Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 1890)
254 WEST SHORE. AN ENERGETIC AND OROWJNO CITY. In the year 1843, two men tood npon the banks of tbe Willamette river, fourteen miles from Its Junction with tbe great Columbia, and 115 miles from tbe Pacific ocean. They saw here a level plateau at the bead of navigation for ocean going vessels. Arising above tbe horizon in plain view, were Mt. fit. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier in tbe dis tance, lighting up the skies with their grand snow covered peaks glistening in the sunlight. The scene inspired them to locate city. One was from Portland, Maine, and the other from Boston, Maes. Tbe one said name the new city Portland, the other Boston. They decided to flip a copper for the name. Portland won, and has continued to win ever since, and is winning to-day. Here is a city of 70,000 population, the new census giving it about 47,000, to wbicb should be added East Portland, Albina, Mt. Tabor and other suburbs, all a part of Portland, making about 70,000. It is a great city. It has a great people, many of them possessing great wealth. It commands a great commerce, draining tbe fertile valleys of tbe great Col umbia and it many tributaries, tbe products of which are more than the railways and other transportation lines can handle. Her port is lined with ships loading wheat, yet her warehouses are overflowing for lack of more transportation. Tbe city baa great prospects. Who can predict what her population will be in ten years more. With such a location, such a people, such wealth, such extensive business, such fertile plains and valleys, such mines of iron, silver and gold, such emigration pouring in on every train, all centering together to build one city, destroys our precedents and we can not predict. Mr. T. F. Osborn, tbe president of tbe Chamber of Commerce, Informed me tbat the actual record of tbe wholesale trade of the city for the year 1880, was (110,000,000, although published $115,000,000. In the year 1886, It was only a little over 150,000,000, showing the rapid growth of the country. I also learned from him that there are twenty-three business houses employing a capital of $1,000,000 or over, and twenty-seven more tint employ over half a million each. As illustrating the enterprise of the business men, I will state that Hunt proposed to build his railroad from Eastern Oregon to Portland, on condition that they would furnish him $2,000,000 and take his bonds for it. A subscription was taken up, the whole sum was raised, and the road is building. We bear those people occasionally called "moss backs," but if this kind of energy and liberality is moss-backism, give us more of it. The Union Pacific, the Southern Pacific and the Northern Pacific railways have united to build a grand union depot to cost a million dollars, which will be a great improvement. The Great Northern will soon be built into Portland, thus concentrating here four great transcontinental lines. I met Mr. Hill, president of the great road at The Portland, and he publicly announced that his road was coming as fast as men and money could bring it. Northwulern Financier, Denver, Colorado. Marcus Daly, manager of tbe great Anaconda mines and smelters, and owner of the Mulherren coal mines, has shipped 150 tons of coal from the mines to Anaconda to be tested practically in the smelters. If it proves of the right quality the mines will be developed and worked on a large scale. Two large industries are on the tapis for Spokane Falls. One of them is a huge smelter, and the other is a flouring mill with a capacity of 100 tons per day. Both projects are well advanced. A new saw mill with a capacity of 35,000 feet of lumber per day has been built in Mt Vernon, Washington. A national bank is being organ ized there with a capital stock of $50,000. Ezra Meeker, the " hop king " of Puyallup valley, estimates the Wash ington hop crop at 38,000 bales, and the Oregon crop at 20,000 bale. HOW SMART ARE YOU ? If you are pretty bright you will stand a good chance of winning a prize in the West Shore Word Contest. The five persons Bonding in the largest lists of words made from the phrase " Illustrated West Shore," will receive the following prizes in the order of the length of their lists, the longest list taking the first prize. LIST OF PRIZES. Fiist Pain A scholarship in tbe Portland Business College, or the Salem Business College, the leading business educational institutions in the Pacific northwest, good for either the business or short hand courses, and available at any time during the year 1891. Value, $60.00. Sicoxo Pans Superb freehand crayon portrait, slie 25x30, executed by the well-known portrait artist, Mr. E. W. Moore, at his studio in Portland. The winner of this prise can have his own portrait made, or that of any relative or friend. Value, $50.00. Third Pana-An elegant oil painting of Safrano Roses, executed by the celebrated floral artist, Mrs. J. T. Hayne. This is a most beautiful picture and is valued at ber studio in Portland, at $40.00. Fourth Pbizk Full set of Chambers Encyclopedia, with the American ad ditions, bound in sheep and consisting of eight quarto volumes, of about 800 pages each, illustrated with wood engravings and colored maps. This is the most practical and valuable encyclopedia for constant use yet published. This is a new set, procured from J. K. Gill 4 Co., book sellers, Portland. Value, $30.00. Firm Paiza A copy of the new edition of Webster's International Diction ary. This is the only authorized edition of Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, and has just been revised and enlarged, making it the only complete and standard work in one volume. It is indexed and bound in sheep. This work is sold by J. K. Gill & Co., Portland. Value, $10.50. RULES COVERNINC THE CONTEST. No one will be permitted to compete whose name is not on our subscrip tion list for at least three months of IBM. All words beginning with the same letter must be grouped together, and the group, arranged on the list In the alphabetical order of the initial letter of each group, the total number of words In each group being noted at the bottom of the group. Only words that can be spelled by using the letters contained in the phrase " Illustrated Wmt Siiokk " will be counted, and no letter can be used In the same word more times than it occurs In the phrase. This per mits tlit us of three times, three times, t three times, r twice, 1 twice, and all the others only one each in any on word. Pioper name and geographical name will not be allowed ; but adjec tives derived from projier nouns, when having a distinct significance, such a " herculean," will be counted. Only English words, or fully anglicized foreign words, such at appear in full faced type In tli dictionary, will be counted. This includes all com pound words given separate paragraphs and definitions, but excludes all words printed in italics. Instead of italics the latest edition of Webster uses this mark ( to designate foreign words. All words so marked are excluded. Two words spelled alike, though having different meanings, will be counted as one word. All forms of the verb, but only one form of the noun, will be allowed. Prefixes and sufiixes will not count as separate word. The latest edition of Webster' dictionary will be the authority for set tling all questions. If two lists contain the same number of words, preference will be given to the list first received at this office. The contest closes January 31, 1891, and all lists must be in this offic on that day, and the name of the contestants be entered on our list for at least three months of the year 1891 to entitle them to enter the competition. The result of the contest will be published immediately In Wist Suoai and the prize held subject to the orders of the winners.