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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1889)
THE WEST SHORE. All three thousand tons burthen, and cleared two hun dred and seventy vessels, of a total burthen of ninety eight thousand tons. The custom house collections were $73,402 29, or more than double the amount of the previous year. The total imports increased in value $74,808.00, and the exports $121,401.00, over the previous year. The goods shipped to the United States were valued at $20,087.75, and the shipments through Vancouver from the United States were val ued at $1,380,000.00. The postcflice business last year was about one hundred and fifty per cent great er than for 1887, the stamp sales aggregating $11,. 579.10, money orders $114,793.99, postoilice savings bank deposits $28,972.00, and the number of regis tered letters mailed was five thousand. These figures show specifically what advancement the city made in the lines which are quoted, and when the fact that the mercantile and manufacturing interests corres pondingly increased in importance is considered, a definite idea may be formed of the unusually rapid growth which the city experienced; and this rate of advancement has not in the least abated, but rather increased. In another article in this number the val ue and extent of the manufacturing industries of the city are set forth. The people of Vancouver take life easier than those on this side of the international boundary. The ceaseless hurry and worry that characterizes so many American cities is almost entirely absent there. The business (if the city does not get fairly to moving un til about 10: 00 o'clock in the morning, and very littlo is done, even in the mercantile trades, after 5:00 or 0:00 in the evening. The people are genial in social intercourse, and seem to believe in enjoying life m they go. Many tourists are attracted to Vancouver by its society and its pleasant surroundings. It is growing to be quite a pleasure resort Tho hotel accommodations are most excellent in every particu lar. Divertisements are numerous, and seem to have very popular fascination, ttesides the attractions of the city in its parks, drives, fishing, boating, etc., there are medicinal springs not far distant, and the wilds of the mountains may bo reached a few miles from the city, where all kinds of game are found in abundance. There is railway and steamboat cornmu nication to the numerous points of into rent in th in terior and about the shores of that far-fara-d arm of tho Pacific which separates the large island ofWn. couvor from the main land of the continent A ri through the wonderful archipelago lying to the south westward of Vancouver, by any one of the several routes radiating from the city, takes one through somo rt i n,l Iwnntiful scenery in tlio v. lug uiuoi tuuuuo " . i wide enough to admit two boats abreast Tho islands are of various sizes, some of them being tnero rocks projecting above tho surface of tho water, and somo bo large that farming and lumbsring and oven mining operations are in progress on them. In almost auy direction, when tho weather is clear, tho uneven line of mountain chains is iu tho horizon. From the ho tel verandas in Vancouver a considerable variety of mountain scenery may bo seen. Of special interest are the " Lions," on tho summit across Uurrard inlet to tho northward. Tho rock formation thero closely resembles two huge lions crouching sidi by sida on the topmost peak. In addition to tho great transportation lines of the Canadian Pacific railway and tho steamship line to China and Japan, tho city has connections with all important points along tho Pacific coast Tho trans. Paoifio steamship lino receives a subsidy of WOO,. 000.00 from tho Dritish government, and ths Ixiats that have been employed in tho service during tho ei perimental stage of tho lino aro soon to 1 superset!, ed by new ones specially designed for that trade. A steamer leaves Vancouver for Yokohama and Hong Kong every three weeks. Steamers ply between Van couver and all Paget sound txirts, both in and out of the province, and to Portland and Han Francisco, Recently a steamship linn to Australia, with govern ment subsidy, has Ihmu established. It would seem that tho city had all tho boat liues that could U de. sired, but its only railroad is tho Canadian Pacific. No loss than threo railroads extending to tho south east are in contemplation, however, to tap resources that at present have no convenient outlet, and to con nect with tho Seattle, aU Shorn A l'.astrru and tho IMIingbarn Hay road, thus getting other transoontl nental routes to doing business in tho city. Th prosjtect for the Iramediatn construction of theso roads is very bright, and they must stimulate, a much greater growth than has yet Uvn fiperlencnlln Van couver. The. vast region tributary to Vancouver la t,1, M a whole, almost entirely undevelojL Homa sections have In-en projected with a fair degrea of thorough, ness, and development operations am in progress, showing that th" resources are. rich and abundant Th mountainous character of most parts of thu pror. inn, Intended to retard eiplorations, hitherto cod fining them almost entirely to strips of country along tun roast or on th more Important streams that drain that region. Fishing, luml-ring. mining, cattlo ral. ing and farming nisi, but they are all Inf.nt Indu. tri,s and th isibtltirs which their full develop ment will work are still, in a larg degree, a matter of I. ins l--n done, howoref, to glv9 ronienun'. . . : WnrU T- i st'umers go througn i i;,,..!,,,,. f txuis for a ratdd erowth passage, between rocky islands, which seem scarciy