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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1888)
m THE WEST SHORE. from tho city, are extensive deposit of an eicellent quality of coal, which will supply a large traffic for the road as soon as reached. This coal can be placed on tho Portland market cheaper than any now reach log it from other point. It is expeoied to make Vancouver a shipping port of considerable importance. Coal, lumber, fruit and grain will furnish cargoes for a great many vessels and cars when the railroad is completed A bar in the river, between the city and the mouth of the Wil lamette, now prevents deep sea vessels from reaching the docks, but competent engineers estimate that a good channel can bo cut through it at an expense not to exceed $1,000.00, and as soon as they are prepared to uso it, this will be done. If the government ap propriations for the improvement of the Columbia can not be made available for this purpose, the citi zens will do the work at their own expense. Even now there is a cbanntl of from sixteen to twenty feet during seven months of the year, which will soon be utilized for shipping lumber to San Francisco on coasting schooners. Of course, tho first industry to profit by the rail road is that of lumbering. There are now three saw mills, cutting a total of sixty-five thousand feet of lumber daily, and F. C. Macfarlane, of Vancouver, and Charles L. Gray and others, of Evart, Michigan, havo organized a stock company for the construction of a mill to cut soventy.fivo thousand feet a day. Mr. Macfarlano and others are constructing a huge float ing dock, and will handle the cut of all the mills for shipment Tho dock will have six tracks, each one accommodating two cars. Arrangements have been mado with the O. II N. Co. to transport these cars on barges to their road at Portland, six being taken at a load. In this way they can handle two hundred thousand feet of lumber daily, eighteen cars being in constant use. An effort is being made to have a third rail laid on tho narrow gauge road just completed from Portland to tho Columbia opposite Vancouver. If this were done, cars could bo taken on barges across tho river and put on tho tract This arrange ment would bo valuable for tho fruit shippers, also. Lumber will also bo shipped by vessel to San Fran cisco and other porta. In other respects Vancouver is making progress. It has a bank, tho First National, with a capital stock of 150,000.00, and another, tho Vancouver Commercial, U&B juoi uwcu wjeuuiicu wiiu a uipiiai SlOCltof&A 000.00, with half the stock taken in Portlani The Vancouver Electric Light and Power Company been incorporated, with a capital stock of $15,00000 to supply both arc and incandescent lights for atreet and private use. Efforts are now being made to te. cure a contract with the government for supply, twelve arc lights for the military post, and as soonu this is successful the system will be placed in opera, tion. In the tributary country the dairying and fruit interests are very large. Six factories, three butter and three chease, are already established, using mill supplied by a large number of farmers. Within five miles of Vancouver, two hundred and fifty acres of fruit trees have been set out in the past five yean, making a total fruit acreage of more than three bun. dred acres. More land is constantly being cleared for this purpose, and the rate of increase in acreage will be sustained for a number of years. More atten tion is being paid to prunes than any other crop, though Bartlett pears and Royal Ann and Black Re publican cherries are being set out in large quanti ties. One hundred tons of dried prunes were pre pared for market this season by eight dryers. Prep, arations are being made to ship fruit in car-load lota, which can easily be done with the railroad conven iences previously referred to. Peaches will scon be an important crop, as great numbers of trees are be ing set out, chiefly of the Hale, Crawford and Alexan der varieties. A gentleman from the east is looking into the question of establishing a cannery, which till have no difficulty in procuring an adequate supply of fruit Fruit lands within five miles of the city are worth from 25.00 to $50.00 in their native state, being bigb land covered with fir timber. No government kl can be had except in the foothills of the Cascadei, where it is rough and heavily timbered. Unimproved lands within from five to twenty miles of Vancouver can be bought for $5.00 to $10.00 per acre. Good dai ry ranches are worth $30.00 to $50.00, and five-year fruit orchards $1,000.00 per acre, though none o! tie latter are for sale. Partially improved farms can be bought at from $15.00 to $20.00 per acre. Many to migrants are coming in and improving the wild lawk and there are plenty of opportunities for industries men with but small capital to make good homes.