The west shore., August 01, 1889, Page 430, Image 23

THE WEST SHORE.
of rod and gun, soenery and interesting studies of na
ive in inclodcd in the attractions of Yaquina bay
as a popular aeaaido ploaiare resort
Hut Ysquina bay does not depend for its growth
or existence upon the patronage it may receive aa a
watering placo. It wai aelected aa the deep water
terminua of a railway that will aoon be numbored
among the great tranaoontinental linei of theoountry,
not because it would make an attractive summer re
tort, but because of the natural advantages which it
held as a commercial point When the railway pro
ject was inaugurated there had been no improvement
of the harbor, but there was then a prospect that jus
tided the scheme for crossing the mountains to tap
the rioh Willamette valley and carry its produce to
the nearest seaport The railway was then a local
enterprise. Now that it has secured support which
indicates very clearly that it is fostered by one of the
strongest railway corporations in the country its sig
nificance to Taquina bay is of the utmost importance.
When connections that make Ysquina the western
terminua of a great transcontinental railway system
are completed which event, judged by all ordinary
Indications, can not be very far in the future that
point can not fail to become an important commercial
city. Hut Yaquina bay is able to stand alone on its
own merit. It is surrounded by a productive conn,
try and it offers such inducement that a large por
tion of the Willamette valley and Eastern Oregon
will seek that outlet to market aimply because it is
the most profitable they can get The bulk of the
great staple of the state wheat-will be shipped
abroad by way of Yaquina bay in spite of all the in
(Saenoea that can be brought to bear by other routes
of transportation. Other product must gradually
i ute same cnannei or shipment This advan
Ug Is one supported by natural conditions and ii
can not be overcome. Without transcontinental con.
neotiona Yaquina las an assured prosperous future
with those arrangements completed it surely will not
Have a less gratifying prospect
Among the projects that are in view for Ysquina
bay Is the extension of the narrow gwiKa railwav
!.- tt:ii. .. "
jiwoi 01 wo nuiaraeiw valley acrnw the Coaiit
range to that harbor. In ordn to suevWully com.
peU with the Oregon IVifio (which operate the
Willamette Valley A Co.t railway) it would nQ
that the Southern IVifio company, which lut.ly
curJ control o! the narrow gauge i,itl,mi nwl olw
Uin tome more convenient oulM than it uow ba for
the grain it carries to market Yaquiw i. the tly
available point to rtch the t7 lMhl.r rou(
it has now is operation. The tr.,ut t..rn.inu. of tu ,
weUds divuioo of th, narrvt 8V,K, yillu tk
AlrlUsouly forty-five mile duuu a yM.ai.,a
by a route that is entirely feasible for railroad oon.
struction. This would traverse the Biletz river vil.
ley, which is one of the most beautiful and prodoa.
tive little valleys in the state. The Indians of that
valley, now included in the Biletz reservation, ma.
keted last year one hundred thousand bushels of oats
and if convenient transportation were afforded this
amount would probably be quadrupled. At one
point on the surveyed line a vein of good coal fire
eet thick is struck. The construction of that road
would open up a very rioh country tributary to la.
quina, and afford an additional artery to make the
Willamette valley contribute to its prosperity as well
as gaining a direct benefit in return.
The most important element in its commercial
growth, for upon it the suooess of the others in i
great measure depends, is the government work to
deepen the entrance to the harbor. This work t u
commenced in 1881, and by the end of the current
year a total of 1385,000 will have been expended on
it The plan contemplates the construction of jetties.
one on the north side and one on the south, and
their enrockment so as to confine the waters which
enter and leave the bay by the tides in a channel one
thousand feet wide. The channel, narrowed to this
width, will have a current strong enough to keep the
bar at the entranoe to the harbor free of sand.
When the work was begun there were only about sev
enteen feet of water on the bar at high tide. Now,
though the work is not yet half finished, the depth of
water at high tide is twenty-two feet, and when the
work is done and all the sand washed from the rock
bar it will carry twenty-nine feet at high tide and
twenty-two feet at low tide. The revetment on the
south side will be about five thousand feet long, of
which four hundred and fifteen feet will be complet
ed by the end of this season. About one thousand
feet of the north revetment will be completed thii
year. The government has invested over $00,000.00
in the working plant besides the tramways and walls,
and it is in the interest of economy that the work be
pushod to completion as rapidly as possible. Ya
quina bay and the vast region tributary to it are vi
tally interested in the work.
Being located at the seaside the climate of Ya
quina bay U mild and equable. In winter but little
uow falls, not enough for sleighing, and it remaini
but a few day. The lowest temperature known there
was eight degroos above zero. Flowers generally
bUm uninterruptedly throughout the winter. It
uuneeewiiry to state that the summers are cool and
WiKbtfuL Neither the soil nor climate lack mo
ifire at uy graaon of the year, though the precipit
during the wet season is considerably lew than
w tha WilUmrtte valley. Immediately on the coast