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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1895)
THE 3IOKXHSTG OBEGOZtflAK, TUESDAY. J-A3TDABY 1t 1895. yi was the Jirst mayor of that place, and his popularity was shown by hts election to that office for four successive terms. i He was Joint senator from Morrow, Grant tand Harney counties In the legislature 01 1S91 and 1833. In 1S32 he was a delegate to le national democratic convention which "nominated Cleveland for his second term. He retired from active business in Hepp- ner in 1833, and, on January 8, follow ing, he received his appointment from the president for the important office he now holds. He was confirmed by the senate on the 17th of the same month and he took the oath of office on March 14, following. Mr. Blackman is prominently connected with some of the best secret orders in America, including the Masons, Knights of Pythias and others. He stands par ticularly high in the order of the Masons. His administration of the office or col lector of Internal revenue has been high ly satisfactory, and since his residence in Portland he has earned the degree of popularity which has been such an im portant factor in the success he lias al ready attained. D. It. MURPHY. 1). R. Murphy was appointed to his pres-. rnt Important position of United States district attorney by President Cleveland on June 13 last. Mr. Murphy belongs to the younger element of the democracy, a fation that especially distinguished Itself ty the activity of its members in the last r residential campaign. Since his appoint ment to this important federal position he has distinguished himself both by his remarkable energy in the prosecution of his work and in the satisfactory results obtained by the office under his control results that have never been credited to the office of district attorney since it was rstabllshed at Portland. Some of the cases prosecuted by Mr. Murphy as United States attorney for this -) P. R. Murphy. Photo by McAlpin & Lamb. district have been of national importance, and the manner in which they huve been handled by him has gained for him the tonfidence of the people as being the right man in the right place. The most noted of these cases was that of the Chinese Hmuggllng ring. Haytlan Republic inci dent, and the "quadrant" suit (what is known as the Oregon & California case and famous Northern Pacific overlap con tention). Extended mention of all these cases was made in The Oregonlan, and the people are thoroughly familiar with the good work accomplished by Mr. Mur phy In their prosecution. CHARLES J. SCHNABEL. Hon. Charles J. Schnabel, the present United States assistant attorney for this district. Is distinctly a self-made man. The high order of talent which earned for him the recognition necessary to secure the present important office he now holds was the direct result of the close appli cation he gave to his studies during the years that he was fitting himself for the practice of the law, and It was this close application under the adverse circum stances of being compelled to support him- L self at the.;aroe time that gave him much practlcajrdiisisht Into the affairs of life that he otherwise could not have obtained until a muoh later period In his career. Mr. Schnabel was born In Pittsburg, Pa., August 17,. 1SCT. He comes from a patri ots family, his father. Robert A. Schna bel, having rerved w'lth distinction in the Union army, he having been credited to the sume regiment with Mr. A. E. Borthwick, now one of Portland's best known residents. Mr, Schnabel, sr., left his mother country. Germany, six months after he had graduated from one of the leading gymnasiums of the Faderland. He was disabled In the first battle of Bull Run. With his family ho moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., where he successfully launched the first German newspaper in that state. His death was hastened by the wound he received In the army. On account of the death of his father, young Schnabel at an early age was compelled to discontinue his studies in the fitting school he had entered in Indiana. He be gan life In the business world as corre pondlng clerk for the Widdlcomb Furni ture Company, of Grand Rapids, a posi tion he held for three years. At the same time he was a resident correspondent for several trade and other journals. Having a desire to continue his studies ho removed Ith his mother and younger CHRSlSCHNflBEL Photo by DavJcs. brother to Chicago to take advantage of the evening sessions' of the leading educa tional institutions of that city. He did this with the view of being enabled to obtain special instruction in the higher branches. He was employed during the Jay. first as credit man in the wholesale "iev.elry hoube of J. P. Johnson & Co.. and later he was associated with T. H. Wickes. second vice-president and manager of the Pullman Company. After having suc tessfully passvl a el il-scrvlce examina tion In Washington city, in 1SS7. and awaiting his turn for an appointment, he concluded to come West, with Portland as his objective point. He reached this vlty in 1SSS. Here he became connected with one of the leading lav offices, his other work at the time conslstinc of court reporting. Taking advantage of the evening sessions of the law department of the state unlvaralty, he took the prescribed course, craduattnc; as LL. B. In onlcr in better fit himself for the netlve'eareer of a lawyer, he took a pest-graduate course. a course of st-nly fxvm which he derived much substantial benefit- During his career In Portland Mr. Schna bel has enjoyed the friendship of nomc of the best lawv-s in the city. He was be friended by tin- late Judge Dead. the cel ebrated constitutional lawyer and able jurist, and the counsels of this distin guished man have proved Invaluable to Mr Schnabel in the practice of his pro fession. He also received substantial as sistance and advice from Judge Thomas M. Cooley. Since his appointment as as sistant United Slates attorney for this district In July, 1S8. inter alia, besides his connection with celebrated cases tried in the United States courts of this dis trict, he lias been particularly active in resisting applications for the landing of Chinese on writs of habeas corpus. This activity on the part of Mr. Schnabel lias resulted in the practical abandonment of the efforts to land Chinese bv this method in Portland. Mr Schnabel has earned a proud name -mot he was appointed to his present ulflee. and he enjoy the fall confidence of the government otueitUs ami the public !ik in his effort: to see that the laws of the country are rigidly enforced. STREETS Am SEWERS 311 LES OP PAVED STREETS AVITHIX THE 3ICXICIPAL LIMITS. The Excellent System of Sewer The Great 3Ialn Server on the Eat Side HE firet attempt to or ganize a street de partment In Portland was In l&rf. An oral nance approved on April 23 of that year provided for the elec tion of a street com missioner and a city surveyor, the duties of each being fully denned. The first practical effort toward the Improvement of one of the streets of the city was the au thorization of a sur vey granted by the on June 22 following. common council This contemplated improvement was to cover that part of the street from Madi son north to Vine. On the 27th day of the following July an ordinance was passed which provided for the planking of the west side half of Front street from Taylor to Oak and the laying of sidewalks along this part of that thoroughfare. The side walks, it was stipulated, should "be nine feet In width and the planking for the roadway called for the use of planks three Indies thiok. While certain parts of Portland's main street had been im proved In a way before that time, this was the first improvement authorized by the common council and it was the first general street work done In the village. On November 5. 1835, a sidewalk nine feet in width was authorized to be laid on First street, but it was not until June S, 1837, nearly two years later, that any at tempt was made to Improve the street itself so that heavy traffic could pass over It at all seasons of the year. On the latter date the council ordered First street Improved between Jefferson and Ash for a width 42 feet, and an ordinance was passed at the same time which au thorized the improvement of all cross streets from Front to First between Sal mon and Pine in the same manner es it was stipulated First street was to be im proved. Front street was for many years Port land's principal business thoroughfare. Front was the first street improved by the city and the planking of that portion of this street extending from Columbia to Lincoln was among the last notable street improvements made in this city. After the first planks were laid on one side of this treet, the improvements were extended from time to time, and In the latter part of 1856 the west half of the street was planked from C. now Couch, street north to Jefferson. In 1S59 Front was improved from Jefferson south to Montgomery, by grading, graveling and putting down sidewalks on both sides of the street. In 1S63 one of the most im portant undertakings in the matter of general Improvement of a main thorough fare leading out of Portland was finished. This was the macadamizing of what has since been known as the White house road by a private corporation. The road started then just as It does today, from Lowell avenue and extended south, but from the avenue north It followed along the bluff adjacent to the low bottom lands and intersected Front street at its junc tion with Harrison. A toll gate was es tablished by permission of the council, at a point on the road just below the Smith & Watson iron works, the building at that time being occupied by the state peni tentiary. A large part of the travel Into Portland in the early history of the city came, over the White House road. As a result of this largely increased travel. Front street was soon In a deplorable con dition. On May 13. 1865, the council or dered Front street improved from Morri son south to Harrison, with broken stone (macadam), and on August 13, following. the street from Morrison to Pine was or dered improved with Nicholson pavement. This ordinance was passed over the may or's veto. On the following year the same kind of improvement was ordered laid on Front street from Pine north to C. At that time the street was cut through between Madison and Columbia by a wide and deep gulch, which had always been crossed by a bridge which spanned it. On November 7, 16CS, the council ordered this gulch to be filled, and the street on this foundation improved with broken rock. Nicholson pavement eventually met with favor In the early history of Port land. On August 9, lSt3. Front street was ordered improved with this pavement from Morrison south to Main, and on Sep tember 23, of the same year, this same kind of pavement was ordered to be laid on Front street from Main to Madison. Only four years previous this part of the street had been improved with macadem, but in the early history of Portland as has been developed since that time, brok en rock In this climate makes an unsatis factory street paving where the thorough fare is frequented by "heavy traffic Wood en blocks. If properly laid in cement and asphaltum make 5. particularly easy and durable pavement, a pavement which Is nearly noiseless, and although the Nich olson pavement on the first streets was rather indifferently laid, it answered the needs of the city for well-kept streets for a period covering many years. At the end of 1869 Front street was well paved with wood blocks from Madison north to Couch street, practically the en tire length of the city. In 1S75 the wood pavement on this street from Washing ton to Ash. having seen hard service for a period of 10 years, was taken up and a new pavement of the same kind relald. In 1S76 occurred the memorable June flood, when the waters of the Willamette at Portland reached a height never before recorded, and when Front street from Taylor north was entirely under water. This sounded the death knell of wood pavements on that thoroughfare. The pavement, which had risen with the flood, settled back in its place after the subsi dence of the waters, but It was a broken mass of wood blocks, and although It was patched up, its life was short, and In 1SS0 it was replaced from Ash to Mad ison with the more noisy but serviceable Belgian blocks. This pavement is still In service on this street, but it is now In a bad condition for the heavy traffic which frequents this thoroughfare, and It should be replaced at once. EXPE1UMEXTS IX PAVIXG. Life of the Old Xlcholaon Uluckx Laid Here. HE first results of paving with Nicholson blocks in Portland were satisfactory. That por tion of Front street between Morrison and Madison paved with these blocks was m con stant use for 11 years. Be tween Morrison and Washing ton this same paemcnt wore for 13 years, and the first pavement laid on Front, on the strttch between Washing ton and Ash, lasted M years. The second Nicholson pavement laid on the street be tween Washington and Ash was In con stant use for five years, its short life hav ing been due altogether to the ravages of the flood. Since 1S75 no wood pavement with the exception of a small patch on Yamhill street, between Third and Second, has been laid in Portland. It is doubtful if any of the later pave ments laid In this city will give better re sults than were obtained from the okl Nicholson blocks, the first cost of the im provement, of course, being duly consid ered. Asphalt, vitrified, bricks. Belgian blocks, heavy planking and macadam have all been tried here, but there is no one pavement on which the people of im ' x&- Portland are united today, and a service able pavement that can be laid at a mod erate cost, and which will wear success fully for a series of years is yet to be de termined on. The southern extension of Front street, beyond Madison street, received no at tention until 1SS3. In that year the part of the street between Madison -and Clay was dressed with crushed rock, and from Clay to Harrison a covering of broken stone has been put on here within the past year. This was the first "work done on this part of the street since the first J macadam was laid in 1S63. it having stood 29 years' continuous traffic First street at different times in the his tory of the.clty has been planked, paved with wood and Belgian blocks and mac adamized. These pavements have all in a certain degree proved unsatisfactory The stone block is a most signal failure for the paving of the streets of any city. It is the most noisy pavement known, it is hard on all animals drawing' loads over it, and its general uneven surface which soon wears into ruts and chuck holes im parts a careless oppearance to tly -street which Is avoided by better pavements. Twenty-eight years ago First street, from Vine north to Madison, was paved with wood blocks. When this pavement, after many years' continuous use, began to show the serious effects of wear, the property-owners decided to replace it with a pavement that would never wear out, and the street was paved with Belgian blocks. It was this which has doubtless been largely responsible for the unpopu larity the street has attained of late years and the removal of a number of former large houses on the street to the better paved thoroughfare of Third. The mat ter Of improving First street is once more claiming attention, and It Is not Impos sible that this year may note the improve ment of the street with the same class of wood blocks that were first laid on the thoroughfare 23 years ago. only that the blocks will be laid this time In a way that will insure their giving better ser vice than they did before. The .general advantages claimed for wood blocks as a pavement are that the surface of such a pavement Is smooth, heavy traffic passing over It makes little noise, it affords a firm footing for horses, and is easy on their feet. Its lasting qualities are good, and the moderate cost of first laying these blocks especially recommends their use. Moreover, the principal materials used in paving a street with wood blocks are the products of home factories, and the favorable outcomo of an attempt made here to create a demand for wood blocks for street-paving purposes would build up an industry which would be of con siderable importance to the city. The following table will show the num ber of miles of improved thoroughfares within the city limits: Miles. Graded only 65.0 Macadam 40.G Gravel 40.3 Plank roadway 9.7 Bridging 7.3 Stone block paVement 4.G Asphalt and bituminous pavement... 3.7 Brick and wood-block pavement 0.1 Total .' 371.3 Wooden hldewalk 2S0.0 Cement sidewalk 13.8 Bituminous and asphalt sidewalk.... 143.0 Total 115.O Wooden crosswalk 37.0 Stone crosswalk 1.1 Total SS.4 STREETCLEAXIXG. Effective AVorfc Douc by This De partment. HE problem of cleaning the main thoroughfares of Portland Is as prolific a matter of con tention as it wai when the question was first grappled wltn by the city government in 1S55. On June 21 of that year an ordinance became effective which required the owners of. property "along Front street, between Salmon and Ash. to their own expense the street to their premises by scran- ing and sweeping It every Monday during the months of June. July, August, Sep tember and October, and in case of any of the property-owners neglecting to keep their portion of the street clean, the street commissioner was directed to clean the same and to collect the amount he might pay out for this work by a suit brought against the delinquent property-owner, be fore the city recorder. This ordinance evidently worked well, as In I860 the com mon council determined to have the "street cleaning operations extended through the winter months. The former ordinance was amended so as to provide for the clean ing of Front street throughout the year. In 185C a new ordinance was passed which required the owners to clean all improved streets in front of their premises on Sat urday of each week throughout the year. There was some trouble in enforcing the terms of this act of the council, and be tween 1SG6 and 18S3 there were no less than five different ordinances passed with the special object in view of putting into ef fect an act governing streetcleanlng, the terms of which could be enforced. The results of all these efforts, however, were unsatisfactory, and on May 4, 1SS3, the in itiative was taken in Imposing the cost of cleaning the streets on the municipal gov ernment. On that day an ordinance was passed by Jie council which authorized the committee on streets to make a con tract" with some responsible party for cleaning Sixth street, and on September 21 following a contract was authorized by the council which provided for cleaning all the improved streets of the city east of Fourth street. This ordinance further provided thit all streets east of Third, be tween Market and Glisan. paved with stone blocks, Nicholson or plank should be cleaned twice each wteek, all other streets In the district to be cleaned regu larly once a week. On the 12th day of tlio following October an ordinance was passed which authorized a contract for the clean ing of all street crossings In the city, ex cept those In the district covered by the former contract. This innovation called for a storm of opposition, and on the ISth day of the came month the ordinances au thorizing these contracts were repealed and the former plan of requiring the owner or occupant of the property to clean the part of the street adjacent to him was again put In force On December 21, 1SS3, the council finally decided to take the matter of cleaning the streets directly into its own hands, and on that day an ordinance was passed which authorized the purchase of 10 dirt carts, together wkh the necessary horses and implements to allow the work to be done properly. It also authorized the employ ment jf a suitable number of men who should be under the direct control of a superintendent, and it stipulated that this force srouIJ clean all the improved streets of the city. The sum authorized for the purchase of the necessary plant was $6000. From this small beginning Portland's efficient department of streetcleanlng and sprinkling has grown. The department at the present lime is under the management of J. D. Draw. The superintendent holds his ofiice by appointment from the mayor. The department is managed in as econom ical a manner as posible, and with the large territory covered by the streetclean lng department it is giving excellent re butts. THE SEWERAGE SYSTEM. The Great Syntem of Sewers on, the En-Nt Side. O SEWERS worthy of the name were built In Portland until the street and other Improve ments were far advanced. In 1S73 a stwer of terra cotta pipe. 15 inches in diameter, was laid from the river to a point 93 feet west of the west line of Fifth street. Prior to that time a number of wooden drains had been laid on several different streets. These drains were primarily intended to curry off the surface water only, but clean at adjacen; H many of them were connected with pri-1 vate residences and they served the. dou-I ble Duroose of carrying oft both the ex cess water from the heavy rains and also a large amount of sewerage. One of the mostseriousdifflcultlesthecity ever had to contend with was the trouble experienced in compelling property-owners in even some of the swell residence districts to make proper sewer connections with their houses. The old wooden drains for many years were disease-breeding receptacles of filth, but these have all happily been replaced with as fine and as complete a system of sewers as has been adopted by any city on the ccast. The second terra cotta sewer pipe laid In Portland extended up Pine street from the river back to within 100 feet of the west line of Fifth street. No definite sys tem of sewer pipes has ever been adopted on the west side of the river, but owing to thf favorable location of the districts on the west side tliis has never been nec essary. Each street of this district from Glisan to Harrison is covered by a terra cotta sewer pipe extending back from the river to a point where the slope of the city Is towards Tanner creek on the west. In Tanner-creek gulch there has been laid a large brick and stone sewer, which begins at a point 300 feet above the Jefferson-street entrance to the City Park, and which discharges its contents Into the Willamette river at a point opposlto the Intersection of Pettygrove and Front streets. Into this main sewer all the territory of the city west of Tanner-creek gulch, south of Pettygrove and east of Twenty-first street, is drained. All the territory in the municipal limits west of Twenty-first street and north of Wash ington is drained into the Johnson-creek sewer, which starts at a point just above the Washington-street entrance to the City Park, and empties its contents into the Willamette just above the, boneyard. This sewer was -originally built entirely of brick, but this was against the rec ommendations of the superintendent of streets, who had prepared the plans for this work. The use of stone blocks in the construction of the sewer would have added somewhat to the first cost, but the work would have been permanent after it was once completed. Under a mistaken Idea of economy the-stone blocks provided for In the plans of the street superin tendent were discarded by the council, and brick were substituted in their place. The result was that the general fund" of the city was relieved of $10,000 during 1S34 to put In a stone bottom of btone blocks along the entire course of the sewer, the brick bottom having almost entirely worn away. In the southern part of West Portland are three sewers of brick and stone. These run through Marquam's gulch and the gulches of Woods street and Thomas creek, and they drain all the large ter ritory adjacent to these depressions. The entire part of the city west of the Wil lamette has every advantage of good sewers and all of this district Is thor oughly drained. The-great sewerage system of the city has been established in the districts on the east side of the river. There are four subdivisions 011 the East, Side. The Russell-street sewer drains all that territory extending from the river back to. Union avenue, and reaching from Sacramento to Russell streets. The main sewer on Russell street Is a terra cotta pipe. It was laid prior to the consolidation of the three . former munlcfpal governments of Alblna, East Portland and Portland into a single city under the corporate name of Portland. Lateral sew;ers reach from the main sewer on Russell street along most of the cross streets. Between Sacra mento and Hancock streets there is a small territory which Is not provided with sewers. The topography of this district especially discourages the establishment of an efficient sy&tem of "sewers, as the expense of laying sewers here will be very great, but the slopes of this dis trict afford good drainage and the ab sence of sewers with the scattered popu lation here has ne;er resulted in any great inconvenience tnt residents. The Hp!laday-averMinr' sewer district embraces ajl that'territorv extending back from the river, to 100 feefi cast of East, Twelfth street, and between Holladay avenue and Hancock street. The main sewer on Holladay -avenue Is con structed of brick, and it Is, now laid to the east line of East Eleventh street. Laterals are laid along most of the cross streets of this distrct, and the district Is practically all covered with sewer pipes. A pipe sewer drains all the territory between Holladay avenue and Sullivan's gulch, and it reaches us far cast as East Twelfth street. This, district is sparsely settled, and but few laterals have yet been extended along the cross streets. The East Oak-stieet sewer system Is an extensive one on the East Side. All the territory between "Sullivan's gulch and East Stark street is included within this district and it reaches to the East ern boundary line of the city. The sew er pipes of this system, at the present time, however, do not extend beyond East Sixteenth street. The system as far as completed consists of a brick and stone sewer which starts on East Oak street, where this street reaches the river and extends out to the intersection of East Oak and East Third streets. Thence it extends along East Third street to East Davis. Emptying into this main sewer are terra cotta laterals reaching out each cross street from East Oak to East Davis, as far as East Sixteenth street. The Asylum-creek district extends from Ea,st Stark street south to Division street, and east to the city boundary line. This is the great sewerage system of the East Side. The big brick and stone sewer main of this system starts from the foot of East Alder street at the river's edge, and following a circuitous route It finally tflVmfnates at the intersection of East Thirty-fifth and East Yamhill streets. This is the largest sewer in the city. It is circular in form with . clear diameter of 84 inches at the mouth, and 32 inches at its eastern terminus. Its total length is about two and one-half miles'. But few laterals have as yet been laid to connect with this main sewer. This will provide ample facilities for draining all the -vast territory the sewer is Intended to cover, even when the district is solidly built up, and with proper care taken in its con struction it is a permanent improvement that will never show any serious effects of wear. Some day it will be necessary to run a large sewer main up Sullivan's gulch to afford a drainage outlet for a large dis trict now sparsely settled, and which is without sewerage connection. This gulch affords an ideal route for a large sewer pipe, and as the city increases in popu lation it will become one of the principal dralnways of that part of Portland on the east side of the river. The sewerage system of the city at the present time consists of 10.06 miles of brick and stone sewers, ranging in diam eter from 2G to SO Inches, and 73.13 miles of pipe sewers of diameters varying from eight to 21 inches. Within the municipal limits are 1402 catch basins connected with these sewers. These basins afford connection with the sewers to carry away the surface water of the city. The sewer age system of the city is sufficiently well developed at the present time to answer the demands of a place of Portland's pop ulation, and with the principal main sew ers all laid this system, can be extended as the population increases at a trilling expense, compared to the first cost of laying these large sewer mains. . H. D. GRADON. Mr. H. D. Gradon was born in this city in 1S33. He received his education in Port land, having- graduated from the high school here in 1875. Immediately after se curing his diploma he took up the study of engineering. He commenced at the bot tom, like most successful men, but it did not take him long to prove his ability in his chosen profession, and for many years past Mr. Gradon has been actively en gaged In ganeral engineering and survey ing, and he has frequently been called into consultation by some of the best known engineers of the coast- He has maintained an office in this city for sev eral years past, .andagurlng. this time he has directed some tsf the most Important worKS in me state. In 1893 Mr. Gradon was elected to the office of superintendent of streets of Port- land. He was re-elected to the same office at the last election in June. In a growing city like Portland, the selection for this Important office is always carefully made. Great responsibility rests on the superin tendent of streets in the preparation of plans and specifications or the construc tion, improvement or repair of all public streets, parks, bridges and sewers, and he is held accountable for the execution and acceptance of all this work by the municipality. Mr. Gradon enjoys both the full confidence of the city and of the peo ple with whom he has long done business, and he Is regarded as a particularly effi cient official. POSTAL FACILITIES. A AVell-Orgrnnized ami Thoroughly Disciplined Department. ORTLAND'S postoffice. first modest in ap- was in as it was pearance, harmony with the general style of architecture adopt ed in the erection of the few log structures which graced the streets of the village be- fore 1850. The ira portance of the ac- , comr.iodaticns for the transportation of mail afforded the J Portland people in those days may be ' better understood from the statement ' Cif H D Gradn PORTLAND'S FIRST POSTOFFICE. that the first regularly organized United States mall -reached the "village" January 26",' 1830, by the brig Sequin, Z. O. Norton captain, and that this mail was the ac cumulation of one year's letters and pa pers which had been held at San Fran cisco awaiting an opportunity to be shipped north by some coasting vessel coming this way. The first postoffice here was established November S, 1849. The building occupied as a postoffice, as shown by the accom panying illustration, was of logs and stood on the site now designated as Front and Washington streets. Thomas Smith was the first postmaster. For the first 2C years after the establishment of a post office at this point, its location was changed with every new appointment of a local Nasby, the varying sites selected ranging all along the river front from Stark to Taylor streets. Postmaster Smith was succeeded in 1852 by Edwin B. Com fort, who immediately moved the postal headquarters to his store, located on the corner of Front and Taylor streets. One year later the office was removed to the store on the corner of Front and Stark streets and it was placed in charge of John O. Waterman as postmaster. Water man was succeeded a few months later by Alonzo Leland. The duties of the of fice up to this time had not been onerous, and in place of the numerous windows for general delivery, divided according to the Importance of the respective letters from A to Z, the mail for months after the establishment of the office was kept in a single cigar-box, which was open to everybody who might call to look over the letters it contained. In 1S5J Adam Shipley was appointed postmaster, and he took charge of the office in November, 1831. He at once re moved the office to tne northeast corner of First and .Morrison streets. It hatl scarcely been located here, however, be fore It was again moved to the west side of Front street, between Washington and Stark. Mr. Shipley enjoyed the distinc tion of keeping the postoffice in one loca tion for the unprecedented term of two years, when he again made a change and took up quarters on the same street at a site midway between Alder and Washing ton. In July, 1861, after Portland had begun to assume the importance of a considera ble trading point, Herman W. Davis re ceived the appointment to the postmas tershlp. Mr. Davis made his headquarters at 10S Front street, where the office re mained until the appointment of his suc cessor, E. G. Randall. In 1865. Mr. Randall located his office at the northwest corner of First and Alder streets. Under J. R. Prindle the office was established at 9S First street, and his successor, L. H. Wakefield, found quarters at 99 First street. In 1870 and for the three subse quent years the people of Portland se cured their mail at 106 First street. The Masonic building, still standing at the corner of Third and Alder streets, was the first modern site occupied by the post office. On October 1. 1S73, the government completed the present stone building, on the block bounded by Fifth, Sixth, Morri son and Yamhill streets, and the post office was removed to permanent quarters in the new structure. Succeeding Mr. Wakefield as postmaster came in succession George E. Cole, ap pointed March 11. 1S73; George A. Steel, appointed October 21. 1SS1: C. W. Roby, appointed December 1. 1SS3; George A. Steel, appointed for a second term, April, 1890; and E. C. Protzman, who received his appointment from President Cleve land on May 1 last. It was during Mr. Steel's first term of office that the free-delivery service was established. In 1879 the government des ignated Portland as a free-delivery city, and a free-delivery force, consisting of five men, was organized. This force was subsequently increased, and today con nected with the free-delivery department there is a well-disciplined force of 28 car riers. The entire postal force at Port land consists of 110 men. For many years after the municipalities of East Portland and Alblna were formed, postoffices sep arate from the office in Portland proper were maintained in each of these towns on the east bank of the Willamette- When Portland and all its outlying suburbs were -m - 1 " npN-fvT O 'fV "NJTT """ T TT "lf 'T'f- fil VT Jr. i. J IN Ot JlVJ-N XvJTXIL X J-YX. JT V-X WV'. consolidated into one municipality under the name of Portland, the postoffices in both East Portland and Alblna were dis continued, and they were made stations of the Portland office, with local superin tendents in charge of each. Each of these stations today controls its own special de livery clerks. The growth of Portland is shown by the following statement of the gross receipts of the local postoffice for each year from 1S50 to the present time: 1830. $ 1S51 1832. 1SS3. 1S54 1853 1S56. 1S37. 1S3S 1S59 I860 82 PS 1,474 75 1,559 76 975 34 1,094 60 702 7S 1,724 22 2,323 32 3.223 51 2.SIS SO 1S73. 1S74 1S73 1S75. .$ 24,160 23 . 23,257 32 . 24.274 91 . 25,tt3 6t 1S77 26,736 ei 157$. 29.006 S 1879 36,64 5o 1SS0. 41,567 02 1SS1 46.130 79 1SS2. 54,679 97 1S3 6S.S11 36 1SS4 75,22 SS lSi.3 06,307 12 1886. 6S.SS7S2 3,w sa 1S61 3.777 91 1SG2 S.315 97 1SS3 3.279 63 1SC4 1S65 1866 1867. 186S 1869 1870 1871 1S72. 3,970 09 1887. 78,976 23 4,123 93 1SS5. Ul.bM Jo 6.1S3 72 18S9 126,043 03 10.520 89 1SS0 14S.uo oS 10,377-22 1891..., 160,522 13 12,898 59 1892. 173,790 74 14,534 66 I 1893 167,536 30 17,312 67 i 1891 (est'd).. 151,723 67 19,743 13 I The most remarkable increase: when it is remembered that by 1SS0 Portland was a city of some importance, was made from the latter year to 1892. In 1SS0 the receipts of the Portland postoPce were $11,567 62; in 1S92 the receipts rft-ched the remarkable figure of $173,790 71. The noticeable falling-off in the receipts of the postoffice for the past year was directly due to the Interruption of traffic over all the trunk lines of the country, caused by the railroad strikes of June and July. The June floods, unprecedented in the history of the Northwest, were also the cause of suspending traffic for a W short time over the railroads centering herc-'-'thus interfering" with tlie prompt transmission of the mails. It Is- highly probable- that the receipts of the post office for 1891 would have fully equaled the receipts of the previous year had the mails not have been interrupted by the strikes and the flood. Portland's steady growth is indicated in no better way than by the increase In the receipts at the postoffice. In 1880 the net yearly Income of the office was ?27,S61 29; for the fiscal year ending June 30 last, the net receipts had increased to $101,124-10. It will be noticed that from 1863 to 1SS4 there was a steady increase in the re ceipts each succeeding year. In 1S85 the receipts dropped nearly $9000 from what they were the year previous, but they in creased about $2500 in 1886, and the follow ing year they reached the total of $78,976 23, nearly $4000 more than was ever taken in by the Portland postoffice during any pre vious year in its history. In 1893, the year of the panic, the receipts of the office were more than double what they were in 1SS7, an increase of over 100 per cent in six years. It will be further noticed that the only serious inroads made into the receipts of the office occurred in 1883, but two years after the great financial strin gency of that year the business of the office was far ahead of what It had been in 1SS4, a banner year in Portland's his tory. This Illustration affords ample evi dence of Portland's recuperative powers, and the prediction can be safely made' that the receipts of the Portland postoffice for the coming year will reach a higher figure that they did in 1892, one of the most prosperous years of Portland's history. POSTMASTER PROTZMAN. Eugene Protzman, our postmaster, was born in' Pennsylvania in 1849. Beginning his -active life- as. a newsboy, he naturally drifted' into the printing business, serving EugeneC.Protzman at all of its varied duties. He arrived in our city in 1867, and at once secured work In the printing- office or A. G. Walling. Afterward as salesman and as business man, during the past 27 years, he earned for himself the name of an energetic, bright and entirely reliable citizen, and as an intimate that of a self-sacrificing, true-hearted friend. While one of the most aggressive work ers as a democrat as well as an upholder of his party's principles, yet he is able to count among his warmest friends those who are of the highest standing in the republican ranks here. While being a freetrader in his views as to taxation, even going so far as to believe that the people ultimately accept the single tax as the only equal or just system, yet he has always been reserved and modest in pre senting these ideas, for he willingly al lows for those wrho differ with him the same patriotic fervor he feels himself. This, of course, is why his support for his present high position came as warmly from his republican neighbors as, from his democratic admirers. It can hardly be doubted but that this was why he was successful. Decline of AVfanlinfj. The United States has now about 40 ves sels engaged in whaling the remnant of a fleet which once numbered 50") ships. J Sin. v c r-T.i lSW - wHmPf m WORCESTER, JVTTSSS. Manufacturers of Leather Eeltioi -A'D LACIISFOr PORTLAND STORE, 102 FIRST The demand for whale oil has so greatly decreased that the industry has dwindled away. It is now supported chiefly by the demand for whalebone, which is always greatly in excess of the supply. FUTURE, OF IRRIGATION. What I- II. Brisrlmiit, Chnirmnn o the Irrigation Committee. Shys. The future of irrigation in-" Oregon and the necessity which exists for the adop tion of a law by the state covering this subject are set forth In the following statements, made by F. H. Brlgham, chairman of the state Irrigation commit tee: The arable public lands of the United States are exhausted, only the plains of the arid regions and the densely wooded portions are now available; and yet the demand for homes and small farms 13 greater than ever In the United States today. In the case of the timbered areas in Oregon, west of the summit of the Cas cade range, where the precipitation is sufficient for the purposes of agriculture without irrigation, the average cost per acre of clearing this land Is probably $50: and, while it Is true that settlement of this class of lands, which constitute a part only of -the arable belt of Western Ore gon, is steadily progressing, and the cul tlvatable area constantly added to through the individual labor of the set tler, it is also true that the process is extremely slow, and that nothing In the way of an extensive increase in the arable acres, or in Oregon's population, can be looked for from settlement in this direc tion. Upon the other hand, of the S3.000.0CO acres of arid lands in the state, it is es timated that between 5,000,000 and 6,000.000 are susceptible for reclamation through irrigation, either by simple diversion of the waters of the streams or storage of the flood waters, or both combined. The cost of construction of the neces sary works to convey water upon this land would be from $6 to $13 per acre; and yet these lands are out of the reach of the settler, for the reason that their re clamation can only be secured through a combination of both labor end capital. The so-called Carey law, granting the several states in the arid regions 1,000,000 acres each, upon condition that the same be settled and reclaimed, furnishes the Immediate opportunity to settle this class of lands, to the extent of the area named. The solution of the entire problem will soon be demanded, as a national neces sity, and it will be solved by the exer cise of the highest order of practical L statesmanship. Laws must be enacted that will Insure the success of the settler and farmer, and a reasonable and sure return upon the capital invested. The construction of all important irrigation works must be under state control, and the largest amount of land irrigated con sistent with the water supply from any one stream or source. The state now has it In her power to enact a law that will easily be the most important and bene ficial measure ever considered by an Oregon legislature, it framed upon the proper? lines. In an Interview with United. States Senator' Carey, "the author of the Carey law," during the recent session of thp national irrigation congress at Denver, Colo., he used the words, "Let your state make wise use of the million acres now granted, and other donations will follow. Demonstrate that the result of thisact is the actual reclamation and settlement of the area granted, and there need be no fear that this plan of cession will not be continued." In a letter recently received from Will lam E. Smythe chairman of the national irrigation committee and editor of the Irrigation Age I find this clause. "Let your legislature, at its coming session, devise a way to make good use of the Carey law, and you will Inaugurate an epoch in the life of your state. You will start a movement that in the end will bring a vast amount of capital and labor within your borders, and found new forms of industry and society." The question is in no wise a political one; it involves the welfare of all the people in the state, without regard to their party relations, and the judgment and experience of all is asked for the proper solution of the prob lem. Space will not admit of details, and I will simply add in conclusion, that with the enactment of a law that will tempt capital to construct the works necessary to irrigate the 1,000,000 acres now granted to the state, not "forgetting that the set tler and actual pecupant of the soil must be fully protected, this area will be re claimed, and the final result to our state will be, the expenditure within our bor ders, in the next five years of at least $10,000,000, 90 per cent of which will be paid for labor; an increase in the state's population of at least 100,000 people, of the most desirable class the agricultur ist and producer; the addition to the taxable property in the state of probably $25,000,000. Consequent upon all this would be birth and growth of towns and villages, and the natural stimulation of the Irrigation and every other industry. S1g feeling better better in every way. The-e's liiuic (-uusuianun jj; in that than well iff people stop to Vj ponder. To get back flesh and f spirits is every thing. of pure Cod Liver Oil with Hypo phosphites is prescribed by lead ing physicians everywhere for ail ments that are causing rapid loss of flesh and vital strength. Scott's Emulsion will do more than to stop a lingering: Cough itfortifies the system AGAKST coughs and colds. Prepared by Scott 4 Eo-no. X. Y. AW drnjsists. TCHING HUMORS j Torturing, diin?uriDg eczemas, I) and every epetieit of itehltiff.buro- lDt, scaly, cruotcd, and pimply thia, and ailing bair, relieved Ly a finale application, and epecaily and economically cured ty the C'CTiciruA Uexkdizs, when ti beat pfcyeieians tcdL LA.ISTD PLASTER $1.50 PER BKRREL- LVEEBrJfG & Ff-BrlEU, COB. fEOSI AS9 ALDER STREETS Better li? 41j no iSfev I mi t? i