The west shore., September 20, 1890, Page 90, Image 9

90
WEST SHORE.
PROGRESS ON IHB OKAY'S HARBOR ROADS.
Sixteen milt of track hve been laid by the Northern Pacific on its
line between Centralia and Black river junction, and as this part of the
work la now np to the gradera, track laying will have to atop a eliort time.
Bide tracka are to be put In at the Junction, and aa aoon aa these are com
pleted it la the Intention to put the forcea on the grade between there and
Olympla. It ia also probable that track will be laid from Tacoma to Olym
pia so that traine can be started at once. Beyond Black river, and bet ireen
that point and Gray's Harbor, 1,600 men and the necesBary teams are at
work. Ballasting ia being done on the portions of track already completed,
and will be prosecuted as fast as the track luyera 6nish their work, thus
putting the line in readiness for operation aa aoon as the laet rail is placed.
Work has been commenced by the Hunt forces on the bridge across the
Skookumchuck river. Scatter creek and Black river will bs the next points
of operation by the bridge builders. The right of way is being slashed and
cleared lour milea beyond Oakvllle preparatory to moving the graders, who
have completed their work nearly to that point a distance of twenty miles
from Centralla. Two saw mills are kept busy getting out ties and bridge
timbers for tills line.
Kince mining is absorbing all the time of Idaho people, little attention
la being paid to the timber resources. A corespondent of the HViVr Under
aaya It la probably unknown generally that on the headwaters of the Writer
river and its many tributaries are vast forests of pine, fir and tamarack, and
on the branches o( the Little Weiser, flowing from the east through Indian
valley, titers are extensive tracts of timber comparatively untouched, Ex
tending north, and nearly surrounding Council valley, a distance of about
thirty miles, Is a wide belt of excellent timber on the mountain sides, and
In utilizing It logs would not have to be hauled more than a mile and a half
to the river, all the way down grade. Along Cast fork excellent timber
grows to the water's edge. Up the West branch to Lost valley and beyond,
and the main river to l'rlce valley, and over the ridge between these paral
lel streams, Is an unbroken wilderness. All this timber can be (bated down
the Weiser, as much haa been, and manufactured Into lumber, sash, doors,
shingles and rustic, and all that Is not needed at home would And a ready
market In the numerous towns along the railroid. There is not a day passes
but numerous carloads of lumber pus Weiser going east, and Weiser people
are purchasing sash and doors from Portland Seattle and various other
points in the Blue mountains.
A bulletin haa been Issued by the census bureau relative to the quick
silver Industry. The business seems to have reached its height in 1887,
since which time It haa steadily declined. In that year 79,39(1 flasks were
produced ; in 1888 the number had been reduced to 311,230, which in turn
had dwindled to 2v).44 In 1889. A flask holds seventy-six pounds and six
ounces of metal, and the average cost of production is 13 per II uk Nearly
all the quicksilver produced In this country comes from California. The
metal Is obtained by mining cinnabar ore and extracting the mercury by
roasting, It la a very unhealthful business, as the fumes arising from the
reduction process are poisonous, and continued working where they can be
inhaled Invariably ends In a breaking down of the systems of its operatives.
Oregon's production amounted to twenty flasks, less than $1,000 in value,
which was Insignificant as compared to the total output. The usee to which
tills metal Is put are varied and extensive, though its most Important (unc
tion la the extraction of gold and ailver from their ores by the process of
amalgamation. Spain and Austria are the principal producers of the world,
with California ranking third. The entire product of this country Is stated
to have been 407,076 flasks In Die decade just closed.
In some fields of wheat near Pullman, Washington, a blight of some
kind appeared on the grain recently. Patches of It would appear burnt and
the tips of the heads turned white aa though they had been frosted. A
cloae examination, however, revealed the presence of a puncture In the
joints, made by some Insect. Specimens of the affected grain were gath
ered and sent to the detriment of agriculture, at Washington, IX C, where
the entomologist pronounced It to be imnma Irilici ncy, or joint worms.
The remedy suggested for ridding fields of the pest Is to burn the stubble.
Where weeds have been allowed to grow up after harvest a mowing machine
should be run over Die ground, and after the weeds have dried sufficiently
the burning can be thorougly done, ltotatlun of crops is also suggested
aa being advantageous, and, should the matter become serious, the straw
and all screenings should lie burned also. Such peats multiply with aston
ishing rapidity when not taken In hand promptly, and the farmers of the
Inflated section owe It to the entire pain-producing section of the northwest
to Uke prompt measures for the extermination of the evil.
. .iioin the hizhest possible speed, and that they have
Greyhound was to attain the l"g" . the performance of the
accomplished their pun ' "J The JfromPTacoma to Seattle
ellove on that route, while the new steamer covers the distance In the
em Me time of one hour and thirty-five m.nutes. Twe ve to fourteen
ZZ n Hour is considered good work for the n,ua run of steamers and i,
2 iderably more than the average boat can maintam, and when it is con
i lered that this boat makes an average of over twenty miles an hour
the orestiw it fives to Portland ship building is apparent. The Greyhouri
J Hott long! 18.7 feet beam, 6.0 feet depth of hold and draws 4 feet.
For some months past the question of providing Whatcom county,
Washington, with a system of public highways has been discussed, and the
matter has now assumed definite shape in a monster petition to the com
missioners which sets forth the number of miles of road required in each
part of the county and gives an estimate of the probable cost of construc
tion. The commissioners have ordered a special election to be held on the
thirteenth of 0 itober to determine the question. The proposition is to issue
county bonds in the sum of $490,500, to bear six per cent interest, and to be
redeemable in five, ten, fifteen and twenty years. The proposed amount of
bonds is equal to three and one-half per cent, of the present valuation of
taxable property. A number of the largest property holders have signified
their willingness to assijt in carrying out the scheme.
A deposit of fire opals has been discovered four miles northwest of
Moscow, Idaho. This discovery is a very important one, as the stones are
very valuable, and are found in but two other place on the American continent-Mexico
having one mine, and the state of Georgia the other. The
opals were thrown out with the dirt drawn up from a well which was
being dug, and were noticed by a jeweler of Moscow who chanced to be
hunting in that vicinity. AH the country adjacent to the farm on which
the discovery was made has been Btaked out into claims and prospecting is
going on at a rapid pace. A company has been organized and is now push
ing the work of development.
The large dock and terminal wharf of the Port Townsend Southern
Railroad Company has been finished at Port Townsend, and a large ware
house, sufficient to accommodate all the business of the road, is now being
built. Other terminal buildings, such as roundhouses, offices, etc., are also
being erected. The depot will be connected with the principal streets of
the city by means of an electric car line. Of the road thirty-five miles have
been completed and are in operation.
The grist mill at Palouse City, Washington, was burned last week, en
tailing a loss of $10,000, only partially covered by insurance. A subscrip
tion list was Immediately started and substantial contributions were made
to such an extent that the rebuilding of the mill is now an assured fact.
Palouse City is the trude center for a large section of the richest portion of
Eastern Washington the large Palouse valley and the loss of snch an en
terprise would be very serious.
The Livingston Land and Improvement Company was incorporated last
week at Livingston, Montana. The objects of the corporation are to build
flumes and dig ditches for water power and irrigation purposes, to deal in
lands and townsitee and subdivisions of any town or city in the state. Also
to build and operate street railways. The capital stock la $50,000.
The demand for laborers on railroad work in the northwest so far ex
ceeds the available supply that contractors on the various lines now build
ing have been compelled to send east for help. It is estimated that not less
than 7,000 men are employed in construction work alone in this section at
present, and many hundreds more could be employed were they here.
The Oregon Paint Company has finally decided to locate its works in
the town of Scio. The inducement offared was a donation of seven lots on
which to erect the mill and ore sheds, and a first-class water power.
The principal business portion of Puyallup, Washington, burned Tues
day night, causing a loss of $30,000, with $15,000 insurance. The burned
frame structures will be replaced immediately by substantial brick buildings.
The steamer Ortound, recently built at StelWe ship yard, in North Tin. nt
Portland, ha. been charter! by the Vnlon Pacific and placed on ,, W CohTtoT MU ' regonian Mt0ti ,rm
ma-Seattl, rout, on the sound The design of the owL in "SIX i ?Jm v C ? '! " "n ' SUthern Pwific ' JM
uinung me Une county, i, awded Qommmwi ,Mt week