The Secretary of the Navy Rides a Streetcar and Sees Seattle's Future

Though Mr. Herbert beamed amusement only for a few moments at rare intervals yesterday, the rain did not prevent Secretary of the Navy Herbert from seeing the beauties of the city, the advantages of its location, and the great gain to the government and to the maritime interests of the country generally which would result from the construction of the Lake Washington ship canal. He will spend two more days on the Sound, and his farther movements are yet rather unsettled.

In the morning Mr. Herbert, who is an Episcopalian, went to St. Mark's church, accompanied by Mrs. McCane, while Miss Herbert and his niece, Miss McNicoll, went to the First Presbyterian church.

After lunch at the Rainier hotel, Mr. Herbert and Lieut. Kearney were met by some twenty members of the Chamber of Commerce committee on entertainment and visited the route of the proposed lakes ship canal. Those in the party were: President C. O. Graves, Secretary W. H. Whittlesey, C. J. Smith, A. P. Burleigh, C. L. Webb, Gov. John H. McGraw, Mayor Byron Phelps, Comptroller Will H. Parry, T. K. Jenness, Judge E. O. Bond, E. P. Wittier, D. R. Durie, J. B. Metcalfe, Columbus T. Tyler, Thomas B. Hardin, Dr. John H. Neagle, and Commodore James D. Smith, of New York, and H. Deere, of the Deere plow works, of Moline, Ill., the last two joining the committee by invitation.

Leaving the Rainier shortly before 3 o'clock the party went by car to the lake, then the steamer Juanita was boarded and a trip made to the entrance of the canal at the head of Union bay. Then the party returned by Madison street car to the Broadway crossing, where a special car was taken to the terminus of the Broadway electric line. Mr. Herbert sat on the outside of the car and viewed with undisguised delight the magnificent prospect which greeted his eyes north, east and west. To the north and east the whole route of the proposed canal was stretched out before him, with the exception of the portage between the lakes, of which he had obtained a fair idea on his lake trip. To the west was the gap where Union bay joins the Sound, the bay itself with columns of smoke curling lazily from the sawmills and the shingle mills and its dwellings strewn thickly along the gently sloping banks. Eastward the car traveled along the valley where Ross melts into Fremont, while right at the foot of the steep bluff on which the party stood lay the placid waters of Lake Union, with its long elbow disappearing around the hill toward the portage. Turning to the east, the eye surveyed the broad waters of Lake Washington; to the southwest stretched the still broader waters of the Sound with the western wall of mountains wrapped in clouds, though West Seattle and its bald promontory showed out in clear outline against the leaden-hued deep. Queen City and the thousand homes of the city nestled in Sabbath repose. It was a prospect which the secretary had to admit even his sunny South could hardly rival, though the absence of sunshine prevented its being seen at its best.

Having thus taken in at one sweep of the eye not only the feasibility of the canal project but the grandeur of the city's situation, the secretary and his companions rode back to the splendid new residence of H. C. Henry, where they were hospitably entertained by Mr. and Mrs. Henry and again viewed the landscape from the broad balcony. After a short walk they boarded cars and returned to the hotel.

While not a man of many words, Secretary Herbert was emphatic in his approval of the canal project. He said to a Post-Intelligencer reporter who accompanied the party:

"There is no doubt that the canal to Seattle will be built, and will be built before many years. The advantages of the fresh water harbor it would make of Lake Washington are generally admitted, for it is a great benefit for ships to lie in fresh water. That has been proved in the case of the United States ship Michigan, which was built on the Great Lakes in 1844, and is still as sound as ever, never having been out of fresh water. Not only would it be a great advantage for both naval vessels and merchant ships to lie in such a harbor, but it would make a perfect harbor of refuge for the merchant ships in time of war. With our war-ships in command of the Sound, it would be an easy matter in case of emergency to block the mouth of the canal so that ships lying in the lakes would be safe from attack."

In the evening after dinner the secretary was waited upon at the hotel by a delegation from Everett, composed of Emory S. Lyons, Hon. L. K. Church and Judge A. E. Haney, who extended him a pressing invitation to visit their city on his trip down Sound. The Whatcom delegation also again discussed with him the plans for the trip, which will, if practicable, include visits to not only the Bellingham bay towns, but to Port Townsend and Everett, though circumstances and weather are liable to interfere with his carrying out his wishes in this respect. This trip will be made on Tuesday, the contemplated visiting excursion to Snoqualmie having been abandoned in order that Mr. Herbert may accept the invitation of the down Sound people.