Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1886)
THE WEST SHORE. 10 trump trillion aoirmnnod'itions funiiHlio.l. Tho 0. It. & N. Co. Lu,u Gnu upon Hid producing legion by itri numerous branch lines, mill with a fuller equipment of rolling stock will be enabled to bring to thin city twice the (jnuiitity now handled. It in hut reasonable to expect Unit within ii few years oO.OiCI.ODO bushels of whcat'will lc shipped fnuii the Iiiliiml Kniiire, two-thirds of which, at least, will liml a market in thin city. A great factor in willing the future grain route from the interior will bo ih opening of clear navigation from Portland to tho I'plHT Columbia ami Snake rivers, which will not only serve regions now pissessing no shipping facilities, but will have a tendency to reduce the cost of transportation from all piiuts. The value of wheat exported from this city in the season extending from August 1, 1SS-1, to August 1, lss.'i, wan l,:il'.),2iKI; of Hour, l,-J"):i,:)2L To curry this, including salmon exports of '1,11,1C, re quired l'Jl large vessels, having a total capacity of l'JO.Hilj tons. The quantity of wheat and Hour shipped the present hi'ihoii in largely in excess of the above figures, and an tuinage must keep pace with the increase of the wheat Hiirplint, we may expect to we a grain fleet of 500 vemclH Hailing from the Willamette Iliver within a very few yearn. The presence, of these ship means inany llimiKainU of dollars added to the trade of merchants and dealer in ship supplies. Kxpoits to foreign countries f.irHeii.ii of Hs I ,r were "t.sr7,0."7. The total domestic ejHirtH for the Hituie pericwl were: Couslwiso, :i,'.)7 1,011 ; rail to l'uget Sound, KI,!I."7; rail Last, !?2,'ill,77.'), uiakiug a graiiil total oi foreign and domestio exports of the productHof tins region of $12,.Vr,8:j:i. This included U.121.4:i:i pallid of wool, "J. ltM.7 1 )ounls of hides, ri,:i:i.'l,'J(l7 pnunls of hops ami 'JH.SI'ill.ClHI pounds of potu Iocs. The total tonnage of vessels crossing the Columbia liar for the year ending Nepteniler l.V 1.HS.V was Mil '.Mil Portland depends largely for its commercial iiiiort auee iipni the navigability of the Columbia and Willum etle river from the city to the ocean. As is the case with all great rivers, a bar exists at the mouth of th. Columbia which prevents the crossing of vessels of deep draught during stormy weather. I'nited Slates engineers have decided upon a plan of permanent improvement which will ,vt I.INNI,(kK). Preliminary work has been in progre fr everal years and SI.IO.OOO of appro. priatiotm have I u expended. In the two rivers there exist a nuu.1.cr of bars of various widths, which are annu ally removed at an excuse of from .,( MH) to $10,000 by the merchant,, of thin city. These bars form mere rapidly than in previous years, lavause the increased cultivation of the country drained by the tributaries of the Columbia cvi 11 greater amount of dirt to lie washed from the surrmv of ground ,y , rai1) (u, Urea,,., where, during season of high water, it is de p.it.vloii t. IwirH. Thin H.vuimih.li till la ..f C.I. 4 . country east of the Cascades are two serious obstructions to navigation in tho Columbia, known ns tho " Cascade" and "Dalles." These are situated respectively sixty and one hundred and twenty miles by the water route from this city. Before the 0. It. & N. Co.'s line was con- structed, that company and its predecessor owned rail- ro id portages around these obstructions, but the expense of two extra handlings of freight was so great that the river route was abandoned when the railroad was com pleted. The avoidance of these hindrances by the con- struction of canals, and the removal of a few rocks at various points above thorn, would open the Columbia and Snake rivers to free steamboat navigation for a distance of l,.'i()0 miles, and give a water route to the ocean for an agricultural region embracing 25,000 square miles, whose possibilities for wheat culture have been alluded to. For several years work has been in progress on a canal around the Cascades. There have been expended $750,000, and tho engineer estimates that the work can be completed in two years with a further expenditure of $1,000,000. This will give free access to the Middle Columbia and permit steamers to ascend as far as The Dalles. At the latter point Bevon miles of canal will be required, costing about ,2,()00,000. A convention of delegates from the principal cities of this region recently assembled at The Dalles and prepared a memorial to Congress on the subject of com phtting tho work at the mouth of the Columbia and at the Cascades, for pormanont maintenance of an open channel in the Willamette and Columbia, and for the construction of a canal around the Dalles. Our repre sentatives in Congress will make every effort to secure appropriations for these purposes. The opouing of the Columbia will do more to develop the agricultural indus try of ths interior than the construction o'. a railroad along its entire course, since navigation will be free to every one, and it will be of more benefit to the city of Portland than any possible railroad. This city would inevitably become tho permanent mnrket for all grain produced within shipping distance of either the Colum bia or Snake Itivor, which must in a few years exceed the prusent total crop of this whole region. Tho railroad facilities of Portland are already quite extensive. Within the past two years this city, until then connected with a transcontinental railroad only by a steamer route of (!00 miles to San Francisco, has been made the terminus of overland routes by both the North eru Pacific and Oregon Short Line branch of the Union acme, lortland is placed on an equality with San Irancisco in the matter of through freight rates from the Last, and the jobbers of this city can contet tl,s field of tho Northwest with tho advantage of freight rate. 111 their favor, s.uce they are nearer the points to be sup plied. 1 ortlnnd has been mad tl.n j 11 . . iiiVJrtU VCUUO Ul teril mil i ,.;i , ..ii..., . .. "b"1 '"- ims whole region because it ti, i .u.. ... j in leu uv oeniL' Kiirr.1.1 .... .:n. . " " vuij vuy ui bui- Menhip pro,,.,!,., nt w.(lHilllH ;.. ' J ' " 1 oui'l'Iy the business necessary to support .. -----v..., , niiwiiu 11 riii 1 mm I an. I 1 . . 10 carry it wav. (,i,.rr.. 1 1.1 .. "uu iw location and tha tnnnrn,.i bunU of k.voi,., .....' IT" "Tmo lllVf country render it th nnt,,i ZT" 3... Ueatlton I California extends southward through the State. enough
