Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Tri-weekly Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1873-1874 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1873)
en u u HfffJJi IV il .BMgHBggiP OEM r-ujp Ml ..t Astoria, Oregon, Tuesday Morning, Dec. 30, 1873. No. 23. Yol. 2,. 1 til W JJDjiUuI MiMBiBEg2sat.tiaszgagcsguLiiJ.1 rr THE ASTORIAN. l'URLISHEI) EVERT TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY Monitor Building, Astoria, Oregon. I. C.IREI13tI) Proprietor Subscription Rates: Ono Copy one year. One Com six months ..?") no ... 3 00 ... 1 50 Ono Copy three months t&T Single Number, Ten Cents, "ua Adverts ins? Ksitcs: Ono Insertion persouarc, 10 lines or loss...$2 50 Each additional Inseriitm, ptr?qii:iro 2 00 Yearly adv'ts j)er month, per square 1 o0 Agents- L. P.EiS'int, 20 and 21 Now Merchant? Ex change, is authorized m act as Agent for the Astohivn in San Fianei-eo. Any friend who feel an interest in tho pros perity of this region, is authorized to act as Agent for this paper, in procuring Mibseribcrs. CITY INTELLIGENCE. The Orogonian sposes the Wind ward has gone to sea. This even'g the Common Council holds its regular session. Sheriff Twilight is collecting tax es under the last assessment. jfcET For fresh Oysters, in every stylo, call at tho Parker House Kest.yuu.vxt. The Fireman's 3-5n.ll, on Christ mas nighr, "was a decided success. The spar buoys for the upper chan nel are almost ready to be planted. The Mattie Maclcay will finish her Honolulu cargo at Squemoqc. An elegant party was given on board the Mariano in this harbor, last night. The Dixie Thompson arrived with the mail on Saturday, and after an hour here returned. iW Oystors in every style, at all hours of day or night, at tho 1'a.rker House Hestau ka.t, Main street, Astoria, John Ferrell, of this city, has taken out his papers as an engineer on the lower Columbia. All who have pictures to frame should call on C. Stoll, at his shop on Main street, as he is specially devot ing his time to such jobs at present. The Melancthon is here now ready to sail on a five days' voyage to San Francisco, having spent weeks above Astoria loading. Our sub says the reason so many , , , . ill 1 young men wish to ship as deckhands ,- i, ffi- . work. They have so much free rid ing to do. C2TA neat, clean, cqsey place, for gentle men and ladios to enjoy a dish of fresh Oysters is at tho Parker House Uestauraxt. The Merrimac, Capt. Hobson, and Shoo-fly, Capt. Harloe, are the steamers that deserve praise for breaking the ice gorge last Friday which let the blockaded fleet into Portland. On the last voyage of the steam er Oriflamme, from this port a man whose name cannot be learned, but who was an undertaker in Portland, committed suicide by jumping over board when the steamer was off Cape Mendocino. He left $500 with the purser. The man was believed to be insane. The value of wheat and flour cargoes shipped from San Francisco the present jrear is estimated at $25,- 000,000. The Pacific ocean is fast becoming the highway of the world for breadstuff's, and while California is sending out her twenty-five mil lions worth what is Oregon doing? The answer is, plainly: nothing!. Just nothing! and why? Because the pre sent S3Tstem of shipping costs us near ly as much as the farmer realizes for liis grain, and we are losing at the rate of about one and a half million dollars per year in the difference be tween the price received for wheat, and the price the farmer is entitled to. And it will be so as long as deep sea vessels are prevented from com ing to Astoria to load their cargoes. Astorians have done all they can to change this system for the benefit of the State-rvpill the State, second the effortt.1 r ' . ' . - POIXT AIAIS LIGHT. We have received from Senator Kelly, the following, in relation to the new light at Point Adams: , United States Sk.vvte Chamber, Washington, Dec. i, 1873. J Editor Asteriax: Seeing in the Astokian of the 20th. that nothing had as yet been done toward J tlie construction oi the Juignt Jiouse on Point Adams, I called at the office of the Light House Board to ascertain the cause of the delay. I was informed by Maj. i Elliot, a member of the Board, that it was sowing to the length of time icquired to nrocure the. title to the ground on which : the buildings are to be erected. Being on tlie Military reservation, it became neces sary to get the title from the "War Depart ment, and perhaps there was a little cir cumlocution" about the matter .which caused the delay. Happily this is now ended, and the land has been secured for the site of the Light House. I was told that the work of constructing the buildings will soon be commenced and prosecuted ab rapidly as can conveniently be done toward completion. Very truly yours, James K. Kelly. Mr. L. B. Stearns, law student in the office of lion. A. C. Gibbs, of Portland, Oregon, is spending the holidays with his friends in Clatsop county. Fighting dogs are killed by the Government in Japan, and the own ers fined. That would not be a healthy place for old Scratch, of As toria. Eight or ten steamers are due to-day at Astoria, nearly all loaded with grain and flour, from points on the upper rivers, to be shipped to foreign parts. There is quite a settlement at Brookfield already, and the town has not yet been laid off into lots, blocks and streets. There are now ten sub scribers to the Astoiuan at Brook field. "While the Government is giving out of its Treasury millions for mail steamship lines, a cool thousand or two would be acceptable to Oregon for a mail horseback line to Portland from Astoria. It is understood that E. E. Mor gan's Sons, of San Francisco, are to be the resident agents of the Oregon Packing Company this year. Ten thousand cases of the next season's catch have been contracted for. Temple Lodge Xo. 7, A. F. and A "XT Iovq nltintnA r.ffinnkTC OC "Tnl- K " 1 . , , ,-, , 10VS, IU UC lll&UUltJU. Ul nits OUUUIIU. i ' . ,. . -r ttr communication in January; I. . Case, W. M.; F. C. Carr, S. D.; fc Chance, J. IX; J. G. Hustler, Treas urer; II. S. Aiken Secretary. Gray and Donaldson are about to classify articles at the Washington Market, under fitting heads. Judg ing from the stacks of product seen there the other day, Cabbage heads will be the first to receive attention although there are other articles such as apples, assorted fruits, beef, case goods, etc., which would come in ahead of cabbages if alphabetically arranged. Carrots, also. The master of the Island Belle reports having seen, off Cape Look out, a large sized ships cabin, paint ed partly white, top knocked off, and attached, apparently, to a ships' hull. Cape Lookout is about sixty miles South of the Columbia river. As the Kaloa reported seeing a ves sel bottom up off Cape Flattery, and as a new 'Steamer only partially equipped is missed from Port Madi son,4this may be portions of that ves sel wrecked during the late storm. Excellent Thoso Sugar Cured Ilains, and that Fresh Roll Butter, Fresh Buckwheat, (this year's crop), Corn Meal, Cracked "Wheat, lloininy, etc., at Case's. 1-tf School Books. I have lately re ceived all the different kinds of New School Books required to be used in this State, that can now be found in San Francisco. Also, Slate pencils, Blotting pads, a good as sortment of Stationery, Drawing paper, CARD BOARD, Perforated board, Ink, (Carmine, Purple and Black). Likewise a new stock of Crockery, Clocks and a large assortment .qtLamp CJmnneys, all of which will be sold cheap for cash. I.Vt CASE, oltf v Cfcepainug s- Astoria, - .4. . ; f ? , . 3 Ice Blockade Bursted ! Communication Opened from Port land to the 3ea ! Ten Oe.ean Vessels Passed into the Wallainet from Columbia River, on Friday Last ! Vessels at Portland Making haste to get Away before the River Shall Close Again ! C1 . i,i, DOCK lOOm 101 loui ainpb tu xuau at Once at the Emporium of Oregon ! The Columbia river is still frozen over, above the mouth of the "Wallainet, and is liable for some time yet to again shut off communication with Portland, although it ib hoped that the shipment of grain and flour will not be stopped again this season. It has always been patent to every one acquainted with our rivers that shipping, particularly heavy shipping, should be done from the mouth of the" Columbia. But while our commerce was small light draft vessels did the carrying trade which, with some inconvenience,could do the riv er carrying also; hence, the river steam boats were not prepared to do what legiti mately belonged to them. But as com merce increased, the inconvenience of the old method increased, and great losses en sued. Merchants, however, become es tablished at their trading posts, and having it aUo in their power, for the present, to shift the losses From themselves to the pro ducer, have been slow virtually refusing to change from the old methods to that appointed by nature, and demanded by an enlarged commerce, for thebest advantage and prosperity of Oregon. They have endeavored to conceal from the farmer a knowledge of all the i'acfc, but the business of the State is now so large that any obsta cle is felt sensibly, and qilickly, by many, and those who are hurt will not long suf fer in silence. Portland merchants, by chartering only small vessels, and by ob taining thousands of dollars from the General .Government for dredging, have been able to get the vessels to JL'ortiaud, claiming also that tho river, once opened, would continue a gcod and sufficient chan nel. But dredging out sands did not keep out the frost, and Portland has been ice bound. A large trade suddenly stopped; losses incurred thereby, and she made to acknowledge some things. They now ad vise that, as the periodical rises of the rivers will continually close up or shoal the mouth of the "Wallainet, and as the mouth of tlie Columbia slough is not closed with ice so long as the proper mouth of that river, future appropriations be expended in deepening the, channel through the slouffh. This slough is the lower mouth of the Wallamet river, and joins the Columbia at St. Helens, about twenty miles below where the upper mouth emp ties ik waters into the Columbia. The slough is a narrow,, crooked, shallow channel, running down between the main land and Sauvies' Island. A few ve-sels drawing nine to eleven feet were taken through this course during the freeze, but it U crossed y a ledge of rock which renders it unsafe for ocean vessel even of light draft. The steamer Gussie Telfair struck these rocks in going through and also scraped on the sand shoals. Through this slough, river boatb passed during the freeze until last Fi iday, when the Columbia was open ed to the upper mouth of tho Wallamet river. Below this slough the Columbia river was closed for several days with ice which soi"ui gave way but between the two mouths of the Wallamet the ice was gorged, as at Willow bar, and resisted vessels like the steamer Ajax until last Friday, when it was opened, and a fleet of ten vessels reached Portland. But now, we are told only four ships can load at one time, and there is great haste among all to get away. Ben Holladay is expected here to-day on the Orillamme, health con siderabl3r improved. There is not now, nor never has been, a vessel in San Francisco harbor that could not take on a full cargo at Astoria clocks, and go to sea with it. The Three Broth ers, the largest vessel afloat, could load here. The British ship Sagamore, Wood, which it was expected, t..ree months ago, would load here with wheat for Europe, is " too large for Portland" we presume, be ing of l,o42 tons register, and will conse quently take our gj-ain on board at San Erancisco. The Sagamore could have re ceived her full cargo at any one oi the Astoria wharves, but it is a part of the policy of Portland to keep deep sea ves sels out of this trade entirely, which win account for the Sagamore stopping at San Francisco last week. k Ox for hS'ale. One stout, heavy built work Ox, eight years of age, gentle and well broken, weighing between 800 and Qlarkrh and 900 pounds, is offered for .sale on arj plication at' John Douglass' fanch, Lewis :erl - ' 'w' ' d27t FROM IIOAOXJuXU. The barentine Jane A. Falkinburg, Brown, for Portland, Oregon, and the bark Comet, Perriman, for San Francisco both left Honolulu on the 7th. The Falkinburg arrived, here on the 26th. Her cargo consists of 2,703 kegs sugar, 300 bags rice, 100 bales pulu, 50 tons salt, 50 bunches bananas, 20 bags pea-nuts. Capt.Brown has placed us under obligations for files of papers to the 6th from which we clip as follews: The Gazette foreshadows a panic in these werds: Coin is becoming more and more scarce every month, owing to its being carried to foreign coun tries bv passengers and ships, till now the business of the place is done almost wholly, with silver certificates and small silver change. Xevei be fore has there been so much dispo sition to sell and buy on credit, even for- smallest items which really means till the purchaser can pay. And yet our writers on currency maintain that it will right itself, if we only let it alone and do nothing, till the balance of trade comes around in our favor. Before that time ar rives, government will be obliged to dismiss half its officers, and reduce largely the pay of the remainder, while the imports and exports and commerce of the port will have been largely curtailed. These may ap pear to. some to be idle croakings but they will be found to be the stern .reality,- within a few months. To which the Advertiser respends: We have been laboring under the delusion that the coin upon which, those certificates are based was se curely locked up in the Treasury vault; the disposition to buy " on credit" is no more marked just now than it has been for years past, the only difference being that traders do not want to buy as much. Ibis merely shows that the proportion of those who sell is too large for those who buy; in other words, that some one or more of the sellers must seek another community of buyers. A process of " natural selection" must ensue among sellers, by which those with the longest heads, and of course the longest purses, will remain. From tho Advertiser, Dec. (Jth. On the first Monday in February elections take place throughout the Kingdom for Representatives of the people in the Legislature of 1S74. So far, there is no note of preparation there have been no caucuses or nominating conventions, and no can didates have come forward to solicit the suffrages of the people. One reason for this apparent apathy will probably be found in the recent sud den change of base of the Ministry. Their solitary attempt to inaugurate a measure of national importance having resulted in such a demoraliz ing panic and ignominious failure, may have afforded just cause for dis trusting hereafter their own convic tions, the result even of long and careful deliberation, as to what real ly ought to be their policy. They have demonstrated that as statesmen they are incapable of leading the country, and it remains to be seen whether they can be led by a major ity of the Legislative Assembly. We mav fairly anticipate however that, unable themselves to originate any- thing of value to the country, they will prove stumbling blocks in the pathway of progress. But the general apathy as to tne coming elections, to which we have alluded, is much to be deprecated. Every one, be he native or foreign born, whose home is on these islands and whose material interests are here, should be far from indifferent should be earnestly awake to the importance of having good men elect ed to the important positions of law makers for the nation. Foreigners who are domiciled and naturalized here will be derelict in their duty, and be guilty of consummate folly if they fail to go to the polls and take an active part in the canvass. Good men are to be found who will accept the nominations; and there are a host of worthless aspirants, whose election would be a public misfor tune, for which however, we inay have to charge our present indiffer ence. Although the country has no Min isterial 'policy before it, yet every thinking person can comprehend that the coming Legislative session ought to prove a most important one. Our principal industrial pursuit the cultivation of sugar is languishing. from well known causes, and.througli; tne recent vacillating ana tunstaro- menlike course of the Ministry the hope of relief through a treaty of re ciprocity with our best customer has been abandoned. With the decad ence of our collective prosperity and the diminution of means among all classes of the people, the revenue of the State must inevitably fall off in proportion. With a reduced income, we will be compelled to reduce our appropriations; but the work of re ducing the legitimate expenditures of government requires to be done with a careful hand. Hasty and in juriously as a failure to act at all. The storm, which commenced on Sunday night Dec. 1st last, has lasted all the week, and rain has fallen plenteously on our parched fields and hll-sides. This is the oft prophesied and much deferred " later rain" that we have been hoping for V Tho later rain, it falls in anxious hasto Upon the sundried fields and branches bard. Loosening with searching drops the rigid wasto, As if it would each root's lost strength repair.' The country has not had so .thorough a wetting during the past ten years. From the direction of the wind which, has been a Kona we antici pate that all portions of the group have been similarly favored. Tragedy at Westport.4 , It is reported that a man named Charles Peterson was shot dead, in Westport, on the night of the 25th, by another man named Bryon Shep pard, formerly of this city. We have none of the particulars to enable us to give a true statement of the -tragedy. As a sample of the " Gossip" at Washington this Winter we have this by telegraph, of "George H. Wil liams: " It has' been said that a $600 carriage used by his family was paid for out of the contingent fund of the Department of Justice, "Usage has long sanctioned the ownership of modest carriages tor business pur- 'poses ot Cabinet oincers, but tne Secretary of State alone has been al lotted a coach, which was necessary in the exchange of diplomatic civil ities; but Mr. Seward never employ ed it for his family, who had a pri vate equipage. Mr. Chase, when Secretary of the Treasury, scrupu lously excluded the members of his family from the use of the Treasury carriage. Senators who on general grounds are well disposed toward Williams feel that this carriage busi ness shows a lack of that delicate sensibility which should belong to the character of a Chief Justice." Professor Trumbull of Hartford, who is a wise and learned man, and an indefatigable antiquarian, lias been delightedly groping through the dusty pages of the London Mer curius Politibus for September 25, 1651. Therein he has found a letter from Eliot, the Indian missionary, which proves that May, the wife of Hugh Parsons Springfield, was real ly and certainly executed for wich craftin 1651, instead of dying in pris on as been reported. It must be. a satisfaction to Massachusetts to have this vexed question settled, and to know that the State had not missed a chance of asserting herself. There will be a great American novelist after some time, we presume. Lew Wallace has opened a new vein of romance, we are told; and he is about the age that Walter Scott was when Waverley was published. Ore gon too, is entering the arena, a Webfoot appearing as the champion. Who has just forged, from the red hot material poured from his glowing fancy, a new Wallamet Romance of the Valley. It is just as well, as we go along, to have the Wallamet shad owed in the purple mists of romance. It'is rumored .in Kew York that Harry Genet, the Ring fugitive," is on his way to Rio Janeiro, on board a yacht, provisioned and fitted put for. a.Jong,yeyage last weekEx-. Trasurer,Tay!oru pf Jersey Citvyis. also 'said to bo on board, ' . , f ).