, however, that besides many staple crops it will produce hops, tobacco, sweet potatoes, melons, peaches, apricots and grapes. These products are not, indeed, universal in that region, but they are to be found in many districts, and undoubtedly will afford a livelihood to a considerable population. Besides these, cotton, peanuts, and sugar cane have been grown, with what success, as regards general culture, remains to be seen.

It may be asked why these products were not grown before, and why it has been reserved to such recent years of settlement to prove the capacity of this soil and climate. The answer is that the first generation of settlers was too poor to make experiments in agriculture. It was as much as these could do, beginning with little money and in the midst of a hostile race, to get the easiest products of the earth and to retain a few cattle. Markets, too, were, in that period, so remote as to be practically inaccessible. In consequence, it was left to the present generation and to the comparatively wealthy class of settlers, who come in these years of security and of railways, to invest time and money in obtaining the more delicate harvests of this region.

The crops of Western are less various than those of Eastern Washington. Corn, or maize, nowhere a staple crop of the Territory, is, on this side of the mountains, cultivated only in the gardens; nor does barley or rye yield to great satisfaction; butt much wheat, of a fine quality, is harvested, and oats in great abundance. Hay yields in wonderful luxuriance. The fame of our hops is, of course, world wide. For vegetables of several kinds, Western Washington can hardly be surpassed, as in the case of Irish potatoes, beets, and turnips. Whatever requires much heat does not flourish. Tomatoes do not ripen well.

For the reasons given in the case of Eastern Washington experiments in agriculture have not, until the present time, been numerous on the west side of the mountains; but it is probable that its capacity in field crops has been fairly tried. Some products, such as tobacco, yet demand more careful tests, and from both Pacific and Whatcom counties come statements that cranberries will flourish in their marsh lands. But it is chiefly in respect of fruit that the western division of the Territory is just beginning to prove a wonderful capability. The size of the plums, pears, strawberries and cherries is already the astonishment of travelers. As our railway and steamship facilities are now of the first order, it is no longer matter of doubt that our fruit crop will, before long, be a prodigious export.

This is a crop in which the people of the Territory, particularly on the western side of the mountains, take great pride. Hop cultivation has been progressive, and is to-day a source of great income to several districts. Its area is widening every year. I accordingly regret that a gentleman, eminently qualified to give the statistics of it, was compelled to disappoint me at a day too late to admit o*f my obtaining the information in full from other sources.

It is a well-known peculiarity of hops that their value fluctuates from season to season, more perhaps than that of any other crop. One year they may be worth only a few cents a pound, another year worth a dollar. The average, accordingly, varies a great deal. After an autumn of high prices there is a very marked increase in the area planted, and after a dull year the reverse is true. But the aggregate average has steadily increased in this region. The crop of 1881 was 6,098 bales; of 1883, 9,301; of 1885, 20,000; of 1887, according to the present estimates, 25,000. The last crop is estimated to bring $1,125,000 to the people of this Territory. And all this industry has sprung from beginningsas recent as 1865, or rather of 1875, when it seemed first to be apparent to the people that hops were a staple crop, and when, for the first time, the cultivation of them appears to have been made a principal object. It maybe interesting to note the beginnings of an industry which has already enabled us to influence the markets of the world. The son of the first hop grower thus describes it:

My father's attention had been drawn to these facts accidentally, and he had no conception of the future of the business, of which he laid the foundation and died without seeing the fruits of his venture, except in a third crop of a few bales. The first crop consisted of one bale in weight and was cured in the loft overhead of the kitchen fire, was marketed in Olympia, and was sold for 85 cents per poundj and brought $159.25; the second crop consisted of four bales, which sold for 75 cents per pound, and gave as much money in return as one-third of all other crops then grown in Puyallup Valley. It was seven years before much progress was made in planting, the aggregate acreage then consisting of 18 acres, and the aggregate production of 160 bales; and up to that time not a hop was planted elsewhere except in Puyallup Valley, and those within a few miles of the original garden.

The vines of this Territory are universally, I believe, free from pests, and as the yield is large, our growers find the business profitable on an average price of 12 cents, and even lower. In 1885 the yield here for the twelve preceding years was stated to have averaged 1,600 pounds an acre, and the price for the same period 18 cents a pound. In the former of these estimates a year of unusual harvest was omitted, and in the latter a year of exceptionally high price.

The area, as has been said before, increases every year. During the past season the thrifty farmers of the Chehalis Valley, in Eewis county y have begun the cultivation of hops, with, it is reported, encouraging success. On the eastern side of the mountains, at Yakima, the average is reported at three hundred. A journal of that valley states:

Yakima hops and all the crop here have found ready sale, and been received with high favor at Milwaukee, where the great brewers prefer them to any others grown in America, and pay for them 2)4 cents per pound more than those grown in any other locality. The peculiar ingredients of our volcanic ash soil, the dryness of our air, and our irrigation system (enabling moisture to be applied at the right time and in the proper quantity) contribute to the attainment of the high degree of excellence for which Yakima hops are now famed.

Stock Raising

Under this head I regret to say that I am not able to send you as full a report as I could desire, partly because of the limited time allowed for this document to be prepared in, and partly because of a certain defect in our Territorial laws. There is not, in this Territory, an enactment requiring that statistics of stock be returned by any officer. It is hoped, indeed, that our legislative body will remedy this soon, but at present there is no method by which any data can be obtained by lawT in respect to stock. In some cases the county assessors have voluntarily made returns of the number and the kinds of stock, but these have been infrequent instances.

It may be said that the breeding of horses and cattle is yet in its infancy here. It is true that in Eastern Washington the number of stock produced is very great, but it is only of late that the breeding of fine qualities of them has become common. Where a falling off in numbers is reported it is generally found that there has been an improvement in the breeds. That the Eastern Washington districts will soon cease to be a wide, unsettled cattle range is manifest from all reports. Thus, to quote from the assessor of Walla Walla county:

Of course the range is not as good as formerly, as the plow is turning down the bunch grass and the fence is driving out the stockmen. * * * Almost every

Since the county has begun to be occupied by settlers who are engaged in growing wheat and other cereals, many of the large stock growers in the county have[removed their large herds to localities not yet reached by settlers.

Still this district affords many wide ranges, and in some counties, as in Whitman, Spokane, and Eincoln, the sheep herds are reported to be exceedingly large. The raising of this stock is , from all accounts a rapidly growing industry.

charges have had the effect of turning the farmers from the production of grain to the culture of stock. But in most instances the interest in cattle and particularly in fine breeds, has naturally come of advancement in wealth, for where the neighborhoods are poor it will seldom be found that much interest is taken in the breeding of stock. The same reasons that I have given for the poverty of agricultural experiment in the past generation of our settlers may be given for the neglect of stock breeding. The first generation of settlers was too poor to invest much in a few expensive animals, when it was so difficult to have them transported here and when the markets were so distant.

Now our communities are growing richer, and besides, there is a decided increase in the demand of the growing home markets. In consequence there are men of means to import fine breeds, and at the same time the poorer farmers are encouraged to invest something in this way, by seeing markets immediately before them. From nearly all counties come reports that some breed has lately been introduced.

Some have gone regularly into the breeding of fine stock as an exclusive occupation. At Spokane Falls the breeding of the Short Horn and Polled Angus is carried on.

The breeding of horses is also growingto bean important part of our rural industries. It is, like cattle breeding however, as yet in its infancy. Of the most costly ventures in this line is the importation direct from England of the Suffolk Punch horse. This large breed has proved very well adapted to the climate of Western Washington, in Eewis county, where it has been introduced. The Cleveland Bay and the English shire horse has been brought into Skagit county from Illinois.

A gentleman of unusual experience in the cultivation of stock in various parts of the world expresses the opinion that the day is not far distant when we ' 'shall be as world-renowned for our equine productions as Kentucky. At the present we are free frbm contagious diseases, but it would be sound policy to keep a strict quarantine upon our borders, as these evils will not originate here, but are brought here from the East. ' '

The shipment of stock from Eastern Washington is very considerable to the Eastern States and Territories, even at times taxing the facilities of the railways. The grazing in that district is on the so-called "bunch grass," which even in winter, though apparently dead and without nutriment, sustains cattle. They often crop it through the snows and fare well upon it. Mentioning the snow of Eastern Washington, it is proper to add here that very little disaster to stock on account of it is reported from that part of the Territory. The notions commonly entertained that Eastern Washington is a region of Dakota cold are, as I have said elsewhere, quite erroneous. The winters, though sometimes exceedingly frosty, are always much shorter than those of Dakota and Montana, nor do the snows lie nearly so long. These are removed, after a brief stay, by the

Chinook wind. In western Washington the grazing is on a turf which, in the opinion of travelers, is equaled only by that of Ireland. The grass on the Pacific side of the Territory is a beautiful green during the entire year, rarely suffering either from frost or from drought. Two acres, in some places one acre, of bottom land will sustain a horse. Instances of even more luxuriant herbage are credibly reported. Much grazing is had for their stock by new settlers upon unoccupied claims, a claim being particularly desired for this purpose that has no settlers near at hand.

Forests And The Production Of Dumber

By far the largest article of export is the yellow and red fir, which are generally classed as "Oregon Pine" in price-lists of California and foreign dealers. The trees from which this product is obtained reach 12 feet in diameter and 300 feet in height, in exceptional cases, but the ordinary saw-logs of commerce range from 24 to 60 inches in diameter. A large proportion of these logs is clear-stuff, and is made into deck planks, flooring, siding, and other articles, with the grain of the wood vertical, so that they wear without splintering, and do not crack readily when exposed to the sun or weather. This wood is also used for bridges, ship's timbers, and railway construction, and for spars and piles. It is most excellent for all these purposes and as a general building lumber on account of its nail-holding qualities. This lumber is known and has a favorable reputation in nearly every port of the Pacific ocean and in many of those on the Atlantic, both in America and Europe.

The white and red cedar is not so abundant, and yields only a small per cent, of clear-stuff, but the lumber is very durable and light, and is not very susceptible to atmospheric changes, which makes it desirable for the manufacture of sash, doors, and blinds, and for finishing lumber and moldings. It is also the most superior wood for shingles, and is holding first rank in all the markets where it can be carried by water or rail. These shingles possess the quality, common to all the saw-mill products of the Territory, of being grained edge or vertical grained. On account of the possession of this quality they will not materially warp in the sun and will not readily split under the hammer. On account of its durability it is much sought after for fence and telegraph posts.

Spruce and larch are often superior in size to the firs, and make very beautiful lumber, but for reasons not readily explainable are of very limited uses. The spruce is inodorous and is largely used for packing-cases and dunnage on that account. It is also made into ladders, furniture, churns, sign-boards, oars, and brackets.

The larch is not so well known, being found in more inaccessible places, but from all appearances must eventually be a formidable rival of the cedars and pines for sash, doors, and blinds, and other finishing material. It takes a fine polish, is close grained, of good color, and the trees being very large they yield a large percentage of clear and grainededge stuff. As railways for logging purposes extend back into the mountains more of this timber (which grows on high altitudes) will be available, and it will doubtless then be quoted in the markets and have well-defined uses.

White fir is an inodorious wood, and is comparatively free from gums and pitch, and is used largely for shelving and also as a cheap finishing material. It is not durable when exposed to be alternately dry and wet, and it is therefore used principally for inside work.

Hemlock has no defined use as yet, but if, as alleged, mice and other vermin will not gnaw a hemlock board, it must come into use for granaries, pantry drawers, apd for packages for breadstuffs and meats.

Alder and maple exist in considerable quantities on the river bottoms of Western Washington, and are used principally for the manufacture of cheap furniture.

Ash and oak are found in abundance on the bottom-lands, and are largely used for fire- wood. A Small percentage of the trees will make saw logs, but the lumber is not considered superior for the purposes for which oak and ash are commonly used. Whether this is owing to the prejudices of wood-workers or to actual inferiority in the material appears to be an open question.

White pines grow on high altitudes, and are found with the larch, over considerable areas on the upper benches of the Cascade Mountains. It takes higher rank than the white pine of the Hast, as it is obtainable in larger sizes and will yield wider and longer boards.

The cottonwoods grow to the size of three feet across the stump, and are used principally for making barrel material, excelsior, and paper pulp.

The bull pine, yellow pine, and tamarack grow on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range and generally throughout Eastern Washington. They make a quality of lumber inferior to the products of the western slopes of the Cascades and the Coast Range, but that appears to answer the local demand for rough lumber and fencing materials.

I give in a statement below, the total capacity of the saw-mills of the Territory, so far as statistics could be obtained. I believe the capacity of the mills is underestimated, but whether or not their output will reach the same figure I have no means of determining. It would seem, however, that the allowance of two full months of twenty-six days, that has been made for lost time, would be sufficient to equalize the totals.

The operations of logging, towing, manufacturing, loading and discharging vessels, stacking in yards, and utilizing offals will employ at least two men for every thousand feet of lumber produced. This industry, therefore, gives wages to 4,964 men.

I have not been able to obtain figures for this year in regard to the number and destination of coastwise and foreign cargoes, but in 1886, according to tables in the San Francisco Journal of Commerce, a good authority, 200,000,000 feet of lumber were sent to California, and the amounts set out in table below to other parts, from Puget Sound alone.

From all this it will readily be seen that the lumber industry of Washington Territory is by no means in its infancy, but that the constantly increasing demand for her forest products will require larger milling capacity each year is not doubted.

Education

Prof. Iy. E. Follansbee, of Olympia, furnishes me the following information concerning academies and colleges. Only those are mentioned that have already their own buildings:

The Annie Wright Seminary is a school for young ladies, at the same place, and is in a flourishing condition. Both this and the last-named institution are under the supervision and control of the Protestant Episcopal Church.

Puget Sound Academy, at Coupville, in Island County, is a Congregational school, and is growing into popularity in the lower part of the Sound district.

Olympia Collegiate Institute is in a prosperous condition, at the capital. It is under the charge of the Methodist Episcopal Conference of Puget Sound.

Whitman College, the center of education in Eastern Washington, and a credit to the Territory, is at Walla Walla. It has an enrollment of 150 students and a fine library.

There is at Walla Wplla a thriving business school. The Sisters of the Catholic orders, have prosperous schools at Olympia, Vancouver, Seattle, Walla Walla, Yakima, and Spokane Falls.

The convent of the Sisters of Providence, at Vancouver, is probably the largest school building in the Territory. It is a boarding and day school for girls.

Many of the schools are for the joint education of young women and young men. The leading schools for young women, however, seem to be exclusively for that sex. Though I am unable to give details in each instance, for want of returns, I may mention one or two institutions more particularly, to show how far advanced private education is in the Territory. The Annie Wright Seminary of Tacoma, reports, in the fourth year of its existence, an endowment of $50,000 and 100 pupils. The academy of the Holy Names, at Seattle, for young ladies, has a site and a building, the estimated cost of which is $75,000. The present attendance is reported at no.

Tabor Supply

No adequate reports upon upon the subject of labor have been sent in, and it is not possible to give any statistics upon it. Requests for information were mailed to the secretaries of several of the labor organizations, but only from two or three were any replies obtained.

At the present writing it is clear that the labor supply is hardly, upon the whole, equal to the demand. During the past summer the degree of building has been much greater than for two years previous, while the laboring classes had, in the late dull times, wandered into other districts. As yet the return of the former surplus has not begun, so that very few who are here at present need long remain idle. Indeed, there can now be observed at times in applicants for employments a fastidiousness that was very rare last summer. The price of labor has correspondingly increased. A newspaper states that on the first two days of a certain week one hundred and seventeen men were sent to work upon the railways at $2. 75 a day. The average workman is reported to be in demand at from $2.25 to $3.50 a day, "and more in some classes of skilled work." At the same place servant girls are wanted at $15 a month and more, and in hotel service at from $20 to $25 a month.

In short, the laboring classes in the towns are in very fair demand. In addition to the erection of many private structures the railway improvements in various parts of the Territory have called for many workmen. The lumber mills are active, and the logging camps. Advertisements for workmen are common on the streets of our principal cities.

In the rural districts the need of workmen is, of course, much less at most times of the year; and from these quarters the reports are that the demand and supply are about equal. Yet even there the supply is, in places, inadequate. I quote from the auditor of Yakima county:

The labor supply is limited. Great difficulty is experienced in procuring any and all kinds of labor, Indians do the hop picking chiefly. A few Chinamen are employed in the county for the want of white labor. Skilled mechanics are few in number, and farm laborers are in demand at all seasons of the year, particularly during the spring and summer months.

From these two reports, from counties on either side of the mountains, it is clear that, even in the rural districts, the supply is not above the demand. In Clallam, a somewhat remote county, the superintendent of schools states that work can be had there by all who come.

How far the railway enterprise and the building of the present may affect this state of things, and how liable we are to relapse into a scarcity of labor, it is hard to predict. The secretary of the Knights of Tabor at Tacoma communicates as follows:

At the present time there is a considerable amount of work going on, which may be considered exceptional. The extension of the railroad and wharves, new warehouses for storing wheat, and street grading, etc. , have created quite a demand for carpenters and ordinary laborers; but the supply is fairly equal to the demand, and the wages are good. In a month or so, as this work is nearing completion, there will be a considerable surplus of laborers and mechanics. In winter there will be at least two-thirds of the laboring population out of employment. It has been so, to my knowledge, for the past two winters.

How far this prediction will prove true remains to be seen. That there will be less work during the winter than at present is very probable, but whether the falling off will be as marked as heretofore is questionable. During the past two winters referred to, the dullness in our chief industry of lumber was very great, but the very opposite is now true in respect to it.

The Chinese continue to be the house servants in the larger and in many of the smaller towns. As washermen they are nearly universal in places of all sizes. There has been a general belief that white women could not be found who would do these tasks, after the employment had been degraded by its falling exclusively into the hands of the Chinese. But in Tacoma, where none of this race are permitted to stay, the young women have readily taken their places.

For the following custom-house statistics I am indebted to the Hon. Quincy A. Brooks, collector of the port at Port Townsend, and to Capt. E. N. Biondi, agent of the board of underwriters of San Francisco and marine surveyor at Port Townsend:

Since the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway a large amount of business that formerly was transacted through this collection district has been deflected.

The surplus products of the eastern part of the Territory are shipped by way of Portland, thus swelling the exports of Oregon at the expense of this Territory.

The value of the large herds of horses, cattle, and sheep that are annually driven and shipped direct by rail also naturally lessens the value of our exports.

The central office of the collection district of Puget Sound is at Port Townsend, Jefferson county, with sub-ports at Roche Harbor and O'Sooyoos.

The number of steam vessels registered at the custom-house is 104, with an aggregate tonnage of 11,582.32, an increase of 14 since last report. These vessels only ply upon the waters of Puget Sound to supply the local need. The steamers that ply between Sound ports and San Francisco, Portland, and Alaska are all registered either in San Francisco or Portland.

There are 168 vessels of all kinds documented at the custom-house, with an aggregate tonnage of 40,306, During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887, 994 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 539,597, of which 155 were coasters and 839 foreign, were entered.

There were 26 new vessels built, and 3 rebuilt, during the year, of which 12 were steam-vessels, with a tonnage of 1,002.43, aud x7 sailing vessels, with a tonnage of 4,464.31. Total tonnage, 5,466.74.

During the year salmon and miscellaneous merchandise to the value of $59,415 passed through in transit. Since July 1 and prior to September 1, 1887, tea and silk valued at $53,065, salmon $59,071, have been imported in transit. Railroad iron, steel rails, two cargoes, value $87,000, duty $65,000, have been received.

Territorial Banks

Besides these national and Territorial there are many private banks of which the following is thought to be a correct list: Coffman & Allen,

Of the preceding as well as of the Territorial bank no statistics are obtainable. The private banks are of course, like any other partnerships, free from public inquiry. The Territorial though incorporated, are organized under general statutes and are not required to publish any statements. It may be added here that it is only within the past two years that the Territory has been permitted by Congress to incorporate any banking institutions.

Precious Metaus

The mining of precious metals in the Territory, there is no longer hazard in predicting, will now begin upon an extensive scale. Recent explorations and tests have conclusively shown that Eastern Washington has at least three fields of rich deposits. Already many claims have been entered, many routes of transportation arranged, and great reduction works are in course of erection.

The Colville district is reached by stage. The southern boundary of the district on the stage road is at Chawelah (60 miles from Spokane Falls), and the district may be said practically to extend from there northward to the Columbia, and up the Columbia to the forty-ninth parallel. The prevailing country rock is limestone, the prevailing mineral argentiferous galena. The first silver mines in the Colville district were discovered in 1858, at a point near the mouth of the Colville river known as Rickey Hill. Several thousand dollars' worth of work was done at the time, but the region was too far from an ore market. Work has recently been recommenced at the same place, and the property is looking well. The next discoveries were made in 1882, and comprised the group of mines now owned by the Spokane Mining and Smelting Company at Argentum. About 600 feet of underground work has been done, the largest tunnel being 270 feet.

The next discoveries were in the summer of 1883, in the Summit region, which is on the divide between the Colville and Columbia Rivers, some 20 miles southwest from Colville. The ores here are gray copper, running from 40 to 60 ounces, with 40 per cent, of lead. Some 500 feet of underground work has been done on these claims, the deepest shaft being down 1 20 feet. The principal mines in the vicinity are the Summit, Iridescent, Sheba, Agnes, Ancon, Chloride, and Wellington. The Daisy mine, lying 7 miles northwest from the Summit, contains a fine body of carbonate ore, running 80 ounces. A ioo-foot tunnel has been driven into it, and work is still progressing.

In the summer of 1884 a number of fine discoveries were made at Embrey, which is two miles east of the present town of Chawelah. But little work has been done upon these claims, yet all look promising. One claim, the Enterprise, shows croppings which run as high as 250 ounces per ton. The principal mines here are the Silver Gem, Ona, Bonanza Chief, Enterprise, and Fred B.

The most important discovery yet made in the Colville district was that of the old Dominion, in April, 1885. It is situated 6 miles east of Colville. It is a contact vein, between limestone and granite, the ore being chloride and galena. The first-class ore sorted for shipment has averaged $240 per ton. Over 100,000 tons of ore have been shipped from this mine, which has been self-sustaining, not a dollar of capital having been put in it. The mine is still producing steadily, and the large dump of second-class ore which has accumulated will be hauled to the smelter at Colville as soon as it is in operation.

The Okanagan Mines

The Okanagan or Salmon River district is reached by the stage from Spokane Falls, via Davenport, Grant Center, and Condon's Ferry over the Columbia. On the completion of the Spokane Falls and Columbia Railroad, it will be reached by rail and steamer to Condon's Ferry, and thence by stage. The distance from Spokane Falls to Condon's Ferry, is 120 miles; from the Ferry to Ruby City or Salmon City is 40 miles. The stage trip from Spokane Falls to Salmon City occupies three days, the stages running in daylight only. It may also be reached by stage from Ellensburg, which town competes with Spokane Falls for the trade of these mines.

The first mines discovered in this district were galena and carbonate deposits, which were found on the Similkimene River, and about Osoyoos

Lake. Although assaying well, they were so far from an ore market that but little attention was paid to them. The prospecting gradually drifted southward, and in May, 1886, the first mines were discovered on the Salmon River, which is a tributary of the Okanagan, emptying into that river from the west, at a point 30 miles from the Columbia. In September, 1886, additional discoveries were made at a point 4 miles south of the first ores, and these two groups called, respectively, Salmon City and Ruby City are the present centers of attraction. The limestone, which is the principal rock in the Pend d' Oreille, Kootenai, Metaline, and Colville districts, disappears some 3 miles east of Salmon River, and the formation is granite, syenite and porphyry. At Ruby it consists almost entirely of the last two. The ore at Salmon is galena, gray copper, and a little chloride and sulphuret ores. It is all high grade, and, with the exception of the chloride, is all concentrating ore. The deepest shafts are not down over 50 feet, but enough ore has already been developed to warrant the introduction of Machinery, and the owners of the Homestake and the Tough Nut have already made arrangements with Tacoma parties to put in a concentrator. The principal claims are the La Kuna, Columbia, Homestake, Tough Nut, Hidden Treasure, Pointer, Lone Star, Golden Crown, Lady of the Lake, Kureka, Washington, Ida May, and Wellington. The ores run from 40 to 400 ounces, and the concentrators can readily be made to run 200 to 2,000 ounces per ton.

At Ruby one of the largest veins of quartz known in the northern regions has been discovered and partially opened. It has been traced continuously for miles, and, from the discoveries made each way from this line of claims, it is apparently 7 miles in length. It is a fissure vein in porphyry and syenite, running a little east of north, and pitching nearly vertical. It varies in width from 5 to 25 feet, the quartz carrying principally sulphuret and native silver, with a very little galena. It is essentially a concentrating ore, and assays from 100 to 500 ounces. The deepest shaft of the ledge is on the First Thought claim, 60 feet. Permanent water level has been reached without any change in the quality of the ore. Work is progressing steadily on several of the other claims, notably the Arlington, Ruby, Fourth of July, Cleopatra, and Famous, with uniformly good results. The mineral already laid bare in the Arlington stamps it as one of the leading silver mines of the Northwest. In addition to the main vein, there are several side veins all carrying the same class of mineral, some of which have been traced for 2 miles in length. The principal claims at Ruby are the Colville, Black Hills, Blue Bird, Peacock, Gray Wing, War Eagle, Idaho, Poorman, Fairview, Cleopatra, First Thought, Delta, Bay Horse, Monitor, Arlington, Pomeroy, Woohoomooloo, Hula, Arizona, Buckeye, Ruby, California, May, and Spokane.

The fact of its being sulphuret ore, running so high in silver and so easy of concentration, effectually solves the transportation problem, and capital has already been attracted to these mines. It will be one of the prominent camps of the Northwest before the close of the year. The Okanagan is a beautiful region, abounding in grazing lands, lakes and forests, and a more picturesque mining district or a more agreeable climate would be hard to find.

Iron

That bog-iron ore exists in immense quantities is a matter beyond all doubt, and the efforts of our people have been, not so much to discover and prove the possession of this metal as to make it accessible. The present year of railroad development has brought these ample deposits within our reach. In the coming twelve months it is quite probable the beginning of extensive factories will have been made.

The principal deposits of iron ore, as far as is yet known, are in the eastern county of Kittitass and the western counties of Jefferson, King, and Pierce. There are known to be others in the Puget Sound district, but their extent is not yet ascertained. The Kittitass County deposit is at Cle-elum and is easily tapped by the Northern Pacific Railroad. The deposits of King and Pierce Counties are now regularly aimed at by this railway, and by the Seattle, Take Shore and Eastern Railway, which is already under contract to be laid to the Snoqualmie Pass.

Near the last-named point is what is known as the Iron Mountain, where veins of magnetic iron ore are found varying in thickness from 6 to 150 feet. Assays of this have shown only a small proportion of sulphur. Of the deposits at Cle-elum, I have been able to get no data that can be relied upon, and I can only state that they are reported to be the equal of the Snoqualmie iron riches. Nothing but want of transportation has retarded the development of a prodigious industry in this metal, and this transportation is now at hand. When we consider these treasures of iron, the fact that deposits of coal and limestone are at hand, and all within a short distance of many harbors, as fine as any others in the world, it is not to be wondered at that capital is rapidly seeking this region for manufactures.

Other Minerals

Limestone is found in large quantities in the counties of Pierce and San Juan. There is in the former county a coal that has been found of high quality for coke. Sandstone is in great quarries in Whatcom and Pierce Counties, as well as in King and some others.

The Salmon Fisheries

One of the leading industries of Washington Territory is the salmon fisheries of the Columbia River, Shoalwater Bay, Gray's Harbor, and Puget Sound.

sued from the earliest period of settlement; and those who engaged in the business derived considerable profit, for the fish were easily caught, and all materials used were cheap, while there was a ready demand for the product at fair prices.

This wealth of fish in the rivers of the West was one of the strongest arguments advanced for holding it against the British during the "50° 40' or fight" agitation, from 1840 until it culminated in the settlement of our title to the line of 490 north latitude. Many men from the State of Maine came here to pursue this industry, and did so with profit, as stated above, in a comparatively small way until about 1865 or 1866, when the first experiment of preserving salmon fresh, in hermetically sealed cans, was tried on the Columbia River. The fish were of the very best variety, called Chinook. They were very fat; were taken shortly after leaving salt-water; were so abundant that only the finest specimens need be used, and great pains were taken in putting them up. On all of these accounts the Columbia river canned salmon, as an article of luxury, rose into immediate favor all over the world, and owing to the great demand commanded a very high price. The pioneers in the business, in consequence, made money very rapidly, and the large profits induced others to embark in similar enterprises. So that the business was rapidly developed, and has for the past sixteen years given employment to several thousand men and a very large amount of capital. At the present time it is claimed that six thousand persons and more than $2,000,000 are required to conduct the different operations on the Columbia river alone.

As the business increased in importance canneries were started on all the rivers along the coast, from those putting into San Francisco Bay to those of Alaska in the far north. In this Territory the streams putting into Shoalwater Bay, Gray's Harbor, and Puget Sound are utilized, and salmon are taken with gill and purse nets in the open bays and sounds.

In order to show the magnitude of this business I quote the following table from the Daily Oregonian, of Portland Oregon, of August 11, 1887:

This, it should be remembered, represents the value of salmon packed in cans since the beginning of the canning industry, in 1866. It takes no'

I have not been able to obtain information from the fisheries of Puget Sound, as my requests to the fishermen for information have not been acted upon in time for this report.

From an elaborate statement furnished by Mr. B. A. Seaborg, of Ilwaco, I obtain the following figures of an average season on Shoalwater Bay and Gray's Harbor:

Amount Paid For Eabor Totae Packed

By the enactment olf proper laws regulating the taking of fish and their strict inforcement it is reasonable to suppose that our rivers will continue to yield at this rate for an indefinite length of time. Heretofore the laws have been defective, and, on that account, have been difficult of enforcement; and in consequence of wasteful and extravagant methods grave fears have arisen that the supply of salmon would become exhausted. It is hoped that the legislature of this Territory will this winter amend the statutes in the interest of the preservation of the industry, and that all those who depend upon it will assist in their rigid enforcement.

Ship-Building

Ship-yards, with facilities for the construction of large vessels, exist at nearly all the large milling establishments and at Seattle and Tacoma, on Puget Sound, at Gray's Harbor and Shoalwater Bay, and at Skomokawa, on the Columbia River.

The industry has been very greatly stimulated during the last year to meet a demand for vessels in the lumber-carrying trade. Timber ships, for convenience of storage, are built generally with one deck,, and to meet this exigency must be unusually well timbered and supplied with knees. All raw materials for their construction are found here, and the number of skilled workmen is every year growing greater. The industry has become so permanent that most of the yards are putting in expensive special machinery and all modern appliances for saving labor and securing accuracy of design.

As most vessels built here are intended for coasters, the tendency of late has been to the schooner rig, three and four masts being put into some of them.

A large proportion of the later additions to the lumber fleet have auxiliary steam power, and are enabled by means thereof to make many more voyages than heretofore. The yellow fir of the north Pacific coast ranks next to oak for strength and durability, and constitutes excellent material for ship-building. The young growth of this wood can be obtained in any length and of any size, for spars, keels, and kelsons. The keel of a steam schooner now on the stocks at Skomokawa is 16 by 19 inches square and 1 50 feet long. The stick from which it was hewn was 150 feet long, 4^ feet in diameter at the butt, and 2 feet at the top. Planks for the sides of vessels can be obtained of great length and very straight grain; and deck planks, made from the very large trees handled by our mills, are sawed so that the grain of the wood is verticle, this causing it to wear without splintering. There are about 800 men employed in shipbuilding in this Territory at present, and more could find employment readily.

The number of vessels of various kinds built during the fiscal year, as shown by the report of the custom-house at Port Townsend, is 29, and their net tonnage 4,854.36 against 14 vessels and 1,642.29 tons in 1885, the date of last report. I have advices of ships that are to be put on the stocks during the next fiscal year that will raise the figures of this year very considerably, not only as to number of craft of different rigs and means of propulsion, but as to average net tonnage.

There is great need of a dry-dock on Puget Sound, not only to accommodate our commercial marine, but for the use of Government vessels; and it is to be hoped that, as the questions of rehabilitating our Navy and increasing our means of coast defence are now being prominently considered, the strategic importance of the coast of Washington Territory, it being on the borders of a possible belligerent and in proximity to a formidable naval station of a foreign power, will not be overlooked.

I am indebted to Mr. Henry Bucey, president of the Washington Horticultural Society, for the following general article upon the horticulture of the Territory:

But in order to describe the Territory properly as regards its adaptation to horticultural pursuits, it will be necessary to divide the Territory nearly north and south by the Cascade range of mountains and designate the parts as Eastern and Western Washington. The eastern portion is principally prairie land covered with bunch grass; this land is very fertile and produces an almost incredible amount of cereals. But along the water-courses of eastern Washington, not only of the Columbia river which drains that country, but along nearly all streams tributary to it, can be found fine land and climate for growing apples, pears, plums, cherries, and in some places peaches are grown very successfully and profitably, while small fruit growing is made immensely profitable. Grapes and melons are also produced here in great abundance, melons growing to perfection upon prairie lands.

The cause of these particularities being so favorable to fruit culture is attributed to the influence of the warm winds from the Japan current, which sweeps across the

Pacific Ocean in a northeasterly course from the South Sea Islands, striking the shores of Oregon and Washington. These winds blow up the Columbia river and other channels tributary to the ocean, until their influence is lost by coming in contact with cold air at certain altitudes.

That this is considered the true cause and theory is further demonstrated from this fact: That on certain localities on the Columbia river and on other water-courses where the river suddenly curves, and there is low land on one side and high on the other, which somewhat arrests the current of air and causes an accumulation at this point, it will be found that those places are admirably adapted to growing peaches and grapes and other less hardy fruits, in great abundance and of excellent quality. Yet this section of country is somewhat like some of the Eastern States; it is occasionally subject to severe frost in the winter and early spring, killing both fruit and trees.

The Walla Walla, Yakima, Snake River, and other valleys are famous for producing fruits; and those engaged in fruit raising in these localities find it very profitable, as high prices are obtained from home demand.

Western Washington is more favorably adapted to fruit culture generally, as the mild climate of this section, being free from the severe frost of winter and the hot and dry weather of the summer, makes it in every respect the natural home of the apple, pear, plum, prune, and cherry, which small fruits grow in great abundance, except the grape, which does only moderately well.

This section of country justly deserves the reputation accorded to it for the production of fine apples, as all those fine and popular varieties which are so difficult to product elsewhere grow to perfection here with but ordinary care. The trees grow thriftily and bear young; overbearing is a thing to be guarded against, and handpicking and shaking must be resorted to.

This is the natural climate and soil for the pear, and the fruit produced here is in size and quality, perfection. And as the pear.growing district of the United States is more limited and restricted by reason of pear blight and other diseases and causes, the production of this fruit alone in this section will be immensely profitable.

The production of plums and prunes in Western Washington is the wonder and astonishment of all who visit its orchards and gardens; for size, quality, and quantity they can not be surpassed by any country. There is no insect to prey upon the fruit or the tree, and the fruit is perfect. The tree grows vigorously and bears early. A profit of $600 per acre has been realized from a prune orchard of ten-year-old trees. Prune raising, especially in what is called the Sound country, is destined in the near future to become one of the leading industries. As this section of country is continually under the influence of the Japan current, making the winters mild and the summers not exceedingly hot, I expect to see in the near future numerous drying houses and fruit canneries located on Puget Sound. The cherry also is grown here to perfection, from the Early Richmond for tarts to the sweet and delicious Elton and Royal Ann. The trees bear so heavily that the cherries completely encircle the branches, forming in appearance a rope of cherries. The trees grow more thriftily than any other fruit trees, and the cherries are superior in size and quality; all fine varieties of cherries do well here.

The peach has not been successfully grown here, yet some seasons fine fruit of this species is produced. I do not consider this a good climate, generally speaking, for growing the peach or the grape; but for all kinds of small fruit, such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, and cranberries, this country can not be excelled. The cranberry is now being successfully and profitably cultivated wherever tried, and strawberries were raised here this last season that measured 7 inches in circumference, several tons of fine berries being raised to the acre. To those engaged, or who contemplate engaging in fruit raising in this country the future is very promising, owing to the superior advantages afforded for marketing all fruits. The completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad has opened to market all the country east as far as Chicago, and steamer transportation to foreign counties will give us a vast market for all dried and canned fruits that we can raise, making overproduction impossible.

In order to advance and encourage fruit raising throughout the Territory, there was organized in the city of Tacoma, on March 15, 1887, the Horticultural Society, composed of the leading horticulturists of the Territory. Henry Bucey was elected president, and Ezra Meeker vice-president; the former resides in Tacoma, the latter in Puyallup. The society has printed in neat form its constitution and by-laws, which provide for the organization of branch societies in the various horticultural districts of the Territory. Many branch societies have been organized in Eastern and Western Washington, and much good is being accomplished through this society.

The first semi-annual meeting of the society was held at the city of Tacoma, on June 29, 1887, and continued till July 6. The meeting was held in a large tent, purchased by the society for that purpose, in which, also, an exhibit of the horticultural products of the Territory was had.

The display of fruit, flowers, and vegetables was grand, and it would have been a credit to any of the older fruit-producing States of the Union. The fruits were displayed upon branches, both ripe and unripe; and most of the popular varieties of the various fruits that are grown in the Middle and Northern States were well represented.

Apples. - Baldwin, Esopus, Spitzenberg, Early Harvest, Fall Pippin, Rhode Island Sweetning, Red Astrachan, Telopky, Blue Pearmain, Yellow and Red Bellflower, Gravenstien, Duchess of Oldenburg, Waxen, Walbridge, Vandiver, July Bough, Harvest Queen, Golden Russett, Wagoner, King of Tompkins County, Red and Sweet June, English Russett, Lady Apple.

To lovers of flowers Washington Territory presents an inviting field. The mountains and prairies of Eastern Washington are beautifully decorated in the spring with numerous wild flowers, both plants and shrubs; and nearly all flowers grown in the Middle or Northern States can be very successfully grown here.

But the mild climate of Western Washington makes it indeed "flower land." Nearly all flowers that can be grown north of the thirty-fifth parallel of latitude can be grown here. Roses do well in out-door culture; even the Marechal Neil rose will stand the winters here, and a climbing rose would soon cover a house if permitted to grow unpruned. All kinds of flowering bulbs do well; even the gladiolus can be left out during the winter. The hyacinth grows so well that a florist living in Pierce county has made their cultivation a specialty, and the hyacinths produced in his gardens are superior to those imported from Holland. This industry is destined to be one of importance here, for growing hyacinths for commercial purposes can be made very profitable.

Undeveeoped Resources

Very few of the resources of this Territory can be said to be fully developed, so nearly all the vast list could come under this head; but I will only mention a few.

What is needed just now is capital to develop the very extensive and valuable iron mines. These are in proximity to lime and coal, and all are convenient to tide-water.

On the upper Skagit River are said to be extensive quarries of the finest marble. Specimens shown to me as coming from there were suitable for statuary.

There are mines of gold and silver, lead, copper and other minerals that are pronounced to be vaster in extent and richer than those of Cceur d'Alene in Idaho. These are at present comparatively inaccessible, but projected railways will soon reach them.

Off the coast of Washington Territory are banks that afford the finest cod and halibut fishing. The difficulty in utilizing them arises from the fact that the banks extend into British waters, and American vessels are not permitted to follow the migratory fishes to the northward. This circumstance practically destroys the value of the fisheries for both nations, as the banks extend along the coasts of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska, and the schools of fish are constantly changing their position. Vessels, if not permitted to follow them, must therefore, be alternately busy and idle for uncertain periods.

Petroleum is believed to exist under the Puget Sound Basin, and experts have stated it will certainly be found in paying quantities whenever borings are made to the proper depth.

Thousands of acres of the richest lands that are overflowed only by the highest tides exist on Puget Sound, Gray's Harbor, Shoalwater Bay, and the Columbia river. These lands are easily diked, and, when so protected, yield almost incredible quantities of oats, hay, and other crops.

Targe areas of bottom lands are covered with the cottonwoods out of which paper-pulp is made, and the limited number of mills for using it now in operation are paying investments.

Forests of larch and white pine, finer and more extensive than any yet opened by loggers, exist in remote localities where railroads of considerable length must be constructed to move their products.

Hemlock bark for tanning purposes may be readily and cheaply obtained, and also other raw materials for the manufacture of leather. The few tanneries in the Territory are paying profits to their owners.

The following information concerning the public-land laws for the disposal of Government lands in Washington Territory may be useful to the intending immigrant:

The register and receiver act as agents for the Government, and patents will be issued for all lands sold or otherwise disposed of by them, if approved by the Commissioner of the General Eand Office, Washington, D. C.

Timber lands are those not fit for cultivation, being chiefly valuable for the timber, 160 acres of which can be purchased without residence and improvement for $2.50 per acre; also lands valuable for stone can be purchased under the same act of June 3, 1878.

Within the limits of railroad grants only the even numbered sections are disposed of by the Government, and these are known as double-minimum land, and when entered under the pre-emption law the price is $2.50 per acre.

Every citizen of the United States who is over twenty-one years of age, or the head of a family, can take a 160 acres of the public lands (aggricultural) by establishing a residence thereon and cultivating the same in good faith as a home for five years from the date of settlement; or if, after six months' residence and cultivation, such persons so desire, they may commute their homestead claim by paying the Government price therefor, or if a soldier or sailor, who, having served in the Army or Navy of the United States during the recent rebellion, has been honorably discharged, the time of his service will be deducted from the five years' residence required. . But in such cases a residence of one year* on the land becomes necessary before patent will be issued.

The Pre-Emption Eaw

Ond hundred and sixty acres can be taken of agricultural land; qualification as to age and citizenship is the same as under the homestead law. The claimant must not be the owner of 320 acres of land, nor leave land of his own in this Territory (town lot excepted) in order to settle upon a pre-emption claim, nor take such claim for the purpose of speculation instead of residence and cultivation.

He may change his pre-emption filing to a homestead by making proper application to the land office. Not less than six months' residence and improvement are required by law before payment can be made.

On offered lands the declaratory statement must be filed within thirty days and the final proof made within one year from the date of settlement. On unoffered lands the declaratory statement must be filed within three months and the final proof made within thirty-three months from the date of settlement.

Amount of land 160 acres. Rand must be devoid of timber. During the first year at least 5 acres must be plowed. The second year said 5 acres must be actually cultivated to crop and a second 5 acres plowed. The third year the first 5 acres must be planted in timber, seeds, or cuttings, and the second 5 acres actually cultivated to crop. The fourth, year the second 5 acres must be planted in timber, seeds, or cuttings; making, at the end of the fourth year, 10 acres thus planted.

If the claim is less than 160 acres, the area plowed and planted will be in the same proportion as for 160 acres; that is, one-sixteenth of the claim. Not less than 2,700 trees must be planted on each acre to entitle the claimant to patent at the expiration of eight years from date of entry.

One person can purchase 160 acres of coal land. If within 15 miles of a complete railroad, the price is $20 per acre; if outside that distance, $10. An association of persons may purchase 320 acres, or an association of not less than four persons, who make an expenditure of $5,000 upon their claim, may purchase 640 acres, including their improvements.

Timber And Stone Eand Eaws

Rand chiefly valuable for timber and stone, by the act of June 3, 1878, can be purchased in this Territory for $2.50 per acre, area 160 acres; no residence or improvements necessary. Married women may make entries under this act.

PIERCE County was organized in the year 1852, area one thousand eight hundred square miles, a large proportion of which is heavily timbered land, but there is considerable area of rich land in the river and valley bottoms. It lies on either side of Puget Sound, and the lands adjacent to water frontage are admirably adapted to the raising of fruits, from the fact that frosts are less liable to injure the buds than on lands lying eight or ten miles back from the water. Most of the land lying between Tacoma, Steilacoom and the Nisqually river is gravelly prairie land, with scattering swamp and swale lands. The soil on this prairie generally is shallow and fit only for grazing in the spring and fall. It is dotted with a growth of young fir, with occasional cedar and scrub oak trees, and fresh water lakes, which gives it a picturesque appearance. Intrinsically these prairie lands have no value. The swamps, when drained, are highly productive. The chief agricultural portions of Pierce county are the Puyallup valley, the Stuck valley and the Upper White River valley. These are each treated in their turn.

Puyallup Valley

The population of Pierce county in 1885 was 11,565. In 1883 it was 6,177. The population now is not less than twenty thousand. The assessed valuation of Pierce county for 1885 was $5, 342, 889. For 1886 it was $6,098,908. In 1885 Pierce county ranked third in the Territory. This year it ranks second. The number of acres assessed in Pierce county is about one hundred and eighty thousand. The number of acres improved about ten thousand. Agricultural products show a yearly increasing ratio. The county is extending roads into the more remote portions of the county, and school accommodations are increasing as the country settles up. Good government land cannot now be found open to entry in Pierce county, except remote from towns and the railroad. PUYALLUP VALLEY.

The Puyallup valley lies on either side of the Puyallup river, which empties into Puget Sound near Tacoma. Its width varies from about five miles at the mouth of the river to less than a quarter of a mile thirty miles east from Tacoma. The main line of the Northern Pacific railroad traverses the whole length of the valley. This valley enjoys a reputation for hop culture second to no other section of the United States. The soil is an alluvial deposit, in some places mixed with sand, and is noted for its productiveness, The chief products raised are hops, hay, fruits and vegetables. The climate is too cool and moist for corn. The following statistics for the year 1886, referring to the hop culture of Pierce county, will

A large portion of the hops of Pierce county are marketed in London. The estimated cost of raising hops and putting them in the bale cured ready for market is from six to eight cents per pound. The chief town of the Puyallup valley is Puyallup, which is the center of the hop industry. Other towns in this valley, along the line of the Northern Pacific railroad are Alderton, Orting and South Prairie. At the head of the valley are located the famous coal mines of Carbonado, Wilkeson and South Prairie. The shipments frdm the Carbonado mine for the year 1886 were 176,330 tons. From the South Prairie mine there was shipped during the same year 55,- 220 tons. MoSt of these shipments were consigned to California. The total out-put for the Carbonado and South Prairie mines for the year aggregated 231,250 tons. The Tacoma Coal Company's mine at Wilkeson has not been in operation this year, the company being engaged in putting in coke ovens, of which about thirty are now in operation, with an output of twenty tons daily. The company will continue the construction of these ovens until one hundred of them are completed.

The Famous Stuck Valley

The Stuck river valley lies between the White and Puyallup rivers, and consists of a tract about two miles in width and seven to ten miles in length, lying about nine or ten miles east of Tacoma.

The soil of the Stuck valley is of great depth and consists of alluvial deposit, mixed with vegetable mould - the richest soil that can be found in any gountry on the globe. The Stuck creek is a small stream which branches off from the White river in King county and empties into the Puyallup. The valley was formerly the bed of an ancient stream - the hills on either side rising rather abruptly. The soil in this valley is most remarkable. In its wild state the ground is wet and covered with vine maple and alder undergrowth, or else with heavy, wild grass. When drained the soil is found to be rich, mellow and warm.

In working these lands the first thing to be attended to is the drainage, and this is easily accomplished by undertiling or open ditching - the latter being perhaps the least expensive; and one peculiarity of the ditches of the Stuck valley being that they do not cave in, even if cut to the depth of several feet. In a short time after this land is properly ditched it is ready to be prepared for cultivation. If covered with vine maple and alder growth, these are cut about a foot above the ground, and piled conveniently to be burned when dry. As soon as this slashing is done, the soil can be utilized at once with grass seed, and in two years' time the stumps and roots will have rotted so as to be pulled out bodily, while meantime the ground has been used for grazing. If the land is of the open kind it can be put under cultivation in one season with little or no delay after ditching.