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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1884)
THE WEST SHORE. 277 red brick in the Swiss style of architecture. They are reached by a substantial bridge across 'the bny. An obelisk of gray granite Btands at the foot of the well-kept lawn, erected in memory of Sir James Douglas, first Gov ernor of the colony. The buildings belonging to the Dominion, comprising the Custom House, Tost Office and Marine Hospital, are solid, serviceable structures. The school buildings and churches are also attractive edificoa The publio school, which is under the goneral supervision of a board of trustees and has an efficient corps of instructors, occupies a.two story brick building command ing a fine view of the harbor. The class rooms, play grounds, etc., are well appointed The school is main tained free of expense to the parents of children attend ing. A high school, where all the advanced grades are taught, occupies a lnrge and handsome brick edifice recently completed. From this school are graduated many of the teachers of the Province. There are several private seminaries, and a movement is now well pro gressed for the erection of commodious buildings in which to establish a college, under the auspices of the Anglican Church. The Sisterhood of St Ann have an excellent institution for the education of girls, occupying a large and attractive structure in the southern purlieus of the city. Eleven religious congregations, representing various denominations, are regularly organized, nearly all of them having good houses of worship. They are divided as follows: Two Anglican, one Ileformod Episco palian, two Roman Catholio, two Presbyterian, two Methodist, one Baptist and one Jewish synagogue. The general air of the city is one of neatness, cloanlinnss and quiet taste. The residences, notably that of the Lieutenant-Governor, are attractive and often elegant, faith as regards the buildings and their surroundings. Lawns are well kept, flowers abound on every side, and shado and fruit trees exist in profusion. Great building activ ity is now being displayed on all sides, faith in the matter of business structures and residences. A stock company has just subscribed 850,000 for the erection of an imposing opera house, which will be commenced im mediately. The Driard House will also begin the oroc tion of a building adjoining the one now occupied, which will give them double the present capacity. Tourists will find superior hotel accommodations in Victoria. Victoria is well served with newspapers, the various journals being large, well conducted and enterprising, furnishing complete local and telegraphio news. The Cohniat, daily and weekly, is the most oomploto estab lishment in the Northwest It occupies all of a now and handsome building recently erected by the proprietor, and does a goneral job printing business, a specialty being the printing of the hundreds of thousands of colored salmon laliels used by the canneries of British Columbia. The Slumlord is a well-established daily and weekly journal, and the Pout is an evening daily, well conducted. The Time, daily anil weekly, 1ms recently been founded, and exhibit enterprise, neatness and good businow ability in the management The Jlewura of BrMh Columbia is a monthly illustrated journal, devoted to the development of the Province, and is doing good work in mr.kicg known i'u uuVui.tMi Lulu ul homo and abroad. The city enjoys tho fullest mail, telegraph and tele, phone facilities, is connected with San Francisco by a regular line of stijamers, and with Portland by tho way of Puget Sound and tho Northern Pacific liailroad, and within two years will have direct communication with tho Eastern Provino b of the Dominion over the Canadian Pacific Railway. A splendid system of water supply has boon obtained at an oxicuso of $'2(X),(XM), water lieing brought from Elk Lake, seven miles distant An efficient fire brigade is thus enablod to furnish the fullest protec tion from oxtonsivo conflagrations. Coal and wood for fuel nre both plentiful and cheap, Gas works supply light foi both public and private uses, and several power f ul electrio lights aro susiondtHl uhhi high masts in different portions of the city, The Mechanics' Institute ' lias a valuable library and spacious reading room, and there are a number of fraternal and benevolent associa tions. Iron works, brass works, planing mills, soap works, boot and shoo factory, match factory, cigar fac tory, glovo factory and a number of other manufacturing industries nre in full operation. Pour banks and two express companies aro of great ussistanco in tho transac tion of business. Tho universal impression of all visitors to Victoria is that here will grow up a city, so combining commercial imiMirtanco with beauty of location and ele gance of apMiintments, as to mako it tho most attractive on tho Pacific Coast Tho town of EsquimaU is distant three and one-half miles from Victoria, and lies on a iieuiusula separating Esquimalt Harbor from tho Itoyal Roads. Tho super iority of its harbor facilities caused tho British Admiralty to select it for a naval station many years ago. Hero are an arsenal building, whore largo quantities of naval and ordnance supplies are stored, a naval hospital, a dock yard and a jiowdcr magazine, the latter on an island in tho northern portion of tho harbor. Tho Dominion Gov eminent is building an imuienso dry dock, tho second largest of the publio works undertaken lu tho Province. Its dimensions are: Length, 400 feet; depth, '20 feet; width of entrance, 00 feet It is being substantially built of concrete, facod with sandstone. Threo hundred and fifty thousand dollars have ul ready faien expended, and its completion is confidently expected within threo years. Esquimalt has two churches, a public school and a number of business buildings and residences. Its ad vantages as a terminal joiut for a railway aro well known snd appreciate!, and will soon lie utilized by tho con struction of tho Island Railway. The jiossibility of iU tiecoining the practical terminus of tho Canadian Paciflo is also facing considered In tho Esquimalt District aro tho agricultural dis tricts of Colwood, whero aro a publio school snd tho largo tannery of the Belmont Tanning and Boot ami Shoo Manufacturing Company; MuU:lionin, including the farm ing settlements of Rocky Point and Happy Valley; Hooke, containing a sawmill, barrel factory, numerous