The west shore., December 01, 1881, Image 1

The West Shore.
VOL. 7 No. 12.
I L. Suanet, FuMlthsr.
( I WMhiufton It,
Portland, Oregon, Docombor, 1881.
atonal lb
tm . I Sun
MS. I MS,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I
"Toll ye the church-bell sad and ilow,
And iread softly and apeak low,
For the old year lies a-dying,"
"Sun cornea, moon cornea, time slip away."
The years glide swiftly away and by
reflections from the past, the pathway
is lighted ahead. Another year is
almost gone; an old friend, whose tread
we ne'er shall hear again, is Silently,
quietly passing into the great unknown.
The works of iSSi whether for good
or ill are now done, and the coming
New Year calb for new energies, new
thoughts, new efforts. We can not tell
what another twelve months may
brint;, of sorrow or joy, of prosperity
or adversity, but to our readers east and
west, north and south, we wish a happy
New Year. It is said that hope is
made up of expectation and desire;
then for those of the great Pacific
Northwest at least, we hope the new
year will "Bring glad tidings of great
joy," and a prosperity and civilized ad
vancement beyond that of former ones.
We have as a basis of such hope, the
great progress of the past with all its
works, fresh and grand before us. New
additions to the energies which have
built them up; new facilities for more
rapid advancement and a concentration
of a world's capital gives ui every
reason for expecting that another decade
will see this new and extensive region,
leading the ran to greatness. Our
great natural resources have already
attracted the world and "Westward the
star of empire takes its way." 18S1
has been a year of prosperity in every
respect Our crops were never better
and our unnumbered herds crop the
luxurious vegetation from thousands of
hills. New railroads are opening up
new regions which in turn will py
their tribute for the common good.
Forests are falling right and left and
bread springs from thence to satisfy
the hungry of foreign lands. Wails of
distress come faintly across the water,
and the great Northwest responds from
iu bountiful store. The markcU of the
old world stand agape lor our produce
.nd thousands of miles of railroad are
being built to carry it thither. From
the cast comes the cry, " what shall wt
do to be saved from penury and hunger "
and the wise men answer "Go west!
Go west I" Hut a few years ago this
country was known only a great
wilderness, a desert waste, now it bios
soms as the rose; the river forests echo
back the sounds of a great commerce,
while its mountain gorges repents tke
shrill scream of the iron hone, whose
thundering frighten the startled deer
or cougar to hide in the mountain fast,
ncss. Go where you will and the
virgin soil gives back wealth for the
laborer's toil. An hundred sail out in
mid-ocean are but so many golden
fleeces from the great Northwest,
carrying gludness to other climes and
chasing the wolf from thousands of
doors. Judging from the past, may we
then not hope for greater greatness in
the near future? So fr the season
promises ull that could lie asked for
i8Sj. From no section do we hear
complaint of a severe winter and thoua
amis of plows are prepnring the way
for the harvests of '8j. All our great
railways arc progressing with astonish
ing rapidity hithcrward, and forcibly
tells a golden talc. The progress of
the time will only permit a moment s
pause, to pay our last tribute to the
dying Year. He has indeed been
friend to us and all alike drop silent
tear, while the New Year with pleasant
smile and cheerful aspect steps nimbly
along to take his place.
"There's a new f t the ', fitd.
And s nt free t the ", ft1.
A new t at lb d"."
WORDS OF TRUTH IK RKGARt) TO OUR
CLIMATE.
East of the Rocky Mountains and
elsewhere, even in California, one con
stantly hears words spoken in degrade
r nur rliisMte. Especially the
I IU is
winter weather of the Willamette Val
lev. and particularly that about lle city
of Portland, is traduced by those who
have had the least experience here, ami
who know the least alwut it. I have
(he winter season in Illinois
Iwa. Missouri, District of Columbia,
California, and In different portions of
the state of Oregon, while various otner
States and Territories hav been 'uit4
y me during the different seasons that
go to make up the year. At different
times I have spent weeks at time in
this city and can truly My that I be
icve the climate of Portksnd to have
been unjustly dealt with. Last winter
spent in the city of Washington, within
the precincts of the "sunny south.
Many of the streets were several time
blockaded by snow and hundreds of
men were required to keep the Capl
tol's great thoroughfare, Pennsylvania
Avenue, open, while the thermometer
fell more than once to JO deg. below
xero. In Chicago, St. Louis, C'lncin
nati, Kansas City, Omaha and other
cities of the Mississippi Valley, all bus
nets suffered extremely from the se
verity of the weather, and in many
nstancts had to tie suspended for days
and days at a time. Since the first of
ast November I have spent most of
my lime in the city of Portland, during
which time I have seen no ice, but on
frost, have felt no need of an over
coat and at this writing, two days be
"ore Christmas, find roses blooming in
the open air. In and out of the city
icaiititui lawns present a mantle of
fresh green, sparkling like pearls in the
bright sunshine, between showers.
The rain has been by no means in ae
cord with representations of live ell
mate, and full one half the time has the
sun, moon and stars beamed their lights
on us unobstructed by cloud or fog.
The thermometer has shown so far this)
winter an average temperature of 45
deg. above xero and the rainfall, though
abundant, has not been extravagantly
bestowed, and yet the weather so far
has been a fair average for the winter
here. While the cities east of the
Rockies and as far south as 3 and 37
deg. N. are shivering and chilling un
der an almost frecamg mercury, we In
latitude nearly 46 deg. N. are sur
rounded by an almost spring like ver
dure and climate, llendreds 01 craft.
ail ami steam, ere plowing the blue
water of the Willamette end CoJunv
bis no apprehension of imesedlate
interference from ice which not infre
quently leave our stream open end
free for whole year, and if perchance
.Old Uor cm conclude to embrace M