The West Shoke.
VOL. 7-Na. 3.
L Saiul, rublUhr,
Wwlilniltiu St,
rortliind, Oregon, March, 1881.
THE LIVERPOOL OK THE PACIFIC.
Seattle, bears the same relation to the
commerce of the Pacific as Liverpool
sustains to the Atlantic ocean. Scuttle
w the great coal port of the Pacific and
hips more of the "black bonanza" to
San F rancisco in one week than nil the
other coal ports in Oregon, Washington
nd British Columbia do in a month.
During the past month the exports has
been unusually heavy, the bark Lizzie
Williams, being the smallest of eight
vessels dispatched thence within ten
days and her cargo was i.i.jo tons,
while .the largest was that of the
Alaska, 2,178 tons.
Seattle coal has become a deservedly
great favorite for household use in the
San Francisco market, for while it is
but a lignite formation it is the highest
lignite found on the coast. It contains
no more heating power or combustive
property than that found at Coos Hay,
but it is less brittle and makes less dust,
While it is by far less impregnated with
sulphur. 1 he chief mine is at New
castle, about 18 mile southeast of
Seattle, which has been worked with
the greatest success for the past seven
years. . The other mines arc the Talbot
and the Kenton, situated on Cedar
river, six miles southwest of Seattle.
This magnificent property is now owned
by the Oregon Improvement Co., of
which T. F. Oakcs is president. They
are preparing a line of steam colliers
for the transportation of coal to San '
Francisco, one of which the Wil. I
lamctte is already on her way around
Cape Horn to engage in the trade.
Our view of the stem-wheel fleet
alongside the Vesler wharf shows two
old Columbia river favorites the Otter
and Annie Stewart the others being
built on the Sound. The Dispatch,
Messenger, Fanny Lake, Zephyr and
Nellie, are all serviceable boats, though
inferior in size to our magnificent fleet
built by Gates & Holland for the
Oregon Steam Navigation Co. Yet
they have dono a great deal of good in
bringing the trade of Snohomish, Skagit
and other rivers to Seattle and amassed
neat little dividends for their owners.
The two finest boats on Puget Sound,
the George E.Starr and North Pacific,
were not in port when our illustration
was taken and as they do not arrive
there till after dark, our artist was
obliged to got along without them.
The coal wharf at the south end of
the city was built by the Scuttle and
Walla Walla Railroad Co., under
superintendence of James M. Column,
the best saw-mill man on this coast, if
there is one better than another. lie
saw that the greatest loss to coal miners
is in breakage and hence resolved iiHn
a new departure. Formerly the coal
was brought in on cars and dumped
rr tiwM. 1 Uatto mmtm
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, , . .; 11 m ufca
into a monster receptacle called a
hunker, to await the arrival of a ship
then it was again dumped into the
ship's hold, thus occasioning double
breakage In handling, Mr. Colman 'de
signed to handle the coal but once, and
hence he equipped the road with a vast
amount of rolling stock so as to shoot
1,200 tons of coal per day down a ship!
hatches. His design has been a com
plete success.
Seattle is tho most cosmoolitan of
all northern cities, for the supplies labor
and stores to all the milting ports.
Sailors who may be discharged else
where go to Seattle to obtain work on
other vessels, henct It is no wonder that
on her streets you may jostle against
the mercurial Frenchman, the rollicking
Patlunder, tho plodding German and
the tawny Lascar. Seattle has a
splendid harbor filled with delicious
fish, although she has never lieen able
to make a success of oyster culture. It
is no longer a question of time a to her
prosperity. Her splendid cedar forest
enables her to turn out the finest panel
doors In America, and her ash and
maple furniture is the best mode on the
coast for the money, While Portland
has no cause to fear the business rivalry
of Seattle, we are frank to say that no
man who has so far bought property
in the Liverpool of Hie I'acillc" will
lose his money.
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YESLER WHARF, SEATTLE, w' T.-fbuto by Ceo, Muwt.