REPORT FROM F. H. WHITWORTH, ESQ., CIVIL AND MINING ENGINEER ON SEATTLE, ETC.

Seattle, W. T., Oct. 2, 1888.

I now proceed to answer your questions.

1. Present population of Seattle, and commercial growth?

Population of Seattle.A census was taken in June of this year, and the total enrolled was 19,700. I presume it was safe to say that the population then was 20,000, and that now it is from 22,000 to 25,000, for although houses have been built very rapidly, there is not a house, or a room hardly, that is not occupied.New manufacturing establishments. There are now seven brick-yards in operation, each manufacturing from 10,000 to 50,000 per day. Two boiler-works have been added to the manufacturing interests since you were here. Three saw-mills, besides four on the line of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway between here and Gilman, have been built, and all have more than they can do.

A new fish-canning establishment has been started, and is in successful operation. A pile-creosoting works, an extensive shipyard works, a shingle mill, and a timber-preserving works and saw-mill are all under way on the north side of Salmon Bay.

New steamers.The Alaskan and the T. J. Potter, two magnificent steel steamers, and the Harry Bailey and Hassalo, good-sized passenger steamers, besides three or four tugs, and an extra steamer on the Alaska route, as well as an extra steamer every second or third week for freight from San Francisco, have been added to the Seattle fleet since you were here.

2. The Moss Bay Company.

There seems to be no question but that the location on the eastern shore of Lake Washington is definite.The iron company at work. A contract has been made with Denny, and with those holding with Guy, but not with Guy himself. I understand that no contract has been made with, or for, any other one, although Mr. Kirk has been and is still examining all other places.

Mr. Kirk, and Mr. Williams, another of the firm, are living on the grounds at Kirkland, and have a force of men preparing the grounds, the position of the different buildings having all been located. Brick and other material is being placed on the ground.

They have entered into contract to roll for the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway 30,000 tons steel at Kirkland, to be delivered within the next twelve months. They, however, will bring the blooms from Moss Bay for this.

Coking coals.Coke is the fuel Mr. Kirk wants, and thinks he will have. But I do not think that the question of coke supply is settled yet. Mr. Kirk's property that we visited (Section 2) is, so far, not developing as they had hoped. Mr. Kirk has disposed of his interest there. The Smith coking ovens that we visited at Wilkeson are still producing a small amount of coke. One or two other veins have been opened at Wilkeson recently, and the company opening are proposing to put up ovens, and work and coke their coal. It probably will make about the same quality of coke as the Smith mine. The only coal that has been analyzed and stands that test for coke, is Section 34, near Kirk's Section 2. We got some samples of it, you remember.

The Snoqualmie coal has been taken possession of by a Mr. Niblock, who talks now of going to work to open. That, you know, cokes well in the open air.

The following is the cross-section of our best veins at Ruffner, or Raging River, Section 16. Roof, sandstone:

Total, coal, 4 ft. 10 in., rock, 9 in.; which seems to be very strong coking coal. This bench can be worked to advantage, I think.

We have another, also, of about three feet of coal, clean, and it is underlaid with three feet of fire-clay, which probably will be as valuable as coal. I have burned some of the brick, and sent some away to be tested.

No further discovery has been made in the neighborhood of the Denny or Guy mines. At the "Chair Peak" Iron Mines, owned by Mr. Wilson, Kelly, et al., as they have examined further, the deposit has shown itself much larger than at first supposed. It is about two and a half miles from the Guy lode, on Mt. Logan.

New discoveries of iron ore.Some quite extensive iron deposits have been discovered on the west side of the Sound, nearly due west from Seattle. They have not yet been analyzed.

What is thought to be a very rich deposit of iron has just recently been found on one of the islands in the San Juan group, within the territory of the United States, said to equal the Texada deposit in British Columbia, which the iron works at Irondale, near Point Townsend, use. The Irondale furnace commenced work again about a month since.

In regard to the precious metals: there have been no developments of importance on this side of the mountain.

The Okanogan, Salmon River, Cœur d'Alene and Colville mines promise richer and richer as they are more developed.

Lumber business growing.4. The activity in the lumber business is unabated—is on the increase. The increase of the lumber mills, that I have mentioned in the first part of this letter, indicates that.

The traffic on the railroad, both in logs and manufactured lumber, is much larger than had been anticipated, and is increasing. In July the road hauled 2,843,464 feet of logs. September log haul was about ten per cent. greater. I could not get the exact figures to-day.

Population and freights increasing.5. Spokane Falls is still growing very rapidly, and now claims 12,000 to 15,000 inhabitants, and is building very substantially. Along the line of railroad on this side of the mountain the country is filling up, of course, with small ranches or home-makers, and those already on the line are making increased clearings, and will therefore have more to ship.

The following shows something of what is being done in July: "Coal freight, 2,750 tons; miscellaneous, 3,090; passenger traffic, $6,150; and the advance has been about the same as in logs, except on coal."Labor strike at Gilman Mine.

[6. Mr. Whitworth next gives an account of certain difficulties and troubles, chiefly with miners, which ended in a "strike" that was somewhat prolonged, but he thought the men would soon go to work on the company's terms. Of course, the high hopes concerning these mines (Gilman) had not been realized. Mr. W. proceeds as follows:]

Gilman coal seams.On the Smith, or No. 4 vein, we had just got the gangway driven far enough to turn rooms. The Andrews vein we were driving the gangway entirely in the coal, but were not yet far enough to turn rooms. Nos. 1 and 2 veins had gotten, with the gangway, well in under the hill, and was looking very fine, and turning out good coal. With the prospect of No. 4, or Smith vein, and Andrews vein, I am still well pleased. On the vein in Section 26, just across the valley, I have started in a tunnel to open it; have already driven about sixty feet through the rock, and have about seventy feet still to go. This tunnel is still going on, not having been stopped by the 'strike.'

Progress of the West Coast Railroad.The West Coast Railroad is completed to Snohomish City, and trains run regularly, the bridge across the river being completed only about ten days ago. Both passenger and freight traffic is much larger than anticipated. They are grading, and expect to have ready for service yet this fall, five miles beyond Snohomish. Along most of the entire line the timber is very fine and abundant, and a great deal of the land adjacent is rich agricultural.

Resources of the country along the new line across Cady's Pass.7. Concerning the new line across Cady's Pass and down Wenatchie Valley.

[After some remarks respecting grades, etc., Mr. Whitworth proceeds as follows:]

On this [west] side of the mountain [Cascade] the timber reaches right up nearly to the summit, as in the Snoqualmie, and the reports are this region is rich in coal, and probably also in iron, with some indications of precious metals. Soon after crossing the divide the line will reach the very rich agricultural valley of the Wenatchie, which is called "the garden of Eastern Washington," and traverse its entire length. And it will pass within a comparatively short distance of the mineral districts on the northern slope of that range called Mt. Stuart.

I have heard that there were numerous indications of coal near the mouth of the Wenatchie on both sides of the Columbia. This, too, will be the nearest main line to the rich mineral district of Salmon River, or Okanogan, as well as all that northern mineral belt which extends to the Rockies, and will strike the heart of the Big Bend wheat-fields. It will also be eighty miles shorter than the other line. True, Ellensburg and the Cle-ellum district will be missed, but I think this will be more than compensated for by those I have spoken of.

8. Of the progress of the work.

Progress in building the road.On this side of the mountains no work except surveys has been done on this line. At Spokane Falls the bridge across the river, and about forty miles of track is finished, and they are now operating, I believe, with very encouraging prospects. On the Snoqualmie line they are pushing on. The trains now run regularly to Raging River. The bridge across that stream is not yet completed, but will probably be by the 1st of November, and it is expected that the trains will be running to the Hop Ranch by December 1st.

The branch or spur up Raging River to the Ruffner mine, on Section 16, is located, and some little work has been done, but it is not being prosecuted at present, so I do not expect we will be able to get out any coal from there before next spring or early summer.Cable Railway in Seattle.

Another item showing the prosperity of Seattle, is the opening of a five-mile circuit of cable road to Lake Washington, which occurred last Saturday. I will send you some papers giving some items that may be of interest.

Southern Pacific Railroad supposed to be coming to Seattle Harbor.A syndicate of men prominent in the Southern Pacific Railroad management purchased Milton Point, the land directly west, across Seattle Bay, from the town, and are clearing it off, and say they will make extensive improvements over there in the near future. They are building a large ferry steamer, and have a franchise to run a ferry hourly between town and the front. It is to be on the route by December 1st. Report says that the Southern Pacific is coming in there.

At Smith Cove quite a little town is building up, and property is advancing all around there.