The Battle for the Navy Yard: Port Orchard vs. Lake Washington

The commissioners who recently visited Puget Sound, the Columbia River, and other localities on the North Pacific coast to look over the ground with a view to the establishment of a naval station have returned to Washington City and made their report to Secretary Tracy. Puget Sound is, in the judgment of the commissioners, the right place for the proposed station, and the particular site recommended by them is at Port Orchard, directly opposite Seattle. It must not be supposed, however, that this recommendation settles the question, for the power to locate the station rests not with the commissioners, but with Congress itself. Those who have urged the claims of Lake Washington—as well as Olympia, Quartermaster's Bay, Steilacoom, and Port Townsend—will feel a sense of disappointment, but Seattle should be satisfied, for at Port Orchard, the navy yard will be her immediate neighbor. However, the advantages of Lake Washington remain strong: fresh water anchorage, protection from assault, and the fact that a navy yard there would necessitate the construction of a ship canal to connect with the Sound, providing a massive boon to commerce. It remains to be seen which site has the most friends in Congress.