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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1913)
THE MORNING OREGOXIAN. WEDNESDAY. JANUARY I, 1913. ber, cedar siding and finishing, redwood and cedar shingles, Oregon yellow pine, California redwood 'and upper grades of California- sugar and white pine. The present rate tariffs make 'the rate on fir rough lumber $24.75 per 1000 feet to the eastern Coast market. All water rates will undoubtedly enable us to put our- lumber into the East Coast markets at about one-half this rate, or even less. There is an immense market in the Atlantic states for our large square timbers and heavy planking. With this low water rate our Panama Canal will allow us to transport cheap er grades of lumber and at the same time broaden our field and enlarge our market for these large timbers and for our fir flooring, siding and finishing, and for cedar, California redwood, sugar, yellow and white pine special ties. The New Tork field has always been one of the largest markets for spruce and white pine box and crating mate rial. This immense market will be brought nearer to us and the demand for this material will be enormous. The box manufacturer consumes more lum ber than any other industry except the railway. Our principal distributing points will be New York, Philadelphia and Boston. To these distributing points we will be able to ship our fir timbers, all water, and thence inland as far as the Ohio basin. We will compete for business over a large area. We must keep In mind that the large TWO COSTLY NEW BRIDGES ACROSS RIVER HELP EFFACE PHYSICAL BARRIER IN CITY Broadway and O.-W. R, & N. pans Will Do Much to Facilitate Traffic Across Willamette An other Viaduct Over Sullivan's Gulch Also Development of Year. CONVERSION OF COLUMBIA SLOUGH INTO SHIPPING CHANNEL NOW IS ADVOCATED City Engineer Presents Plan to Extend Industrial Area on Peninsula and to Add to Portland's Pres tige as Harbor Survey Shows Plan Possible. s J S ? BETTER transportation facilities for vehicle and streetcar traffic are provided by an extensive bridge building programme carried out In Portland in the year just closed. ' One new bridge across the "Willam ette River that of the O.-W. R. & N. Co. was completed; another, tho Broadway bridge was started and. will be completed within the next ten weeks, and an additional viaduct was built across Sullivan's Gulch at East Twenty-first street thus affording connection between the Irvlngton dis trict and central East Portlasd. The new O.-W. R. & N. bridge re places the old "Steel bridge," that was built In 1888. The old bridge was so named because It was the first steel structure to be built across the Wil lamette. It answered well for its day and generation, but long since be came entirely too light for the heavier rolling stock that came Into, use.. The new bridge is located about 600 feet up stream from the old one, and reaches from Third and Glisan streets, on the West Side, to Adams and Ore gon streets, on the East Side. The length over all is 1839 feet, of which about 1600 feet is of steel. A note worthy feature of the bridge Is the use of two decks, the upper one for highway traffic and the lower one for the steam railway traffic. This com bination, plan is used for the three main spans, crossing the river itself. Out on the shore the railway tracks are built on the ground, but the highway deck structure continues independently out to the proper termini for It, with a total length of approaches of 1043 feet The bridge was designed for the very heaviest traffic on both decks that could reasonably be expected to cross it. The lower deck has double tracks. The upper deck has a 28-foot width of ree In the center for the streetcar l. uflic and automobiles and a space 15 or 16 feet wide on either side of the bridge for horse vehicles, except that on the lift span this width Is reduced to 11 feet because of space taken by the trusses and there is a 6-foot walk for pedestrians at each side of the structure next to the railing. The west part of the upper deck has an up-grade of per cent leading to the lift span and the east approach has a grade of 2.5 per cent. Thfl lift Knftji is so constructed that the lower deck can be llft up to the giving a clearance above low water of 7S feet and above high water of 61 feet. This height clears all but a very few of the larger steamboats at ordinary oi law laigui di.ciwvw - ' stage; of water. The upper djek can be lifted to any height required up to 93 feet, thereby affording a clear height above low water when both decks are up to 165 feet. The new bridge is unusually heavy and massive, considering the compara- tively short length of the river cross- ing. The weights of steel in some of the principal parts are: Approaches, 1190 tons: two fixed spans across the river, 4180 tons; lift span, complete, ions, twwrio, ov poles, handrails, gas main, S40 tons; machinery and motors, 480 tons; total, S5U0 tons. The weight of steel in the old Steel bridge, including the East and West Side upper deck approaches, was 1200 tons. The great advantage of this bridge over the older river bridges is that traffic on the upper deck Is very sel dom interrupted by opening of the draw. The bridge cost $1,704,000. of which the highway part cost 1821,000. The Broadway bridge is expected to be open to traffic by March 1. It be gins at Seventh and Hoyt streets, on ...aa . . OrtA IrnllaU tne west iue. ana runs norm , . f , acComolished bv lu" taKea or Irom soma source Seventh street past the Union Depot: engineering feat ever accomplUbea by of 8upplyi and tnat thjs same 8 thence It turns northeast and crosses any nation in the world, is to be opened or 8uppiy wiu Btiu contlnuo to produce the river directly on the line of Broad- September 23, 1913. on the anniversary and to market its lumber and other way. The bridge ends on Broadway at of the day Balboa ' discovered the products, Larrabee street. The length over all Pacific ur Pacific Coast mills for years Is 29S8 feet, of which the seven main Tne iumber industry is the foremost nave shipped large quantities of lum spans take 1737 feet, and the two ap- . . t , , dev1iODment of the Pa- ber" aU rail- to the East Coast. Large proaches the remainder. The Broad- us'ry In development or. tne r qaantltle, nave also been Bhtpped by way bridge Is for general highway and clc Coast; in fact, the lumberman is ves8el by the hazardous passage around foot trafic and for electric railways, recognised as being the pioneer of this the Horn. Our lumber is, accordingly. The bridge will have a distinct advan- country. well known to these Eastern markets, tage over the O.-W. R. & N. bridge for what effect the Panama Canal will but these shipments to the East Coast vehicle traffic in that the heaviest Bave on our lumber industry is a ques- have Deen confined almost entirely to grade used on either approach is only ,. th . . beine weighed In the minds whatare termed specialties.- Our Pa J.8 per cent, as against per cent on " " be'nS weighed in the minds clnc Coa8t timber , depen(led ex the other bridge. . of all our lumbermen today with varia- cluslvely to furnlsh larse and long The river channel is occupied by a ble conclusions. . ' "timbers.; Other specialties are fir floor bascule span of the Kail typa, -The two la - considering . the effect , upon our lng. -fir-finishing, spruce factory, lum- .srf ' fcx Tinlvffta nr 1(n.-trn nf - h i m arm rnnnnntArl i i i Araw cJ openlne ls mad by each leaf being tilted back by counterweight on a short arm from its further end, aided by operating ma. chinery. When the leaves reach a ver J " iaiu Avca icai.u ct- tide position the dear opening: is 250 reet. The clearance underneath the bascule span when closed is 93 feet at the low- est stages of the river and 65 feet at the highest stages that may reason- ably be expected. The draw will sel- dom have to be opened except for the passage of sailing vessels. The clear- ance at the harbor lines ls only nine feet less than at the middle, thus per- mining the free movement of the . OREGON LUMBER WILL SOON COMPETE IN NEW MARKETS Cut Across Isthmus Will Take Cargoes Into Atlantic Ports, From Which Distance Now Bars Them. By Ernest H. Meyer. A; 2CORDINO to latest advices, the Panama Canal, an achievement am o 11 at , ra ft- wlt i Ant mimn rf nronna The totai weight of steel in, the Broadway bridge will be about 7600 tons, tho weight of the operating ma chinery being about 75 tons additional. The East Twenty-flrst-street viaduct across Sullivan's Gulch ls a reinforced ....a, Sullivan' Gulch 1a a reinforced. tSSrttbi rfrfE typt consisting of longitudinal girders sup- nortlnjrthe fioorslab which in turn are JSrt by trSsverlJ larders resting on the columns, the structure consist- ing of eight spans each of which la 28 ieet from center to center of supports, one span 42 feet center to center of supports and two end spans 27 feet from center to center of supports, and end spans resting on wing abutments of the irravitv tvne. - w - - - domestic business, we should hear in mind that all markets that may be opened to us, or brought nearer to us, on the completion of the canal, are now CHANNEL ADMITS LARGEST VESSELS. Three of the deepest-draft ves sels to leave the harbor at Port land, or, in fact, sail from the Columbia River, in the history of navigation were dispatched dur ing 1312, the first being the British steamer Wlllesden, which got away In October with 301,987 bushels of wheat, and drew 27.1 feet of water. The Danish steam er Kina left the latter part of the same month with a cereal cargo for abroad, drawing 27.4 feet, and the last deep-draft carrier also gained the port record, the big five-masted German bark, R. C. Rickmers, which was down to 27.6 feet. Vessels drawing 24 feet and over to be loaded here during the past three years are listed below: Month Vessel. reet Draft. 1910. February. M. S. Dollar.. ... 24.7 March, Glenaffric 24.1 March. Augustus 24.8 June, Knight of Garter 24.10 July, st. Dunstan 25.7 July, Coulsdon 24.2 October, Knight of Garter..24.10 October, Uganda 24.6 October, Iran 25.0 November, Masunda. 24.6 December, Solveig 24.11 1911. January, Orteric 24.0 Feb'ry, Queen Alexandra. .20 February, Hercules 2T.10 March, Suveric ..26.7 March, Northumbria 24.4 April, Luceric 24.0 May, Hercules 24.9 June, Serak 24.4 July, Ethelwolf 24.8 August. Earl of Forfar 25.6 November, Kumerin 25.0 December, Celtic King 24.0 January, M. S. Dollar 24.2 January, Orteric 24.0 January, Hercules 24.0 February, Hartington 24.0 , April, Ikalis 24.6 May, Clan Maciver. ....... 24.0 May, Hercules. .......... .24.6 June, Kygja. 24.0 June, Verona 24.1 June, M. S. Dollar 24.2 June, Unkai Maru, No. 2.. .25.2 - August, Orteric 25.3 August, Guernsey 24.9 August, Netherpark 24.3 August, Solveig 25.11 August, Hercules 25.6 Sept'ber, English Monarch.,25.1 October, Wlllesden 27.1 October, Strathfillan 24.0 October, Kina 27.4 October, Kgon 24.0 October, Tsurugisan Maru.. 24.0 Dec'mber, R. C. Rickmers...27.6 December, Jersbek... ..25.0 December, Lonsdale. ..... .24.2 wholesale lumber dealers in bur East ern cities are large holders as well as operators of Southern pine and of the white pine of the Georgian Bay coun try, which now supply these markets. This undoubtedly means that our large Pacific Coast lumber operators will be obliged to establish large distributing yards in the Atlantic Coast cities if they expect to do much business. Yellow pine creates our principal competition in the Atlantic field today. Spruce from Maine and the Quebec country, and white and Norway pine from the Great Lakes and Georgian Bay district, also afford strong compe tition. We do not look for much busi ness immediately in Eastern territory for house-building material or for lower grades of lumber;, nearer markets will undoubtedly continue to hold nearly all of this trade; but the all-water route should enable us to compete, sooner or later, even in these lower grades of fir. Our spruce box, however, will be placed in New York for less money than the white pine box from the Great Lakes. An important result to follow upon the opening of the Panama Canal, too frequently overlooked by manufactur ers, is the developing of our home mar kets along the entire length of the Pacific Coast through increased immi gration to this Coast. It is estimated that 60,000 tickets have already been sold for passage to this Coast via the Panama Canal. Further estimates state that fully 500,000 immigrants will come to this Coast within the first two or three years after the Canal opens. If this is to be the case our people in the different Coast districts should organ ize in order to care for this immense immigration that these people may be settled upon tracts of land at reason able cost, that they may live as they develop the land, to become useful and productive citizens. These will create a demand for our - low-grade lumber; for they will build up the home market, and, after all, it is the home market that supplies the margin to enable the manufacturer to conduct and expand his business. All Oregon pine, spruce, California sugar and white pine and redwood des tined for the United Kingdom and for the Continent, and for the East Coast of the northern part of South America, at present, are shipped around the Horn, or via the isthmus, or via rail to Galveston and thence via vessel. A great deal of California redwood, white pine and sugar pine are now shipped to New York all-rail and thence by vessel to the United Kingdom. The Panama Canal will lessen this distance by the all-water route from 6000 to 10, 000 miles, thereby effecting an enor mous saving in transportation. This saving in freight should result in these countries taking a much larger per centage of their requirements from the Pacific Coast, and proportionately less yellow pine from the South and white pine from the Great Lake region, these products being now our strong compe tition in these foreign markets. Although the southern part of the Atlantic Coast of South America will not be brought closer to us via the canal, yet our market should be greatly enlarged In the Argentine Republic, where an extensive business must de velop at once for our Bpruce box lum ber. On the contrary, the Panama Canal will open the west - coast of South America and a portion of North America to the Southern pine dealers, placing them very much nearer than at present, and at a favorable freight rate, and they will compel us to share this market with them to some extent; but the Southern yellow pine mills have not the class of timber to meet the re quirements of the north coast buyer, to the same satisfaction as with our fir timber; accordingly, we do not expect serious competition from the Southern ' yellow pine mills, . By T. M. Harlburt, City Engineer. . IN MY opinion no other proposition presented to the people of this city possesses such immense possibilities as are offered by making a traffic high, way . of Columbia Slough. I have long contended that if this natural water way, which extends from the Willam ette River in an easterly direction, a distance of 12 miles, to the Columbia River, ls dredged to a sufficient width and depth to permit river boats and even larger vessels entering, it would provide one of the largest and best harbors on the Pacific Coast, and do more than any other undertaking to establish Portland's supremacy as a harbor in the Pacific Northwest. It Is my plan first to clear the pres ent channel of all trees, stumps, drift wood and other debris and open it up sufficiently to permit a portion of the water from the Columbia to flow through it. Starting at the confluence of the slough with the Willamette, I would dredge a channel of sufficient width and depth for ordinary river traffic, increasing the depth, and pos sibly the width, according to the needs and amount of traffic traversing the channel. At certain points along the channel I would dredge basins of suf ficient size to permit the anchoring of vessels. The possibilities of this slough for commercial purposes are unsurpassed. PANAMA CANAL TO RESULT IN LOWER FREIGHT RATES BY RAIL AND WATER Reduced Charges for Ocean Snipping Ate Certain, and Transcontinental Lines Must Meet Them to Seaboard Cities. By tT. 'H. Lotarop, Manager Transportation Committee, Cliainber of Commerce. IT has been announced that the Pana ma Canal will be officially opened on September 23, 1913 President Taft has issued a proclamation prescribing the terms on which tolls are td be levied on vessels passing through the canaL The rate is SL20 for each net ton. This, however, does not apply to American coastwise traffic as Congress has decreed that on this no tolls wiU be assessed. The opening of the' Panama Canal wiU be an event of the greatest im portance not only to this country, but to the world. The canal will shorten the distance by hundreds of miles be tween many of the largest trading points, and will divert to new channels much of the world's commerce. It will bring new competitors into the field, who have heretofore been excluded be cause of greater distance from markets, or because of prohibitive freight rates. A large number of settlers from foreign countries will come direct to the Pa cific Coast, that would otherwise land at Atlantic porta The opening of the canal means tremendous growth and rapid development of the entire Pacific Coast and the intermountain country lying to the east. What the freight rates will be on traffic passing through the canal is problematical. Volume of tonnage, and the number and kind of steamers en gaged in the business will have much to do in determining how much exist ing arates will be reduced. There is but little doubt that ocean rates will be substantially lowered. Furthermore, much freight not now regarded as sea. going, owing to necessary, damaging and expensive transfer from boat to cars and back again to boats, will be vigorously solicited for transportation by water. Quicker service also will tend largely to increase the movement by sea. If the preponderance of ton The channel ls 12 miles long, access to it being below any of the bridges in the present harbor, and It will bring into use ground on both sides of the channel for docks. The land on each Ride for a mile back could be utilized for railway terminals, manufacturing sites and other industries. There are absolutely no obstacles in the way for developing this waterway as a com mercial highway and its accessories, excepting the cost, as the system could be laid out without any hindrances such as now confront the city on our present waterfront. A general plan could be formulated and all desiring to avail themselves of the advantages offered by opening the stream as a great harbor could be forced to build in conformance to these plans. In my opinion it would not be long before the great commercial forces of the city would realize the Importance of the project and back up my efforts to bring it to a successful culmination. Docks, treminal yards, mills and facto ries could be located there. Columbia Slough should not be con fused with the Oregon Slough, over which the jurisdiction of the Port of Portland Commission recently was ex tended, and which is one of the chan nels of the Columbia River. It ls dis tinctly separate from the Oregon Slough. As a secondary proposition ' the slough, if drained and made into a com nage should be the manufactured goods of the East, or materials produced in that section and required on the Pacific Coast to be employed in manufacturing plants or for other purposes, then our home products, needed for r'eturn car goes, will move at low rates. Oregon lumber, which up to this time has moved only in limited quantities, will be forwarded in cargo lots to New York, Philadelphia, Boston and other cities, by steam schooners, and on the merchandise transported on the return trip in lieu of ballast, low rates will prevail. The conditions existing at present between Portland and San Francisco wiU be duplicated, but upon a much larger scale. Our hops, wool, dried fruits, canned fruits and vege tables, and other Oregon products will be largely sought. There will be developed new industries that will use our natural products, and utilize our natural resources, due primarily to our ability to reach the Eastern markets at low freight rates. Wood fibre made from Oregon fir and other woods will supply the paper mills, which owing to the depletion of Eastern forests, must look elsewhere for their supply. The question has frequently been asked, "what will the railroads do?" We may rest assured that the water competition will be met to the greatest possible extent. The amount of ton nage originating at or destined to the Atlantic Seaboard cities is compara tively small. The business is west thereof. It may be safely predicted that the rates by rail will approximate the water rates between the coast cities, plus the highest local rail rates to or from the Coast that may be added. Although it ls unknown what the rates will be to or from Portland, they will be much lower than those in effect at the present time. Consideration has been given prin cipally to the traffic moving between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Let us not overlook our great Inland water ways, both those which are now navigable and those yet to be developed. Our Government has spent millions for the improvement of the rivers, and the work has only just begun. The Ohio and Mississippi rivers have been navi gated for years, but the movement of mercial highway, could be utilized as drainage canal for all those portions of the city which slope toward the Columbia River. The sewage of this vast tract could be emptied intor the channel without any insanitary results, providing there was a continuous cur rent and sufficient water to afford proper dilution. This district needs sewers, but unless the Columbia Slough ls dredged the sewage cannot be emptied into it and the property own ers will be forced to construct at great expense an immense trunk sewer to drain the territory into the Willamette. Aire day I have made a survey of the slough and am convinced that the proposition is feasible and that it will cost far less than anticipated. While the cost may appear large, yet the re sults, in my opinion, will prove of in estimable benefit to the city as a whole and also to all who avail themselves of the shipping and manufacturing fa cilities offered. I would propose that the Port of Portland Commission be given juris diction over the slough and perform all or a portion of the dredging of the channel. The city should take steps at once to open up the principal chan nel by clearing the same of all debris and steps should bo taken to interest the Government to the extent that surveys be made, harbor lines estab lished and possibly an appropriation made to assist in a more thorough opening up of the channel. freight has been principally local. After; the canal is open, the freight of the great Middle West also will move by water. Articles manufactured in Penni sylvania, Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin, via the river routes will find an outlet tq the sea through New Orleans. Even the Missouri River is being cleared ot obstructions, so that the territory con tiguous thereto may reap ths benefits of the Panama Canal. To what extent will our distributing area be increased? It is difficult to answer. The future is predicated upon too many "ifs." With the opening of the canal, the railroads wiU be de prived of the long haul on a large transcontinental tonnage. It remains for the future to determine whether the railroads will be satisfied with the revenue that will be derived from local rates on traffic distributed from coast cities, or whether they will undertake to build up manufacturing and distri buting centers in the interior, by making lower rates from the East to those centers, to enable them success fully to compete with the Coast cities having the natural advantages of their location upon the water. Furthermore, the rates to be established at interior points may and probably will depend largely upon the forthcoming decision of the Supreme Court with respect to the long and short haul section of the interstate commerce law. and which will also prescribe to what extent the railroads may go in meeting water competition, and in fixing, rates that are not actually water competitive. Regardless of these features, how ever, the canal will be the direct cause of a rapid growth and development of the entire Northwest, and will be a potential factor in regulating as well as reducing freight rates. The rate structure of the whole country will be materially changed. Taking all these things into consid eration, we can reach but one con clusion that Portalnd will reap sub stantial benefits as a result of the building and opening of the Panama Canal, and freight rates- will be great ly reduced by reason of the operation of direct steamers to and from Atlan tic and Gulf ports, . .