Puget Sound Out-Sailed Every U.S. Port but New York in 1894

Port Townsend, Dec. 31.—Special.—That the foreign trade of Puget Sound is assuming vast proportions is undeniable in the face of the subjoined official data, taken from the customs house records by the Post-Intelligencer's Port Townsend bureau. The increase of importations over 1892 is over 50 per cent, or $800,000. The amount of exports has been largely increased over 1892, but the valuations of a certain class of exports, such as wheat, lumber, flour, etc., on account of domestic depression in valuation averaging fully 40 per cent, the showing is not so favorable to the state of Washington. The increase of wheat shipments in two years was 1,000,000 bushels. Lumber shipments in the same period decreased 2,500,000 feet. Flour exports from 130,000 barrels in 1892 ran up to 297,900 barrels in 1894. The receipts of the government in 1892 were $180,000, and this year they went up to $260,000, an increase of $80,000 in revenues. The establishment of a line of steamships to the Orient has built up a trade from nothing, comparatively speaking, in 1892, to upwards of $6,000,000 a year, a vast proportion of which goes through the district in transit to Eastern points. All of this, however, is at the expense of the Canadian Pacific line and the steamships terminating at San Francisco. In return, vessels go out from Puget Sound loaded down with wheat, flour and cotton goods destined for China, Japan and Hongkong. What is more surprising is the fact that the volume of exports to the Orient shows a healthy monthly increase. The tabular statement in another column showing the number of vessels and tonnage entering and clearing from various sub-ports in the Puget Sound customs district for the years 1893 and 1894 speaks for itself and places us second only to New York in amount of clearances and entrances.