The west shore., May 01, 1885, Page 159, Image 29

THE WEST SHORE.
159
whioh is the head of practical navigation on the Missouri,
and is generally admitted to be the commercial centre of
Northern Montana. The two most practicable routes are
one from Helena and one from Livingston, via Shiohls
River, White Sulphur Springs, Smith Rivor and the
Great Falls of the Missouri, tapping much of the best
agricultural, mineral, coal and grazing lands of the Terri
tory. The Siuslaw is a river of considerable size, flowing
into the ocean about midway between the Columbia and
the California line, and forming for some distauce the
boundary between Lane and Benton counties. It is
navigable for some distance above its mouth, and is en
tered by steamers Bnd schooners of medium draught
Near its mouth is the flourishing little town of Florence,
and a few miles above is a salmon cannery. A saw mill
has just been constructed on the river and arrangements
are being made for two more. From two gentlemen who
have just returned from a reconnaissance of that region,
we learn that much desirable Government and railroad
land lies there inviting settlement, chiefly the former.
Along the stream there are long stretches of fertile bot
toms, covered with brush and timber, which require
clearing. Bock from the river, along; the sidohills, there
are quite extensive tracts from which the timber has
been burned, and which are eovored with a luxuriant
growth of native grasses. These gentlemen state that of
such lands there are in excess of 60,000 acres, chiefly un
Rurveyed. Ferns, of course, have asserted their rights in
common with the grass, and have attained a giant
growth, often six feet in height As a stock and dairy
region the Siuslaw offers great advantages, and is well
worth the examination of intending settlers. A good
road leads to it from Juifction City, and other roads are
being constructed.
A corresondent from Clarke County, Washington
Territory, writes about the use of dynamite In discing
of stumps in a clearing, which he declares to be a Iwttur
mission for that great explosive than destroying human
life. lie says: "After trying our old, slow process of
digging, chopping and burning by Ixith natives and
Chinamen, we have found a more sjMtedy and sure plan.
A friend near Salmon Creek, a former neighbor of mine,
gathered some of his neighbors to witness a trial of giant
powder upon some large stumps. Selecting two huge
ones whose roots had interlocked, ho called for an opinion
as to the work necossary to remove them by the old
methods. A man presont proposed to chop and dig them
out in a week's time, which seemed to meet general ap
proval. He then put a charge of dynamite in a hole
scooped out of the dirt ander one of the stumps, giving
fuse enough to allow every one to get out of danger. The
charge worked to a charm, and one stump was split into
three pieces and sent several yards away. The same
process removed the other, leaving only a deep holo and
a few stray pieces of nxU under ground. The cost of
one charge was fifty cents; the other sixty cents. Take
the cost of time, labor and material from that week of
work proposed, and you will readily take in the value of
the experiment The hardest, most solid stumps to dig
out are the easiest to blow out, and are split so as to be
ready to burn. All one has to do is to till up the holes,
and go ahead with the plow as if stumps had never been
there. Hoveral are now utilizing dynamite in Clarke
County."
Our lumber regions are receiving the inspection of
many saw mill owners of Wisconsin, Michigan and other
tJUtes, who can see that many of them must change their
field of operations from the rapidly disappearing forests
of the East to the comparatively untouched timber belt
of the Coast Range and Cascades. For years the State
of Maine has lieen relied upon to furnish a lame portion
of the timber used for the spars of ships, and lias been
oblo to supply those for tho largest vessels, requiring
sticks from 7o to 100 feet long, and as large as 84 inches
in diamoter. Her supply has for some timo, however,
been short, and the attention of shipbuilders has been
directed more thau ever to the forests of Oregon and
Washington, which now ixwsoss tho finest timber in the
world for such purposes. Orders are being received
from all quarters of the globe. Our forests not only can
furnish larger sticks, but a roster numler of proper size
.in a, given territory, and it is claimed that tho timber is
stronger and less liable to tie defective. These spars are
worth, when oomploted, f mm $125 to $500 each. Northern
Michigan has formerly f urnishml thousands of foot of her
Norway pine for oar timber, which has been considered
superior on account of its hardness and rigidity. But
the pine forests of Northern Michigan and Wisconsin are
nearly denuded of their best timber, and we must soon be
culled upon to furnish timber in large quantities for this
puriKwe, our fir being more liko tho Norway pinn.'in the
qualities named, than any other timber that oitn be found
in quantity, All theso demands, immediate and pros,
pective, must continue to furnish a good market for this
product
Putnam River, the great Alaska stream which Lieu
tenant Stoney discovered in 18811, and partially explored
in 1884, will be again visited by the same officer, who
will occupy the seasons of 1885 -fl in making a more com
plete exploration. Putnam Iliver runs in the general
direction of west-southwest It has not been found dilll
cult of navigation for 400 miles, except at rapids, where
it has boon noooHsary to pull stores, etc., over in boats
mode of skin. The country on the banks of tho river is
generally wooded and rolling The river empties into
tho sea through a delta, to whiuh there are nlxmt a doxon
mouths, the longest of which begins alxiut forty miles up
the stream. The explorers need have no fear of famine
during most of the year should disaster befall them. The
forests are dense and alxmnd in vegetation, (lame of
every description is plentiful. From certain nutritious
roots the natives make fixxl In places salmon berries
are found The winter brings the mercury down to 00
degrees below Bern; but in the spring ami summer the
temperature of Northern Alaska is agreeable. "The
risks," said one of the officers, " are only those incident
to the exploration of any new oountry. We go for a trip
of about eighteen mouths. We shall have provisions suf
floieut to lost us for three years. During the summer,
the open season, we shall push ahead with the steamer,
making trip of observation and surveying also into the
iuterior. In tho winter we shall explore with sledges,
wrapixxl up in fur owls, There will be two months of
Arctic darkness when we will be nnahlo to explore The
Russians never pushed inland along the Putnam Iliver,
and the natives never saw white man Ixiforo our previ
ous expedition arrived among them." Another large
river is roxrted by the natives, and its existence con
sidered extremely probable. The orosent expedition will
probably determine that question, Iswidtts revealing much
that is now unknown alxiut our great Alaskan possessions.
PaI'KH is now made in Sweden from tht bleached aud
blanched remains of mosses that lived oeuturles ago, and
are now found in enormous quantities. The paper is
turned out in all degree of excellence, from tissue to
sheets three-fourths of an inch thick.