SK9
THE II ESTER I AN.
overstocked markets will not be in sight for years. Hut lit
tle corn Is raised here. Wheat, oats and barley ore
staples; "aKd'irf the acreage yield of wheat and oats this state
leads the Union, while in barley it is second- and our nicgh
bor Oregon is first. Hay is a valuable crop, it being worth in
winter season as high as 530 a ton. In time this state will outri
val California in the production of fruits. Prunes, plums, apri
cots, pears, apples and all berries grow to perfection. Hop
raising is nlso'the source of immense wealth. It is estimated
that this crop alone will bring into the state this year over
S2,ooo,ooo.
I might stop now and you would no doubt conclude that
this is a wonderful country. Hut if I should stop now it
would be a half told talc. Washington has lumber for the
world, and she has land enough left when the forests arc
cleared away to support millions of people. In addition to
these sources of wealth, however, she has another source of
natural wealth, a source which it will take ages to exhaust
her minerals. She has extensive beds of steel and iron ores
equal to iho?c ol Pennsylvania; her land is underlaid with
great strata of coal, similar to the beds ol Pennsylvania and
Alabama, and in themselves worth millions; large beds of gra
phite have been found; lead is mined in several places and
and the output is fast increasing; while gold and silver arc
drawing miners here from all parts of the ore producing West.
Huilding stone of excellent quality is easily found and clay
for brick and pottery manufacture can be had for the digging.
Natuic has endowed this great Northwest with her richest
blessings. She has made Western Washington one vast store
house for her wealth. And then to top it all she gave her
Pugct Sound, that most magnificent body of water, where the
vessels of the civili7.ed world may find a haven in which to
frieght themselves with produce for the remotest parts of the
globe. What nature has left undone man is doing for her.
Tune was when one great railroad claimed tribute from the
people of the state, but, thanks. to eastern cntcrprisctand fore
thought, which sees the brilliant futurcTor this great region no
less than a dozen new roads arc building in this state today.
Three of these arc building into Chchalis. All the great
transcontinental roads are reaching for this section and
whether they build in from the north and first strike Pugct
Sound or come in from the south by way of Portland they
will necessarily be extended from one to the other. All
must follow practically in one route and Chchalis is so situated
between the mountains that she will get them all. We now
have the Northern Pacific. The Union Pacific is building
through, the town. The Great Northern has asked for right
of way. Three great transcontinental lines! Hesidc these
the Northern ''acific is building out of here two roads to the
Pacific Ocean, one to Gray's Harbor and the other to Willapa
Harbor. The later road is to be extended tasl of here and
through the Cascades, where it will lap the richest coal fields
in the Northwest.
Eastern capital is making this country yield that which
Nature has provided her with so bounteously. A country
blessed as this one is with such great natural wealth and
beset with such magnificent scenery, would cause the most
discontented to grow enthusiastic over her future. The en
ergy which has been aroused by this enthusiasm is pushing
Washington forward as she deserves to be. During the past
ten years her population has increased 365.30 per cent, and
she has'advanccJ from the rank of forty-second in population
in 1880 to thirty-fourth in 1890, A magnifidcut growth !
Washington is indeed the gateway to Asia. The Want of
a foreign market does not stare her in the face. We can
build tlie ships from our mighty forestq to carry pur produce
thither. There 900,000,000 people await our products, and
we are nearer to Asia by 6,000 miles than England, our
greatest competitor. "When," as a great orator once
remarked in a Nebraska state contest, "all these grund con- .
ccplions shall be realized in human consciousness, etc.," then
will Washington "take her place among the nations of the
earth."
What of the climate? Well, for my part, that is the only
disagreeable feature. The summers arc all that the most fas
tidious could wish for. They are simply perfection. Winter
is different. No doubt ya can recall the days of early spring
in Neb'aska when it rains and is cold and cloudy and disa
greeable generally for days at a time. When you don't know
whether it's going to rain, or snow, or blizzard or what, it's
go'ng to do. Well, that is what the winter here is like, ex
cepting that it is generally so mild that you need seldom
expect anything but rain. We get plenty of rain, though.
Last year when I came to the coast in November, on my first
trip, it was drizzling in fine style and it kept it up until May.
The oldest inhabitant, of course, said it was the worst winter
for years, just as he does each winter in Nebraska when talk
ing to a stranger. It's the same old story, rain, rain.
The days nro cold and cUrk ami dreary,
It rains until 1 grow quite wuarj. .
It stops nwlillc, then begins to pour:
It stops ngnln, then rains tomo more,
Ami the days nro dark nml drcury.
As to whether T would advise people to come out here
or not I will say thai if a farmer has enough so that iic can
have a little money left when he gets here so that he can get
located and get a start if he is persevering and wide awake'
he will prosper. I am not onc-of those who would urge all
to come, even if they would. Hut I will say wjth all my
licrt that I do not believe any pLcc offers so many oppor
tunitirs for young men of energy and spirit to work their way
to the front as docs Washington. .The brain, muscle and en
ergy of the East is what she wants and none others need
apply. Dan. W. Rush.
CURRENT COMMENT.
The American Archaeological Society, at this writing, has
$60 ju pledged out of $80,000 necessary for the explorations
of the - ie of (he oracle of Delphi and the purchase of the vil
lage of Kastri. Owing to the overtures made by the French,
t1 ' ite of the American option expires on November i but
j thought that a sufficient sum of money will be secured to
carry on the operations and secure treasure? which will exceed
n value and importance- those of Olympia. The Athenian
Society of Archaeology is'prosecu'ing a series of excavations .
on the site of two temples nine miles northeast of Marathon,
formerly Mipposcd to be dedicated to the goddess Themis,
but now thought to be the remains of an ancient and less old
temple of Nemesis. A beautiful statue of a youth, a horse
carved in stone and various fragments of lutucsand figures."
Thcabove article, besides being of interest to those that
desire to know what progress the American Archaeological
Society is making- in its work, illustrates very nicely the
point made in last issue of Tub Hkspekian, viz: the neces
sity for preserving the treasures that arc being continually un
earthed. If the Archaeological Society succeeds in purchasing
the site of Delphi it will probably prove to be the richest site
that has yet been explored. Hut of what use would it lc to' ,
explore this region if hc treasures found there were, not to be
protected?-.
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