The Northern Pacific railway operates several distinct lines which radiate from and converge at TACOMA. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy operates through trains to and from Missouri River points and TACOMA, over the N. P. tracks from Billings, Montana. The Harriman system is to be extended to TACOMA from Portland. The Tacoma Eastern railroad is now in operation from TACOMA to Ashford, with a branch to Electron, 57.5 miles of track being now in operation. This railroad taps the rich timber, coal and agricultural lands on the southerly and westerly slopes of Mount Tacoma. The company owns and is developing extensive coal mines. It is about to extend into the “Big Bottom” country, as the rich and fertile valley of the Upper Cowlitz River is called, from three to twelve miles wide and sixty miles in length, one of the most desirable sections for settlement in the State. The Tacoma Eastern railroad is the gateway to Mount Tacoma and the National Park. The federal government is now constructing a wagon road to Paradise Valley and the Camp of the Clouds, which will connect with the railroad. Paradise Valley and Mount Tacoma are destined to become a great resort for tourists. [Illustration: A City of Beautiful Homes. 1—Residences of Col. C. W. Griggs and Henry Hewitt. 2—Residences of L. D. Campbell and L. R. Manning. 3—Nelson Bennett’s Residence. 4—Residences of Stuart Rice and Chester Thorne. 5—S. R. Balkwill’s Residence. ] ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEMS. The general offices of the Puget Sound Electric Railway, operating fifty-three miles of standard gauge electric railway, are at TACOMA. The main line extends from TACOMA to Seattle, with a branch to Renton, twelve miles from Seattle, and an extensive logging road from Edgewood, near TACOMA, through the timber country towards Brown’s Point. This is pronounced to be one of the finest equipped, best constructed and operated electric railways in the country. Thirty-four trains arrive or leave TACOMA daily between six o’clock A. M. and midnight. The road has been in operation about two years and is aiding materially in the settlement and development of the rich Puyallup and White River Valleys between TACOMA and Seattle. The Tacoma Railway & Power Company operates 85¼ miles of city and suburban electric and cable railways at TACOMA. Lines are operated to Puyallup, 16 miles; to Spanaway, 14 miles, and Steilacoom, 13 miles distant, bringing these towns into close touch with TACOMA, and facilitating the growth of the city’s suburbs. About 400 men are regularly employed as trainmen, trackmen, in the shops and general offices. The increase in the number of passengers carried during the past year is not less than 5,000 per day. TACOMA’S OCEAN COMMERCE. [Illustration: Train on Tacoma-Seattle Interurban Railway.]