The Coal Wealth of the Cascades
Vast mining operations in Carbonado and Newcastle drive the regional economy and fuel the push for new transcontinental rail connections.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Tacoma branch railroad has been built reaching the extensive coal mines some thirty miles to the southeast nearly in a direct line toward the base of Mount Tacoma. Since then numerous veins have been found on Carbon River. Recently the coal mines at Carbonado have been purchased by the Central Pacific Railroad Company for $750,000. This company proposes to ship 1,500 tons of coal a day. Besides the mines mentioned, another has lately been opened at South Prairie. One important element in the prosperity of Seattle is her extensive coal trade, currently contributed to by the Newcastle and Talbot mines, owned by the Oregon Improvement Company. One thousand tons of coal are brought each day to Seattle from these mines, and with the proposed increase of facilities a much larger quantity can be daily transported.
“Whether or no Tacoma is to be selected as the permanent western terminus of the second great transcontinental railway, the coal interest is bound to be one of her leading industries.”
This article highlights the industrial extraction that formed the bedrock of early Washington's economy. While the coal industry has long since given way to high-tech and aerospace, the competition for 'terminal honors' between Seattle and Tacoma remains a central theme in the historical rivalry between the two cities.
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