COAL. [Sidenote: The Seattle railway passes five coal fields.] I have, under the head of Economic Geology, described so fully the coal deposits of Washington Territory, especially the beds along the line of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, that it remains only to show the application of these facts to the interests of this railway. The road passes five, if not six, separate coal fields between Seattle and the Columbia River, namely, the Squak or Gilman mines, 40 miles from Seattle; the Washington mines, 43 miles; the Raging River, 46 to 50 miles; the Snoqualmie Mountain, 56 miles; the Yakima (or Roslyn), 75 miles; and perhaps the Wenatchie, 140 miles. So far as appears at present, the Seattle railway will have a monopoly of all these fields except the Yakima or Roslyn. This it will share with the Northern Pacific; but it will have exclusive control of the market between the Yakima and Spokane Falls, which will be almost wholly dependent upon coal for fuel. Also, it will furnish whatever of this coal may be wanted by the mining country north of the Columbia. And in the Spokane Falls market it will have the advantage of bringing the coal by a route fifty miles shorter. The coal on the west side of the Cascade Mountains will go to Seattle for consumption and shipment, except so much as may be wanted for iron making, and other manufacturing purposes along the line of the road. Coke will be in demand for furnaces, foundries, engines, etc., in Seattle, Spokane Falls, and many other places. But its largest consumption will be in iron furnaces which will be erected for smelting the ores of the Cascade Mountains. [Sidenote: Largest shipments from the Gilman Mines.] [Sidenote: Superior mining advantages of the Gilman Mines.] The largest shipments will be from the Gilman Mines for domestic and steam-boiler purposes. The coal must, of course, come in competition with other coals which are mined within the basin of Puget Sound, but it has an advantage over all competitors in the ease, safety, and cheapness with which it can be mined. This will not, of course, be realized for the first few months whilst driving the entries, but when the mines shall have been fully opened I think it will be without rival in the cost of production. This will be evident from the following report made to me by Mr. Whitworth, showing the disadvantages in the mode of working the other mines of the Territory. The terrible explosion which has lately occurred in the deep mines of Vancouver's Island shows that the Canadians are also working at a disadvantage. MR. WHITWORTH'S LETTER. [Sidenote: Mr. Whitworth's testimony.]