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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1889)
THE WE8T SHORE. cod fiBheries of , Alaska will supply the greater part of the Unit ed States with the staple commodity. The New England fish ermen are turning their attention to our cod banks, and the time is not far off when the sea in the neighborhood of the Shu magins will be whitened with the sails of ships, large and small, engaged in a lucrative industry. At present, however, there are only three individuals or companies engaged in fhhing on the Shumagin banks, and these have their stations on TopofT island, which lies to the eastward of I'nga, and separated from it by a strait only about one mile wide. Owing to thick weath er I was unable to visit these stations, but have it from reliable authority that the annual catch is from one to one and a half millions of fish per season. These fish will average about eight pounds each, but of course lose considerable of their weight in the process of curing, so that the catch may reasonably be esti mated at not more than five million pounds of the marketable commodity. These cod fisheries give employment to a fleet of alout thirty sail, large and small, and the number of persons employed may be guessed from the fact that the fish are caught singly, by no other means than that of a hook and line. It is confidently expected, now that these prolific banks are known to have commended themselves to the favorable attention of New England fishermen, that the catch will be largely increased from year to year until it rivals, if it does not exceed, that of the famous eastern fishing grounds. A Fwatiso Island WoxDER.-Situated high up in the main Uocky mountain divide in the eastern part of Idaho, just south of the boundary line between that territory and Montana, and a few miles west of the Yellowstone National I'ark, is Henry lake, a beautiful sheet of crystal water, having an area of about frv fnnurA miles. The contour of the lake is oval, and the wooded banks bear a luxuriant growth of mountain grass. On a casual examination there apiars to be no outlet to this laVe, ... i . ..nail '-ook Iwminif from the but closer ooHervauon revenw nu v.w- southwestern side, which is the beginning of the north fork of ... . . . . - .UtI KnaVn river. On thil uiai migniy ariery 01 we hviwwvo., lake, sometimes on the north side and sometimes to the south ward, or wherever the breeres chance to bear it, is a curious floating island. It is about three hundred feet in diameter and has for its basis a mat of roots, so dense as to support large trees and a heavy thicket of undergrowth. IXayed veg.-tat.on ii... ....i i i .- ami f.irrns a mold several leel amis io me mics,ne oi u - : .i :i n- .,! nt the, floating forest, in summer 111 MUlfcllUBB. UU UIO Cfcv w- - , .. time, may be seen a luxuriant growth of blue joint U roots of which form so compact a mas as U wt of a horn. Any number of men have no difficulty in ; i about on it. Farther back among the tier, on. might buil a large house and make a garden and do whatever he He would be just as solid and safe as though to"? hundred or two hundred feet of water beneath. There sail, low thicket near the center of the Ulan 1, and xa tere-1 .muni the willow, and contiguous to them are a nff and dwarf pines. These catch the brwje. which fU to rr U island and act like sail, on a boat and move theM acres of land hither and Hither over the "J" water. This shows why one may one cuy y - side and the next day on the other UU like U exceedingly picture A-nd m. jaks, among which are some of the h ghrsi ' lack-Le, partly covered with a verdure of ft and showing here and there formats of l" " iMuultie columns. Paring the hunting h. with wild fowl. There art ew. . ! I- U game may be had in the adjoining moaaiaia. I'obuasd, SiAma A Noarnxax.--l.ast fall arth lea of In corporation were filed in Seattle for the battle A Northern U. K. Co., by Elijah Smith, president of the Oregon Hallway A Navigation Co., and other Atari of that company, whUh have recently bern withdrawn and the IVrtland, battle A Northern Incorporated. The former article did not provide for a line from l'ortlani to Seattle, which is Include! in the new. The object of the company is to build an eitenslvc system of roaditobe operated In conjunction with the 0. 11. A N.Co. articles of Incorporation provide for the constnu tion of a rail road and telegraph line from a point at or near the city of Se attle in a general southerly direction to a point at or near l'ort land, Oregon, a distance of one hundred and slity-fW miles. A railroad and telegraph line from the city of Seattle In a northerly direction, via the torn of Whatcom, to a point on the northern boundary of Washington Territory, at or near the town of lUaine, Whatcom county, a distance of one hundred miles. A railroad and telegraph line from the julnt of connec tion with the UatdeseriM line of railroad at a ilnt near where It crosses the Skagit river In Skagit county, theme up Skagit river, following the general course thereof U the mouth of Sauk river, thence In a generally eaterly and southerly di rection by Uie moot practicable route to Spokane Falls, a dis tance of about three hundred mile. A railroad and telegraph line from the second above des. ritd railroad, at or near where the same cro the Skagit rlrer In Skagit county, thence wet erly, via Fidalgo Island and IVceptkm paa,to Adwtty head, on Whidby Uland, W. T., a distance of aVt thirty fle miles. The capital stock Is .'i,0n,0",uO, divided into fifty thousand shares of 1100.00 each. It U provided that the aumUr of tru tees shall U seven, and that Clljah Smith, James II. !nedUt, J. 8. Stelney, John P. Iloyt. 11. W. McNeill, l rw-1 1'.. Handr, and T. J. Milner shall be first trustees, and shall manage the concerns of the company until the third Tuesday In May, hvi. The prominence of the gentlemen rngagi-l In litis enter prlw, and the magnitude of the Interests involved, glie istta h eur in re that It will materialise In some tangible .m UUe long Lake Ytu n'Oasim Mim -John CromU returned U Walla recently from the Chloride ratp on Uke I 'm I d'Oreille. II went In there levrral wiks ajfi to r-t, and eicta in return to-day. He has ln a very sms(uI miner and n Vjt In thi rountr. and his lir rrl.o of the new ramp will Interest all In this sMl.n. Tlreafet'.'t.iens In the new durtrirt-OiUid and ttr. ?r is rr im Welr mine, situated In a narrow ranrm, and In many r u Is similarly situated U l-'J'ke. There are n-4 many ttn In this I'tace, and little or n esriteinml. 11 eilUmf.tU ctuU-tni at ChWi te, aul fie miU from lU Uke. Mr. (W rote says it reminds him very in h of US" In u A great many Uildtnge are Ulng r tl, aul It Is e.Uma'! that three hundre-I men are etuaJly at wk h U Mn, All to! 1 tUre are abwt fi bun Jfl lle In the ramp TU lon can hot ol we fw-ral iittbai!e s!;, whUh U nn ,j W. J. hhe!t, a well known Crr 4'AUeer. S!.fis,ol course, jf-domiria!. Cur d'AVhe has furtlUl twlhir Is of tU 4rtA i-.p'ila'.. Mr. Cfitnse h-l I'h hi' a j4 twnofoteUkro frvtnaM strike u.ale lu lU leer luttml ul lU Wef-rf. It U antimony aftl a.Uer, and snJI run I hunde.1 and My o- V" hvtur. A m ser H Hy on U. Uke, bsncl by ,U it. " U.p WrWlsy. TituUt U aUUtt, aivl a saw mill w)l be tortlr-g vA luxUr. Mr. Crvta! l h) Itt.Vm lo i.U the titer4 U ill d- oisty. TUre U m wk Uicg dofe aiiy U claims eitept lU Wtr, arvl tl.U U sle-