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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1885)
THE WEST SHORE. mencement Bay, one of the southeastern arms of the Sound, as possessing the desired features more fully than any other locality. In making this seleotion they were aided by comprehensive surveys and the opinion of able engineers. In accordance with this report the Board of Directors declared this to be the terminal point The Tacoma Land Company was at onoe organized, which purchased 3,000 acres of land at the proposed town site and 13,000 aores more within a radius of six milos. The company oleared a tract a mile square and laid out a oity, which, since it was within a' short distanoe of the little town of Taooma, was christened "New Tacoma." The town site rises in successive torracos to a height of 300 feet above the water's edge, rendering the drain age of its surface, through a natural system of sowerage, easy and practicable. The prospect from the higher benches embraces a wide and varied landscape, which adds not a little to the pleasure of a residence hore. The eye sweeps over the beautiful, timber-fringed shores and islands of the Sound, the fertile valley of the Puynllup, the foothills and summit ridges of the Cascade Moun tains, and rests full upon the giant snow peak Mount Tacoma, the monaroh of the Cascades, towering np to a height of 14,444 foot. Tacoma remained a village, living upon hopo, until the resumption of active construction on the Northom Pacifio awoke her to life and action. In two yoars the population increased from 750 to 3,000, while Btores, shops, hotels and residences were constructed as rapidly as material could be procured. During 1883 tho popula tion was doubled, and $1,392,2 were invostod in real estate in the county, nearly all within the city limits. That was the year of " boom " times all ovor the North west In 1884, however, the gonorsl financial stringoncy had a tendency to prevent investment, and many towns which had been advancing rapidly mot with a Bovore check in their progress. Not so with Tacoma. In 1884 her population largely increasodj (1,027,011 wore in vested in real estate; building improvement wore made to the amount of $G5G,03G, of which 1131,000 wore ex pended upon gas and water works and $150,000 upon brick buildings. To have accomplished this in a year of such business depression and hard times was littlo short of marvelous, and when the revival of business occurs, as it must ere many months, Tacoma will spring forward with the prestigo of having dofied the hard times to hold her back. The business of the city consist of 33G distinct estab lishments or offices of professional men. These are clas sified alphabetically as follows: Architect, 4; auction houses, 2; attorneys, 38; bakeries, 4; banks, 3; brick yards, 3; boot and shoes, 4; blacksmiths, 5; barbers, 10; bath rooms, 3; builders, 7; clothing and gents' furnish ing, 3; car and machine shojm, 2; cigar stores, 13; Chi nese stores, 7; Chinose lauudrios, 21; doctors, 24; dairies, 4; dry goods, 7; dontists, 2; engineer and surveyors, 0; express offices, 2; flouring mill, 1; furniture dealers, 4; fruit and provisions, 4; fish, 2; flour and feed, 4; foundry, 1; gulvauizud iron works, 1; general merchandise, 2; gro ceries, 16; harness makers, 2; hotels, 15; hardware, 8; insurance and roal estate, 20; jowollors, 7; livory stable, 3; WV and tm smiths, 2; millinery utorod, i; moat markets, 7; niusroal instruments, 8; morblo works, 1; mining exports, 2; photographers, 2; paiuta and oils and wall paper, 2; plumbors and gasfittors, 3; paintors, 3; quoouswaro, wood and willow waro, 2; restaurants, 8; saloons, 25; saw and shinglo mills, 7; sash and door fac tories and planing mills, 5; salmon cannory, 1; stationery stores, 4; stovos and tinwaro, 8; skating rinks, 2; ship oarpentors and boat builders, 4; sowing maohino agents, 3; Bhip chandlers, 1; tailors, 4; toy store, 1; tub and pail factory, 1; telegraph oflloos, 8; undertakers, 1; wheel wrights, 2; wagon warorooms, 1. Thore are 10 wholesale stores, or retail stores with wholosalo dopartmouta. The manufacturing iutorosts are already vory great, consisting chiofly, as yot, of boido form of wood working. The largest establishment of this kind is that of the .Tacoma Mill Company. In 1883 this mill out 50,000,000 toot of lumbor and 10,000,000 laths. In 1884 it out the samo amount of luiuoor, but increased it lath product to 43,000,000 foot The oompany employs 180 men about the mill and 500 in it twelve logging camps, tho pay roll aggregating $175,000 at tho mill alono. It owns four vobboIb and a powerful tuglnmt Tho vossels are used solely to convoy lumber to Ban Franoisoo and bring back supplios to tho oompany ami it store, which doo the largost business on tho Sound. Twouty-ono cargoes, valuod at $150,000, wore shipiod to foreign iort in 1884. During tho yoar $100,000 wore spent in improvement. There are but fow lumbering enterprises in the world that can rival this groat mill in it ojMtrationa. The Tacoma Saw Mill of Messrs. Hatch & Smith out 5,000,000 foot of lumbor and 2,250,000 laths and picket in 1884, giving emyloymont to forty-six mon. Carson' Saw Mill employed thirty-nix men and out 8,500,000 feet of lumber. In tho sash and door factory uttaohod ton mon wore employed. The Lakoliay Saw Mill of Messrs. Loronas fc Kostar out 8,000,000 foot. At William Pago' Shingle Mill 3,200,000 shingle woro mado. Tho Tacoma Furniture Manufacturing Company, J. V. ChamlMirlain, general manager, employs from thirty-five to fifty men, paying annually alxmt $35,000 for wage. A iooial feature is the finishing of interiors. Tho interior of "The Taooma" was done by this company. Tho Taooma Plan ing Mill of P. A. Paulson employ fifteen men, and in 1884 produced $30,000 worth of sash, doors, blinds, eta A tub and pail factory will soon bo completed and in oiKtration by Mr. IL Ii Knatvold. 1'iftoon mon will be employed. A shinglo mill attached will have a capacity of 40,000 shingles per day. Jacob Ralph manufacture carriage and wagons, ami gives employment to five men. The Taooma Iron Works, Messrs. Lister, Houghton A Co., proprietors, employ about 100 men, and turn out iron work of all kinds. Since 1870 tho work have mudo forty-three steam engines, beside a largo amount of mis cellaneous work. The iron front ami pillars adorning the elegant brick blocks on Pacific avenue aro the product of this establishment, A largo amount of railnsul work