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