USA > Washington > King County > History and progress of King County, Washington > Part 9
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The first electric street car line in Seattle started on Second Avenue March 30, 1889, being the date service was begun. It was the fifth electric carline in the United States to begin operation.
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The South Seattle Cable Railway Company, J. M. Thomp- son, president.
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West Seattle Cable Railway Company was incorporated February 25, 1890. Lewis Ervine, president.
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The Metropolitan Electric Railway Company was incor- porated July 19, 1890, with a capital of $300,000. * * * * *
The Green Lake Electric Railway was incorporated in November, 1889. W. D. Wood, president. * * *
The West Seattle & North End Electric Railway Company was incorporated November 26, 1889. D. H. Gilman, president. %
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The Yesler and Jackson cable line was first built in 1887, the cars running out Yesler Way to Lake Washington around a loop and back on Jackson, with a loop on Occidental Avenue. Before this only horse cars were used.
The Seattle City Railway Company was incorporated in August, 1890, with a capital of $600,000. F. J. Grant, presi- dent.
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The Madison Street Cable Railway Company. H. G. Struve, president; A. B. Stewart, vice-president. * * *
The James Street Construction Company was incorpor- ated June, 1890, with $200,000 capital. E. G. Witter, presi- dent; J. F. Eshelman, vice-president.
When it hecame apparent that 20,000 people living on the north side of Lake Union could no longer be accommo- dater with respect to either street car or teaming facilities by the existing zig-zag of streets between Pike and Denny Way, an active agitation began which in 1900 resulted in the creation of the Westlake Avenue extension, and it has become one of the busiest thoroughfares in the West.
Page Forty-four
HISTORY AND PROGRESS of
The Telegraph and Telephone
The first telegram reached Seattle and King County in August, 1864.
In 1856 the Western Union Telegraph Company was formed by the union of two Eastern companies. Its lines were not extended to the Pacific Coast until 1861. In October it was completed and in operation to San Francisco. In 1864 it reached Puget Sound.
The Postal Telepgraph Company made its first connection with Seattle in January, 1887.
In 1873, as an evidence of civic spirit, the following is interesting. The whole country was suffering from financial depression at that time. The company owning the telegraph line which served the coast from San Francisco decided to discontinue the service north of Portland. Headed by Arthur A. Denny, always in the lead in matters of public interest, eighteen men contributed $100 each as advance payment on tolls. The telegraph was important to the mills in the vicinity and the town did not wish to be cut off from communication with the outside world.
The telephone had not been proven successful in the East long before Seattle wanted it. When an opportunity to se- cure a system was offered the town eagerly seized it. The Sunset Telephone Company was organized in 1883 and imme- diately secured a franchise to install a system in Seattle. The telephone was first exhibited to the people of Seattle in the same year. The exhibition took place in a hall, where the townfolk had gathered. E. H. Larabee sang into the line at some point outside the building and was heard by those within. The service was inaugurated in 1884, with the main office in the telegraph headquarters in the Yesler Building at Second Avenue and Cherry Street. For many years the Sunset Company had the Seattle field to itself. Then a gen- eral feeling of dissatisfaction with its service culminated in the establishment of a second system in 1901. The competi-
tor was called the Independent Telephone Company. in the eleven years of its existence the new company developed a system of 16,000 telephones. In the meantime the original company had hecome reorganized and made a part of the Bell system. Its service had so improved that when in 1912, it took over the entire plant of the Independent Company there was a general feeling of relief throughout the city.
Today, with a population of probably 350,000 people, King County has more than 60,000 telephones, which means one instrument to every six persons within its boundaries. That Seattle is better equipped with telephones than the ma- jority of cities in the United States is shown by telephone statistics. The average number of telephones in use in Amer- ican cities of more than 100,000 population is 11.4 to each hundred people; in Seattle there are seventeen phone in use to each hundred people. The system here is one of the most highly developed in the entire country, and its management is infused with that predominate note that is now being struck by all enlightened public service corporations-a desire to please the public. From his home or his office a Seattle citizen can get in touch with 674,000 phones on the Pacific Coast, and in 1916 to be able to speak across the continent was an accomplished fact. There are 150,000 telephones in the state of Washington, and of this number Seattle has considerably more than one-third. The city is a district center of the great Beil interests-on this coast organized under the name of the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company-and approximately 2,000 employes are attached to the Seattle division. C. O. Myers is manager. The district commercial superintendent is F. L. McNally. It will be noted that since Mr. McNally was installed in the Seattle district there has been very little com- plaint as to the service.
The work of connecting Seattle with Alaska by cable com - menced in 1901 and now the matter of cable communication with Alaska is not as momentous as was telephoning with Ta coma a few years ago.
Railways
We have at least six from the Atlantic to the Pacific in operation, and others projected. It was not until the Northern Pacific was completed to the Sound that King County hegan to grow. This was accomplished by 1885, and in 1887 it reached Seattle; since which time the growth of the state has been rapid. The entire length of the main line of the Northern Pacific from St. Paul to Seattle is 1,911 miles.
The Great Northern reached here in 1893. Its main line from St. Paul to Seattle is 1,828 miles.
Both of these roads united in the building of the Union Depot.
First railway connection was made in 1883 when the Northern Pacific Railway was completed to Wallula where it joined the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company's lines thus making a through line to Portland. In 1884 the Union Pacific completed the second direct line to Portland. In 1885 the Northern Pacific reached Puget Sound at Tacoma afterward extending the line to Seattle. Then the Seattle & Inter- national Railway Company built a Jine from Seattle to the Canadian boundary line at Sumas to connect with the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Southern Pacific Railway was completed
from San Francisco to Portland in 1887. The Great Northern Railway reached Seattle in 1892 and its lines have been ex- tended north along the east shore of Puget Sound to Van- couver, B. C.
The first depot of the Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern Rail- road was erected at the foot of Columbia Street, or near it, on Western Avenue.
It soon became apparent that for sidetracks and storage room not nearly enough ground was available. At this june- ture Judge Hanford and Judge Burke appeared before the City Council and secured the passage of an ordinance creating Railroad Avenue which was 120 feet wide designed to afford an entrance to all transcontinental railroads coming to Seattle. Railroad Avenue is now built over what was then high water mark.
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroads arrived in Se- attle March 19, 1909. They used the Snoqualmie Pass. With- out any flourish of trumpets the road commenced its western journey on April 15, 1906 and in 1909 the last rail was laid and the line put in operation, a feat in railroad construction
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Page Forty-five
that probably has not been equaled elsewhere in railroad his- tory.
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The Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad, under the name of Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad, became by lease a portion of the Milwaukee. The road is now owned by the Pacific Coast Company.
On January 1, 1910, the Oregon-Washington Railroad ran its first train over its own tracks into Seattle. The Harri- man system appreciated the importance of reaching Seattle and in 1907 its desire to do so became known by the purchase of lands for terminals on the tide flats in the south end of the city.
An extraordinary boom in tidelands occurred and for- tunes were made over night. A great number of lots changed hands at figures they have not been able to hring since, With J. D. Farrell as president, the construction of this link in the
Union Pacific System proceeded without interruption. It broke ground for its depot in 1909 and it was completed and occupied on May 1, 1911. The company used a temporary depot at Railroad Avenue and Dearborn Street. The new depot is also used by the Milwaukee line, running their first train in on May 25, 1911.
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The first Great Northern train arrived in Seattle in 1893.
The rate for lumber was then ninety cents a hundred. Mr. J. J. Hill reduced it to forty cents a hundred. The result on King County's lumber business was magical.
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The commencement of the Great Northern tunnel under the business district of the city and with an outlet on the tide flats was commenced in 1902 and completed in 1905, and contains two tracks. It is now apparent that the city would surely have committed commercial suicide if the project of the Northern Pacific to erect a depot on the waterfront had been permitted.
The Coming of the Steamboats
The first steamers owned and operated here were the J. B. Libby and the Mary Woodruff, about 1862. Both were sidewheelers.
The first wharves were built by Yesler at the foot of Mill Street ( Yesler Way), by Plummer at the foot of Main Street and by Butler at the foot of Madison Street.
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The schooner "Mary Taylor" arrived on the 19th day of February, 1852. The "Mary Taylor" left Portland early in the summer of 1852 with the first newspaper outfit north of the Columbia River, which was in charge of T. F. MeElroy and James W. Wiley. This paper was issued at Olympia on September 11, 1852, and called The Columbian. The plant used was the first plant of "The Oregonian." It was taken to Portland from San Francisco in the fall of 1850, and the first issue of that paper (founded by Thomas J. Dryer, a strong Whig), was December 4, 1850.
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In early times we occasionally saw the Hudson Bay steamers, "Beaver" and "Otter," passing to and from the station at Nisqually, but as yet no American steamer had ever navigated these waters.
The first American steamboat was brought to the Sound by her owners, A. B. David and Warren Gove, on the deck of the hark, "Sarah Warren," in October, 1853. She was a small sidewheeler called the "Fairy," and made several trips to Seattle and occasionally lower down the Sound, taking the place of our canoe express in carrying the mail. But she proved inefficient as a sea boat on the lower Sound, and a small sloop called the "Sarah Stone" was for a time put on the line by Slater & Webber.
The first regular steamboat company was incorporated in 1855.
In February, 1891, John Leary organized the Columbia River & Puget Sound Navigation Company with a paid-up capital of $500,000, and began running steamers to Tacoma. This company built and operated the "Flyer," well known to all old-timers as the hoat with the world's record for miles traveled.
Seattle's first share in the Oriental trade, save that ob-
tained by transshipment via other ports, was given in 1896 when the Nippon Yusen Kaisha established a fleet of steam- ships in connection with the Great Northern Railroad. Since that time the China Mutual began in 1900 a steamship service to Liverpool and return that added facilities for Oriental com- merce; the Boston Steamship Company and Boston Towboat Company put on a fleet of American ships in 1902.
Puget Sound is a system of waterways with numerous bays, straits and inlets extending for hundreds of miles (in the aggregate 1,600 miles) of shore line all navigable for the largest ships. Within the limits of King County there is a salt water frontage of about forty miles, The rise and fall of the tide is from nine to eighteen feet. There are no shoals, sunken reefs or other dangerous obstacles to navigation and vessels of any size can enter safely at all times and stages of the tide. Owing to the fact that it is protected on every side by high hills and mountain ranges it forms one vast har- bor. It is open for shipping all the year. The climate being mild, unlike the Atlantic coast where there are numerous harhors, there are only two upon the Pacific Coast where the biggest vessels can enter and depart with a full cargo. These are San Francisco Bay and Puget Sound. Columbia River accommodates vessels which draw less than twenty-five feet.
Following the great struggle in the railroad world in 1901, for the control of the Northern Pacific Railroad, in which Mr. J. J. Hill and his associates secured control of the road, the Great Northern Steamship Company constructed the steamships Minnesota and Dakota, the largest freighters in the world, to operate on the line between Seattle and the Orient. The Dakota was destroyed on the Japanese coast several years ago. It is reported that the Minnesota has been sold to parties in England, for which country she left carrying 16,000 tons dead weight last fall. Trouble with her boilers occurred off the western coast of South America and she now lies in San Francisco harher undergoing repairs.
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The Minnesota was launched at the New London, Conn., shipyards April 16, 1903.
Page Forty-six
HISTORY AND PROGRESS of
T. Ryan & Co. Oldest Contractors
One of the most reliable contracting firms of the early days was that of Timothy Ryan, who did business as T. Ryan & Co. Years ago "Tim" Ryan, as his friends loved to call him, served as one of the commissioners of King County.
No man ever lived in King County who served it more faithfully than "Tim" Ryan. He built and paved a great many miles of its splendid roads, as well as many blocks of Seattle's business streets and avemes. Ilis work will be a monument for all time to a good and faithful servant. For "Th" Ryan has gone to his reward. The great brick highway shown on page *
35, was the last important contract completed by Ryan & Co. The Second Avenue paving was done by him last year, and it is the finest piece of street work ever laid in this country.
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The firm founded by Mr. Ryan still does business in the same old offices, under the same old name, and performs its contracts in the same old manner that gave "Tim" Ryan his standing in this community. The firm even retains the same number telephone and the same offices in the Lowman Building. JJoseph W. Pettinger is the firm's manager.
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Pioneer Wholesalers
The Schwabachers were established in Seattle in 1869, with Bailey Gatzert as resident partner. They were the pioneer merchants in Seattle. The store was first opened on the site of the old New England hotel. I 1872 they erected a building on the west side of Commer- cial Street, at the corner of Mill Street and Yesler Way. Theirs was the first brick structure in Seattle. It was 30x120 feet, two stories in height. In the course of ten years their business had so increased as to demand a new building and in 1883 they put up a second building of brick 44x56 feet, three stories and basement, fronting on Yester Way and abutting at the rear on the old building, thus giving them two fronts. From this they carried on a most extensive trade in all parts of Washington, having branch houses and numerous business connections, until the buildings were destroyed in the great fire. With very little delay, however, new buildings were erected.
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A Quarter of a Century's Progress
In 1881 Mr. E. R. Butterworth came to the Territory of Washington, and in the following year established an under- taking business in what is now the City of Centralia. Ten years later he moved with his family to Seattle, and established the firm of E. R. Butterworth & Sons. Since that time, nearly a quarter of a century ago, the firm has grown until it is now recognized as the largest and best equipped establishment of its kind in the Northwest. The Butterworths were the first to own a hearse between Columbia river and Puget Sound. They were the first to build their own private crematory and Columharium, and can care for ten thousand memorial urns. Since their beginning in King County they have handled nearly 18,000 funerals. They were the first to own their own prop- erty and pay more taxes than any other undertaking firm in Washington. They operate the largest private funeral motor equipment west of the Mississippi, which was all built to the order of the firm. The ambulance service is entirely separate from the other branches, and a day and night service is main- tained for the removal of the sick and injured. This depart- ment responds to more calls during the course of a year than all other ambulance companies in King County combined.
The personelle of the firm consists of E. R. Butterworth, president; G. M Butterworth, manager; C. N. Butterworth, secretary and superintendent of Crematory; F. R. Butter- worth, treasurer and B. K. Butterworth, auditor.
Oldest Stationery and Printing House.
In 1877, at that time being twenty years of age. James D. Lowman came to Seattle, where he secured employment as assistant wharfmaster on Yesler's wharf and was thus em- ployed for four years. He then purchased one-half interest in the book store of W. H. Pumphrey, which for two years was continued under the firm name of Pumphrey & Lowman.
He then organized a stock company by absorbing the job printing plant of Clarence Hanford, established the corpora- tion known as the Lowman & Hanford Stationery & Printing Company, which today is one of the most substantial firms in Seattle.
In 1886 Mr. Lowman was appointed trustee of all of Henry L. Yesler's property and assumed its entire control and management. Through the large enterprises which he had been carrying on and the general stagnation of business, had become heavily encumbered, and he required the assist- ance of a man of more than ordinary business sagacity to bring his affairs to a successful issue, and within the space of four years, from a condition of almost insolvency to be the most valuable held by anl individual in Seattle.
After the fire Mr. Lowman erected on Pioneer Place, in the very heart of Seattle, three of the finest buildings in the city.
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Seattle's Big Store to Celebrate Its Twenty-sixth Birthday
Public Invited to Share in Month-Long Event and to Share Mammoth Birthday Cake.
In a recent issue of a newspaper appears an anniversary advertisement of Seattle's big store, The Bon Marche, and the public is invited to join with this large merchandising concern in the celebration of its Twenty-sixth Anniversary, beginning May 1.
The mention of the Twenty-sixth Anniversary of The Bon Marche will call up for review many intensely interesting memories of pioneer days in Seattle. The older residents of Seattle, in particular, will remember when The Bon Marche was making its modest start at the corner of First Avenue and Cedar Street-in that section of Seattle then known by the several names of Bell Town. North Seattle and Stump Town --- Second Avenue, the present location of the now large depart- ment store, was little better than a corduroy road.
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Page Forty-seven
In those days, The Bon Marche was a typical general merchandise store, such as one might find in many Western country towns. The man in overalls was made to feel at home, and the lady of fashion was not adverse to taking ad- vantage of the bargains offered.
This store is now one of the show places of the city, being the third largest cash store in the United States. It has assumed proportions of which Seattle may justly be prond. But even today its management has the happy faculty of main- taining the same homey atmosphere on a large scale that was so much in evidence in a small way in those far-off pioneer days, when a mother with her babe in arms visiting that infant Bon Marche to make some small purchase was made to feel at home; and it was no crime for her hahy to cry aloud. The small hoy or girl or aged person was served with delicate
and painstaking care; and each visitor in his turn went away from The Bon Marche, a satisfied customer. So, after all, when we behold today this immense merchandising establishment catering to the innumerable needs of its many thousands of patrons, we see but the natural result of a cause coupled with an opportunity which was recognized and seized. And the same close attention to the business of giving to each patron of this big store, absolute satisfaction is making it still larger each year; and it will continue to grow and flourish exactly in proportion to its ability to maintain the high standard of service required by the public. The Bon Marche seems to realize that its success is due to the loyalty of the people of Seattle, and so today it extends a general invitation to the public to join in the month-long celebration of its 26th Anni- versary.
Dalk & Lindberg
Phone North 835
Sash and Door Factory
Ewing and Woodlawn
Meese & Gottfried
Elevators, Conveying
and Screening Machinery 558 1st Avenue South Elliott 1093
GEO. MILTON SAVAGE
Pres. and Genl. Mgr.
D. 1. CONELL Vice-Pres. and Secy.
Washington Paving Co. GENERAL CONTRACTORS
GOOD ROADS BETTER PAVEMENTS
1915 CONTRACTS SECURED -- 27
Consisting of 359,612 Square Yards Pavement 150,000 Cubic Yards Excavation 170,000 Lin. Feet Curbing Cleaning Sewers, Sidewalks, etc.
MATERIALS USED
40,000 Barrels Cement 92,685 Cubic Yards Sand and Gravel 15,500 Cubic Yards Crushed Rock 1,000,000 Brick 18,000 Barrels Asphalt and Bitumen
SEATTLE 1704-17 L. C. Smith Bldg. Phone Elliott 246
TACOMA 606 Savage-Scofield Bldg. Phone Main 414
BELLINGHAM
422 Bellingham National Bank Bldg. Phone 204
Page Forty-eight
HISTORY AND PROGRESS of
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Lincoln High
A GROUP Broadway High of SCHOOLS
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Queen Anne High
Franklin High
The schools of King County are among her proudest possessions. Education of the child is certainly not neg- lected in City or County.
The matter of the schools, however, is too large to be treated in this booklet and will be the subject of a new work soon to be isned.
Seattle, and one may not speak of King County without encompassing its great capital, is not merely a city of sordid and cold business houses, and consequent homes, but it might properly be termed "the City of Churches." On her many hills are scattered beautiful religious edifices. All the denominations are repre- sented by houses of worship of the most classic design.
Green Lake m.E. Church
Some Prominent Churches
ST. James Cathedral
Temple de Hirsch
First M.E.Church
First Baptist
Plymouth Congregational
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Page Forty-nine
J. D. Ross, and His Plant, and His Record
T HE Seattle Municipal Light & Power Plant is known throughout the coun- try as America's foremost municipal plant. Beginning in 1902, when the first bonds were voted, the plant has grown until it serves 42,000 consumers with light and power and earns over $1,000,00 yearly Credit for seenring the plant for the city is due to R. II. Thompson, who, as city en- gineer, pointed out the need for sneh a plant as early as 1893, and who led the campaign to secure the plant. Superintendent J. D. Ross, who was with the plant as designing. constructing and operating engineer from its inception, is responsible in a great meas- ure for the successful administration of the affairs of the plant.
In 1902 Seatile citizens were paying 20 cents per kilowatt hour for light, and pay- ing for their own extensions. When the plant was assured, the company's rate came down to 121% cents. In 1905 the first aus- tomers of the municipal plant were served at a maximum rate of 812 cents. The rate has been reduced three times since, and 516 cents is now the highest rate charged. In every instance the city plant made the re- dnetion, and the opposition met the rate. Se- attle rates are as low as any in the country, with the possible exception of Niagara Falls, and the service is the best in the country.
The main generating station is at Cedar Falls, forty miles from Seattle, where gen- erators of 10,500 kilowatt capacity are turned by water. power. The same water is later turned into the city water system, actually improved by its passage through the wheels. A modern steam generating station of 7,500 kilowatt normal capacity, located in Seattle on the east shore of Lake Union is used as an auxiliary source of
power at time of heaviest demand and in emergencies. The city lines cover the entire eity with their network, providing light and power to the remotest citizen.
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