WEST SHORE.
203
A saw mill with capacity of 100,000 feet a day la to be erected at Tilla
mook bay.
From less than twenty acres of land a farmer near Bntteville, Oregon,
old hops to the value of $10,500 this season.
The population of Alaska, as shown by the recent census will be about
38,000. There has been a large Increase In the white population since 1880.
Byron Weston, the noted piper manufacturer, of Dalton, Mass., Is con
sidering the advisability of establishing a mill at Spokane Falls, Washing
ton. The first foreign shipment of coal from the state of Washington left Seat
tle last Saturday. The ship Guardian took a cargo of 1,672 tons from the
docks of the Seattle Coal & Iron Co., which was consigned to parties in
Honolulu.
The Oregon Pacific railroad, known as the Yaqulna line, has been placed
In the hands of a receiver. This action was taken at the request of the attor
ney of the Farmers' Loan A Trust Co., of New York. Mr. T. E. Hogg,
president of the company, was appointed receiver.
Coal of excellent quality and of unlimited quantity is reported as having
been found within two miles of Salmon City, Idaho. Gold has also been
found in paying quantities In the same locality, and It is expected that a
stampede will set In to that section early next spring.
One of the most valuable cargoes ever shipped from the Columbia river
was dispatched from Astoria In a German vessel last week. It comprised
over 20,000 cases of salmon, 26,000 sacks of flour, and 22,000 sacks of wheat,
representing a value of (227,000. To transport this cargo by rail would re
quire 340 cars, each carrying ten tons.
A resident of Aberdeen, Washington, is reported as having located
quarts claims somewhere on Fraser river, British Columbia. The ledge Is
said to be three-fourths of a mile across. Some of his specimens run as high
as (300 per ton by assays. The find is reported to be on the bank of the
river, near the Canadian Pacific railroad.
Representatives of a large woolen minufacturlng establishment at
Kooxville, Iowa, are conferring with the cltiiens of Chehalis, Washington,
relative to a removal of the works to that place. Chehalis Is making a
special effort to secure manufactories and will probably offer sufficient In
ducements for the location of this institution, which would be of great bene
fit to the city.
The reports of natural gas finds In Oregon are similar to reports of dis
coveries of genuine anthracite coal on the Pacific coast. It may be here In
large quantities, but like the gold of the Yukon, It yet stays where nature
stored It.
The crown paper mills, at the falls of the Willamette, are to be enlarged
by the addition of two stories to one wing of the present building, and the
errction of a new structure 40x80 feet In sits for storage purposes. This mill
is now running night and day, and has orders on Us books which would
necessitate it running steadily for about six weeks were no more taken.
The busineis has been perfectly satisfactory to the company having charge.
A company has been Incorporated at Snohomish, Washington, for the
purpose of supplying the town with an abundance of pure water. The sys
tem will be built In a substantial manner, Iron pipes being used throughout,
ami the water will be taken from Pllcbuck creek, a small stream flowing
down from the mountains. One million gallons a day will be supplied, with
an additional quantity for use in case of fire. The present supply is very
unsatisfactory, the water being taken from a lake and conveyed in wooden
pip which have become so weakened with age as to render them almost
unfit for service In case fire should require an extra pressure.
Ever since the Southern Pacific acquired control of the Oregon & Cali
fornia lines, work has been steadily prosecuttdto Improving the roadbed by
taking out the iron rails, with which the track was originally laid, and sub
stituting sixty pound steel In their stead. This Is now finished and the en
tire line from Portland to San Francisco is a continuous steel track. Other
betterments have been made at the same time, until now the managers feel
they have line of railroad second to none on the coast. With the comple
tion of the grand union depot and the construction of projected lines, Port
land's railroad facilities will be far superior to any city west of the Rocky
mountains.
The case of the Catholic Bishop of Nesqually against the United States,
for possession of the land occupied by the government post at Vancouver,
has been decided by the United States district court for the state of Wash
ington In favor of the defendant The claim of the church la based upon Its
establishment of a mission station at Vancouver with the consent of the
Hudson's Bsy Company, which held possession of the tract under the au
thority of the English government at that time. The property consists of
430 aeres and Is valued at about (760,000. The case baa been before the
courts in one form or another for many years and has attracted a great deal
of attention. The decision of the court not being satisfactory to the plain
tiff a notice of appeal to the supreme court of the United States has been
filed.
A ditch twenty-seven miles In length Is under construction from the
East Umnqua river to the gold mines on Myrtle creek, In Douglas county,
Southern Oregon, of which ten miles are already completed. The ditch will
be five feet wide at the top, three at the bottom, and two feet deep, and will
supply an abundance of water for working. It Is expected the ditch will be
completed by Christmss, when mining operations will begin. This same
ground has been worked more or less for years, and has always paid good
wages, but water has never been plentiful enough to admit of work being
carried on extensively. This new enterprise will supply this essential arti
cle, however, and the prospects are favorable for a large amount of gold be
ing secured, as It has been shown conclusively that It exists In great quan
tity. On Thursday morning the sale of seats opened for perhaps one of the
greatest attractions that the Marquam Grand Opera House has had since Its
opening day. It la the famous Hanlon-Volter-Mertloetti English Panto
mime and Novelty Combination, which Is said to be absolutely the most
stupendous aggregation of Its kind that has ever been brought before the
public. This organisation will open at the Marquam Grand Opera House on
Wednesday night next, Instead of Monday evening, owing to the fact that
they will not close at the Grand Opera House in San Francisco until Sunday
night, and not be able to reach Portland until Wednesday morning. A force
of mechanics has already been sent In advance to arrange all of the para
phernalia for the tricks, aerial performances, the pantomimic spectacles and
various features.
There was displayed In a window of the First National bank of Albany
last Saturday the first gold brick ever produced by the mines on the Santlam
river. The Albany Mining and Milling Co. has erected a small mill on their
property In that region, and a (200 brick was the result of the first five and
one-half ton lot of ore worked. A large and continuous ledge of the same
quality of ore Is in sight, and the successful working of these mines seems
now assured, on a scale that will afford a rich return for the Investment! of
the company and will prove an Important Industry for Albany. The com
pany expects to begin soon to ran the present mill night and day, and
arrangement are being made to put In a twenty-stamp mill and (30,000
plant next spring. In the meantime the mill now In operation will con
tinue it work, and the piles cf other gold bricks tint will be taken from
these mines In the future wilt demonstrate to the most skeptical the wealth
and magnitude of the Santiam mines.
The ship City qf Philadttyhia is now in Portland with a consignment of
steel rails to be used In relaying the track of the Oregon Ian railway, and
another cargo Is due in a short time. All rails to be used are the standard
weight, twenty pounds to the foot, and when completed the new line will be
the equal of any in the state. Several of the new cars ordered for use on
this road bave been delivered, and the probabilities are that within the next
six weeks the line will be In operation as a standard gauge road. The sec
tion of country through which it passes hat no suierior on the coast for fer
tility, and when connection is made directly with Portland there Is no ques
tion but It will be one of the best paying proiertles In the northwest. Many
thousands of acres of land now lying Idle will be brought under cultivation,
and furnish homes for many thousands of people seeking locations In tills
section. Aside from the benefits to be derived from employment of the
small army of men required to operate a railroad of tills character, the gen
eral welfare will be promoted to a wonderful degree.