Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1885)
74 THE WEST SHORE. baa been contracted for the coming year. The terminal car shops of the Northern Facifio are located at Tacoma and form an important industry. They give employment to a n-ofit mnny men and placo large sums of money in circulation. The locomotives and rolling stack of the road are kept in repair at thoae shops, and flat cars are mada New brick ahopa will be contracted and supplied with machinery for building cars, coaches and locomo tive. Other manufacturing enterpriHes consist of AY ill lams' Cannery, whero 4,000 caaea of aalmon and a fow cases of clams and berringa were packed laat year, and ovonty-flve mon employed; the Fionoor Candy Factory, where 30,250 ounds of augar were conaumed in 1884; the Mattreaa Factory of Messrs. Whittier, Stansberry 4 Co., which haa juat loon started, and to which it is the intention of tho proprietors to atld a steam furniture fac tory; tin and galvanized iron works, employing thirty men; soda works, marblo works and brick yards. Taooma ioaauasw some of the finest brick business blocks north of San Francisco. So great was the haste of her citizens to erect buildinga during the first two years of her growth, siuoe 18H0, that wood was employed alimiMt exclusively. Brick yarda havo during the past three years turned out many millions of brick, which have been laid in the sulmtantiiil structures which now line the stroota. The transformation has been almost mngicul. Oocaaional firoa have destroyed frame structures here and titer, and in their places have arisen solid walls of brick and iron. It will require but a few years more to com plete tho substitution of brick for wood, and rouder the city secure from extensive oonllagrationa. Tho Tacoma Laud Company has orected the largest ami handsomest hotel building north of San Francisco, ami though not yet a year old, "Tho Tacoma" has a national reputation, disseminated by tho hundreds of tourisU who havo eujoyexl it hospitalities. This elegant hotel stands oil the bluff alovo tho water front, ovorlcxik ing Uio tay, tlie valley, fisthills and mountains. The most proiuiueut object iu tho Iniidscapo is Mount Tacoma, of which a magnificent view ia obtained from the veranda and lawn of tho hotaL The possession of such a house of entertainment renders the cify a favorite summer resort and a headquarters for those who desire to spend a few days or wmks amidst tho beautiful scenery of the Souud. This is also the starting xint for those who desire to was jaunt in ine mountains or ascend the groat snow peak. The latter feat ia easier of accomplishment than formerly, and U undertaken uioro frequently every your. There is not a groat mmintaiu in America which is now m easy of access to tourists, or from whoso tup such a magnificent view can 1h had. . lie KL Luke's Memorial Church is an iming Btene odiuoe, orected at an excuse of fr,000. This was pre aentad to thocongrvgntion by Mr. C. R Wright, of Phila delphia, an enthusiastia believer in the great future of Taootua, and formerly President of tho Northern Pacific. Another of this gentleman's munifioent gifu is Uie Annie Wright Seminar)-, which he rudowed with $50 000 the tf,UI0 which it cost to erect U,e building having 'boon raised by subscription by Bishop J. A. Paddock. Mr. Wright has endowed an academy for boys on the same terms. Another institution is the Fannie 0. Paddock Memorinl Hospital, dedicated the memory of the esti mable wife of Bishop Paddock The citizens have ex hibited the same liberal spirit in educational matters, and have erected a very large and substantial Bchool building. Twelve teachers ore employed and 600 scholars are in attendance. School property is valued at $30,024 A complete system of gas and water works has reoently been constructed by the Tacoma Light and Water Com pany. The gas works have at present a capacity of 50,000 cubio feet per day, which may at any time be easily doubled. The works are complete in every respect, and have just been finished. The water works are not yet completed. They comprise a reservoir of 1,500,000 gal- Ions capaoity, situated 2G2 feet above low tide water, and supplied by water brought by a canal from a lake nine miles distant, together with that of creeks and springs in the vicinity. The lower part of the city is supplied by direct pressure from the reservoir, while the higher levels are reached by means of powerful Holly pumps, which will give a fire pressure at the highest point in the city. All the money for these enterprises was supplied by Mr. Wright, the oompany issuing bonds to the amount of $300,000. This is another evidence of his great faith in the future greatness of the city. Thore are two banks in the city Merchants' Na tional Bank and Tacoma National Bank. These are solid institutions and handle all the financial business of the, county. During the year 1884 these banks purchased exchange to the amount of $3,000,000. Their aggregate deposits are $5,234,451. This is an increase of nearly $1,000,000 in exchange and $1,000,000 in deposits. There is an incorporated Chamber of Commerce, composed of the enterprising business men of the city. Besides Si Luke's, thore are numerous other religious societies. St Peter's Protestant Episcopal. Methodist EDisconal. Cnth- olio (dedicated to St. Leo), First Presbyterian, First Mjngregrttional, Uaptist and Tacoma Methodist Episcopal . Mission have good houses of worship, while Scandinavian, German Lutheran and Unitarian church soeitipB r organized. A flourishing Young Men's Christian Asso ciation occupies commodious rooms in one of the business' mocks. There are many improvement nl r;DfQ,i r. tlie future. A stroot railway project is on foot; several ..uumriug enterprises are in contemplation; a large increase in the size and . , .Breat Larbor improvements have been laid out and will bo mode, and it is expected that the North em 1 ac.fio will establish a line of steamers between this .rt and Japan and China as Mon as the road is com pleted across the mountains, a year hence at the latest. 1 wo daily and weekly Danrtl,a AT a r.. Z2 U'e ? Th( are d rank among tlie best on tU P; n i diwim.k.L. i iTT vAJuou ..very one wno ZSiF h"7innformed about Tacoma and Pugot Sound is advised to subscr 1 for n n..t . o&uuuuub pupuro