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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1901)
THE MOKNIXG OREGOXIAST, TUESDAY, DECEMBER Sf, 1901. CLOSURE F SALT WORKS HOW THE TJST REDUCES DUMBER. PLA1VTS. HarvestIng)cposIts in Utah, Pnmp. Ins Brij in Kansns and Min ings ocli in Xevr 1'orlc In few i-ustries has the work of con centratloip business into fewer hands and the c-eQuent abandonment of small plants be more marked than In the do mestic ss manufacture. This is brought out in P investigations now going on for the Ah census, which shows that, while U production of salt throughout the coufy has increased continuously for 50 year the number of establishments shows falling off of over 50 per cent within bis period. Twenty per cent of this d-rease has taken place since 1S93. Most it i3 doubtless attributable to the f.matlon of tho salt trust, which virtus!' controls the business of the count'- Ten of the idle plants reported in IS? had an aggregate capital of nearly $2.00000. Sal manufacture, as pointed out by chief fctattician for manufactures, S. N. D. Xori. is one of the large group of Indus trie which lie on the border line, either beteen manufacturing and mining, as in thlicase, or between manufacturing and ag'CUlture, as In the case of slaghtering an meat packing, or of canning fruits a vegetables. The products of these cride manufacturing industries greatly s'ell the value of the manufactured prod ut as reported by the census, and it till be the endeavor of the division of manufactures of thi 12th census, In pre .enting the complete statistics, so to sep irate and classify them that all of these oorder-line Industries can be grouped and eliminated by those who desire to do so. The reports show a capital of $27,123,364 invested in the manufacture of salt in the 159 establishments reporting for the country. This sum represents the value of land, buildings, machinery, tools and implements, and the live capital utilized, but does not Include the capital stock of any of the manufacturing corporations engaged in this industry. The value of the products is returned at $7.36G,S27, to produce which Involved an outlay of ?49V 74S for salaries of officials, clerks, etc.: 51.9U.140 for wages; $700,539 for miscel laneous expenses. Including rent, taxes, etc.; and $3,335,922 for materials used, mill supplies, freight and fuel. Salt itself is a mineral, but it is not clear whether the process by which it is obtained should be regarded as manufac turing or as a method of mining. Rock salt is undoubtedly a mining product, but as it is considered In connection with salt manufacture by artificial heat or by solar evaporation, it Is included In the present report. Salt is the only mineral product which enters directly into consumption as food, and while a considerable nunnlltv is used for other purposes, by far the larger portion is consumed as food, either directly or indirectly. ProccKM of Manufacture. The history of the manufacture of salt In this country covers the entire period subsequent to the early settlement by tne English. The first salt was produced In Virginia prior to 1C20, and in the various reports" of the Federal census mention, is made of not less than 32 states in which salt has at some period been produced in considerable quantities. The early process consisted In the production from tea water, either by exposure to evaporation under the sun's rays, or sometimes by boiling in pans or kettles until the dis solved salt was deposited. About the close of the 18th century the manufacture was begun from brine obtained from nat ural salt springs, following the same crude process used in the manufacture of salt from sea water. At the present time, however, compara tively little salt is made from sea water, of brine from natural springs, and some or that so obtained is evaporated by arti ficial heat. Nearly all the evaporated salt is now obtained by sinking wells to the salt body, pumping fresh water into the wells, and withdrawing the brine after It has become well saturated. Practically all the product from natural salt water, by solar evaporation. Is made along the shores of San Francisco Bay In California and Great Salt Lake. Utah. With these two exceptions the evaporated product Is almost entirely obtained from deep wells. Salt manufacture by artificial heat is made In kettles, open pans, vacuum pans and gralners, the heat being applied cither directly or by steam. In blocks where kettles or open pans are used, the heat Is usually applied directly and the brine Is boiled in gralners and vacuum pans by steam heat The gralner process is es sentially American; the brine in this process is evaporated from rectangular vats about 12 inches deep, in which are suspended colls of pipe carrying either live or exhaust steam. The brine is usually kept agitated me chanically, so that the salt which is formed on top will be broken up and precipitated. In some instances tho salt la removed from the bottom of the pan by mechanical scrapers; in others hand labor is employed. The grainer process seems to be the most popular method in the United States and most of the finer grades of table and dairy salt are pro duced either by this or by the vacuum pan process. Solar salt is made in vats or ponds, covered and uncovered. At Syracuse, N. Y., the ponds are supplied with movable covers. No. covers are used in Utah or California, as the operations in those states continue only during the dry sea son. Rock salt Is mined and prepared for use in the States of New York, Kansas, Louisiana and California. It is now pro duced in greater quantities than solar salt. Four different units of measure are cm ployed in the Industry. At the solar salt works, Syracuse, N. Y.. and at some of the salt blocks along the Ohio River in Ohio and "West Virginia, the bushel of ES pounds Is used as the unit. At the rock salt mines in New York State and at Avery Island rock salt mines in Louis iana the long ton of 2240 pounds is used as the unit, while the short ton of 2000 pounds Is the usual unit at the rock salt mines In Kansas and at the solar works along the shores of San Francisco Bay and Great Salt Lake. In the half century from 1850 to 1900 the capital Increased from $2,640,883 to $27,123, 364, while the value of products Increased from $2,222,745 to $7.9CC,S97. At the census of I860 there were 399 establishments, while only 159 are shown at the census of 1900, a decrease of 60.2 per cent. During the last 20 years the development of the Industry has been most rapid, the capital having increased from $8,225,740 to $27,123,364, a gain of 229.7 per cert. The products In the same period increased from $4,829,566 to $7,966,S97, or 65 per cent, while the num ber of establishments decreased from 26S to 159, a loss of 40.7 per cent. The de crease In the number of establishments is due to the abandonment of many small plants along the Atlantic Coast and in some of the Interior districts where salt was manufactured from brine springs; also to the consolidation of a number of large establishments, particularly in New York, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Utah and California. From 1SS0 to 1SS9 the number of estab lishments decreased from 200 to 159, or 20.5 per cent. The capital increased from $13, 437,749 to $27,123,364, or 10L8 per cent, and of this Increase the greatest gain was shown In the item of live capital which increased from $2,190,201 to $5,747,465, or 162.4 per cent. The cost of materials increased from $1,826,770 in 1S90 to $3,335,922 In 1S99, or 82.6 per cent. The cost of the birrels, boxes, cartons, bags, cooperage stock and cloth for sacks purchased, amounting in 1839 to $1,837,122, formed the most Important fac tor In the cost of materials. Decrease in Solar Sultranlcin&. The decrease in the manufacture of so lar salt as compared -with the growth of the salt industry is seen in the fact that while In 1880 the output was 903,555 bar rels, forming 15.2 per cent of all salt pro duced, In 18S9 tho product was 910,974 bar rels, forming but C per cent of the total production. The production of rock salt, on the other hand. Increased from 62,400 barrels In 1SS0, when It formed but 1 per cent of the total salt production, to 2,543, 679 barrels in 1SS9, forming 16.7 per cent. More than 90 per cent of this rock salt Is mined in New York and Kansas. Salt made by the boiling process shows a steady Increase for each decade. The in crease from 1880 to 1899 was 6,728,051 bar rels, or 134.9 per cent The 24 establishments In California used the solar process almost entirely, there being but two open pans and one vacuum, pan In the state, while there were 474 cov ers or ponds, having an area of 62,032,500 square feet, or 56.5 per cent of the total area in the United States. Utah shows for the solar profcess five establishments, with an area of 38,610,728 square feet for 39 covers or ponds, and for the evaporat ing process but one kettle. The relation of climate to the manufacture of solar salt is clearly seen from the statistics of California and Utah. Because of the dry ness of their climate, these states offer HUMPHRY WARD SHE IS A VERY STATELY WOJIAX, A SCHOLAR AND A PHILAN THROPIST AS WELL. LONDON. Mrs. Humphry "Ward, who Is about to come tWcre the American public again with another big serial story, has been dividing her time lately be tween her dramatization of "Eleanor" and various sociological interests of tho Passmore Edwards Settlements, which Brew out of her novel, "Robert Elsmcre," Just as the "People's Palace," down in "VVhitechapel, Brew out of Sir "Walter De cant's noiel, "All Sorts and Conditions of Men." As bents a niece of Matthew Arnold. Mrs. Ward Is the most serious-minded of women. You hear of her one day undertaking a few reforms In modern relig ion, another day giving her benediction to an Institution that provides poor wom en with trained maternity nurses, and then again doing something or other to lm proe the minds of the joung men at the settlement. But. doubtless, every lady would be serious if she knew as much as Mrs. Ward. She spent her girlhood In classic Oxford, where her father prepared j oung men for collese. Sho passed most of her time under the magnificent roof of the Bodleian Library the book-lover's nearest approach to the ideal home for books. She married a learned young Oxford tutor, and helped him in writing learned ' essays. She made such a specialty of Spanish that sho Came to be recognized as on authority on the subject. Scholarly researches were her chosen recreation. Negotiations v 1th Mrs. "Ward in behalf of a magazine on ones occasion gave me a definite idea, however, that life in a world of books had not Interfered in tho least with an uncommon business ability. Sho had a high idea of the market value of her literary products, and drove a hard bargain, calling In her husband as a sort of witness and backer. She Is a stately woman with a large. Impressive dignity. Her hair, which is turning white. Is drawn back from her forehad. regardless of the frivolities of feminine fashions. My most vild Impression of the conversation, aside from the. business In hand, was the sudden chill that prevailed when I unfortunately hap pened to speak of Cecil Rhodes, whose imperialistic name, apparently, filled Mr. and Mrs. "Ward with horror. Mrs. Humphry Ward's husband, whose peculiarity in spelling the last ej liable of his name without an "," has brought many a proofreader to grief, is a per son of considerable consequence In the literary world. "Ward's English Poets" made his name known, but in London he is better placed as one of tho chief editorial and critical writers for the Times. He is a big, handsome man, whose admiration for his wife's abilities amounts almost to awe. They live In a fairly big house on a corner of fashionable Grosvenor Place. It is dingy enough outside, but its interior makes an Ideal setting for Its distin guished mistress. Rare books and old paintings lino the walls, and e en the fur niture looks learned. I-- -o. .4 44tn IttlMMIIMU exceptional advantages for the develop ment of the solar process, and of the 109,921,360 square feet of covers or ponds in the United States, these two states contain 100,673.528 square feet, or 9L6 per cent of the total. Nevada, with three es tablishments, uses the solar process en tirely. In New York the ponds for evap oration by solar heat are provided with movable covers; by this means the rains are kept from the brine, and the process Is considerably accelerated. This state had 38 establishments, and while the solar process still showed an area of S.17C.943 square feet for the 32,295 c,overs or ponds, the evaporating apparatus consisted of 92 gralners, 43 open pans, 233 kettles" and nine vacuum pans. The remaining states represent less than 1 per cent of the square feet area in covers or ponds, and practically use the boiling process en tirely. In the last decade manufacturers have made great progress in the production of the finer grades of salt, particularly those for table and dairy use, and for the pres ervation of fish and meats. Much of the increase shown in production was due to the development of the large meat-packing establishments and, in a lesser degree, to the development of the dairy industry. The extensive use of tho chlorlnatlon pro cess of extracting gold and silver from ores has required large amounts of the lower grades of salt Less Salt BcIiirt Imported. The extent to which salt of domestic production has supplanted that of foreign manufacture is seen bj the statement that In 1880 Imported salt formed 36.4 per cent of the domestic consumption; In 1S90 it had fallen to 14.7 per cent; while In 1899 it was only 8.3 per cent. The total domes tic consumption In 1SS0 was 2.627,282,500 pounds: in 1890 it was 3.40S.564.SSO pounds, and 4.600.782,200 pounds In 1829. The popu lation of the United States was 50,189,203 in 1SS0: 62,979,766 In 1890, and 76.149.3S5 in 1900. From these figures It Is seen that the per capita consumption In these three years was, respectively, 52.3, 54.1 and C0.4 pounds. The first attempt at saltmaking is re corded in Beverly's "History of Virginia," in which it Is stated that as early as 1620 "a salt work was set up at Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore." "What success at tended this effort is not stated. Prince's "Chronological History of New England" states that an attempt to man ufacture salt was made at Plymouth, in this state, in 1624, but was not successful. Prior to the Revolutionary War, salt was not manufactured in the colonies in large quantities, and It Is probable that the supply was procured from England or from other foreign sources. The com mencement of hostilities cut off Importa tions, and a system (extensive for that period) of making salt by boiling sea wa ter was developed around New Bedford and on Cape Cod. This Industry contin ued until after the "War of 1812, when im portation was resumed and the works were allowed to fall into decay. Foreign salt was sold in the American markets at that time for 50 cents per bushel, which was considered a very low figure. It is now sold for from 23 to 30 cents a barrel of five bushels, or about one-tenth of the early price. Saltmaking from brine other than sea water began in the later years of the ISth century. In the report on manufactures for the eighth census, it Is stated that salt works were said to have been erected on Big Beaver Creek, In Western Penn sylvania, in lTt'rl, but no reference was made to the success of the enterprise. In New York the first salt made by white men was produced In 178S. The state maintained control of the Onondaga salt reservation, furnishing the brine to those who paid for it. The state built and re paired the settLng tanks from which the brine was delivered to the lessees. The law regulating the manufacture of brine on the Onondaga reservation was amend ed a number of times after enactment. At first 4 cents per bushel was charged on all salt made, and each lessee was required to manufacture not less than 10 bushels a year, and prohibited from charging more than 60 cents per bushel. In 1805 the rate was reduced to 3 cents per bushel; In 1812 It was advanced to 12V cents, in order to 4 MMMItel AND HER WORK. SnniJ ?nH f0r the constructIon of the canals of the state. The duty was re- SSeiSriCen.U In 1S34' and to1 ccnt 1846 which rate was continued until the state sold its title to the lands, in 1S9S, a "rol" VCr yCarS aftCr &ssuminS c Many years ago a considerable amount of salt was made in Massachusetts from sea WHipr vif .i t-j..- . . ,.. v.. Vi juuuswy nas almost entirely disappeared. The total amount I mane in Mo;rv.. ?. . r. . I ii rnZ """"": ki was sso bar rels. There was only one establishment encaged In the manufacture at the Uth census, and the state was not reported S?5rat,eo1 In 1SS0 th0 Production amount ed to 191o barrels, not quite double the production of 1893. in 1870 it amounted to 4o69 barrels, and In I860 to C305 barrels At Avery Island. La., in 1731. an unsuccessful attempt was made to make salt from brine. The first salt furnace in what is now West Virginia was built In 1797, on the Kanawha River, near the present City of Charleston, and In the .following year the first salt was produced in Ohio at what Is now known as the Old Scioto works. ( Crude Methods in Kansas. Tho first salt made in Kansas was ob tained from marshes, which arc scattered over the central part of the state. The pioneer travelers, hunters and traders were led by buffalo paths to these marshes, which are the salty remains c' decomposed saline strata; they are large shallow lakes, which dry up almost en tirely in the Summer, leaving a thin white scale of salt deposited over a large area of grassless territory. Along the banks of these marshes salt works were con structed, similar to those described as used by the ancients. Stone arches were erected about the kettles in which the brine was evaporated, and chlmnejs were built In order to economize fuel and heat as much as possible. Until 186S these crude factories were the only ones in Kansas. As late as 1S70, salt obtained in this way was worth as much as 10 cents a pound, equivalent to J2S per barrel. In 1SS7 the state experienced a period of great activity in the development of coal mining and other industries. In the search for petroleum or gas large bodies of rock salt were struck. The people who owned the wells In which the salt was found were much disappointed at finding neither coal oil nor gas in large quantities, and did not at once appreciate the real value of the discovery, but an im portant Industry was soon built up. and some of this salt, particularly the dairy and table brands, now finds Its way into the markets of the Eaatern States. From the bottom of the shaft the mine Is laid off. somewhat similarly to the streets, 25 fet in width, running east and west; and the cross-streets, or the same width, running north and south. From these cross-streets rooms or chambers are driven, having a width of 50 feet, there being pillars 50 feet In thickness left etandlpg between the chambers. It is in these chambers that the principal mining operations are carried on. The rock salt is at first undercut with mining or channeling machines, operated by compressed air: holes are made in the salt with air drills, and dynamite, ex ploded by electricity, brings the salt down to the floor of the mine. The loose salt is loaded on cars, each holding about two tons, conveyed to the shaft by under ground railroads, and hoisted to the top of a five-story mill building directly over the mouth of the shaft- It Is dumped auto matically from the mine cars into crush ers over dumps, and passes by gravity down through different-sized crushers to the screenroom below, where, by screens of various sizes, it Is separated Into nine different grades. Thence it is conveyed to large bins, "from which it is loaded Into railway cars. The Kanawha "Lick." The early attempts at making salt in "West Virginia were on the Kanawha River, and the Kanawha "licks" were known to have been used by the Indians, and were tho gathering places for buffa lo, elk, deer, and other wild animals be fore the advent of the white man. The earliest settlement In this region was made in 1774 by Walter Kelly and family at the mouth of the creek bearing his name. They were all killed by Indians. Later, in 1785, when life In. that section had become a little more secure, Joseph Ruffner, an enterprising farmer from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, purchased about five acres of land at the mouth of Campbell's Creek from one John Dickin son's representations as to the valuable salt springs on the property. Ruffner also purchased 900 acres, extending from a point on the Elk River to the Kanawha, and embracing the present site of Charles ton. Joseph Ruffner did not live to sec his design for making salt effected, but In transmitting the property to his sons, David and Joseph, he enjoined them to carry out his plans for building extensive salt works. All that the elder Ruffner had accomplished was the leasing of the "lickfa" to one Elisha Brooks, with the right to manufacture salt. Brooks in 1797 erected the first salt furnace In Kan awha County, which was also the first one west of the Alleghany Mountains. It consisted of two dozen small kettles set In. a double row, with a flue beneath, a chimney at one end and a Are bed at tho other. In order to obtain a supply of brine, Brooks sank two or three "gums" Into the mire and quicksand of the lick and dipped up the brine with a bucket and sweep. In this crude way he manufac tured about 150 pounds of salt a day, which he sold at from S to 10 cents a pound. No attempt was made to purify the salt from the bittern and other im purities, either organic or inorganic. This salt soon acquired a reputation for its strong, pungent taste and superior qual ities for curing meat, etc. The presence of iron gave the salt a reddish tinge, and it became widely and favorably known as "that strong red salt from the Kan awha 'licks.' " In 1S0G the two brothers Ruffner, in spired by the growing needs of an in creasing population, began to look for the source of the brine springs in the hope of finding a larger nnd better sup ply. They began by sinking a "gum," consisting of a hollow sycamore tree, which reached what they supposed was bed rock at 13 feet. The quantity of brine was small but of a strong quality. En couraged by this, they decided to drill the rock. This was done by means of a long drill with a 2-Inch chisel bit at tached at the upper end to a spring pole, and the pole to a rope. Boring by thi3 means was slow, difficult and tedious, but on November 1, 1807, at 17 feet in the rock, they struck a larger flow of strong brine. Continuing the work, at 28 feet a still larger and stronger flow was ob tained. On January 15. 1S0S, at 40 feet In the rock, they found a stream large and strong enough for all their purposes and ceased boring. But they .had no pipes In which, to bring tho strong brine to the top of tho ground undiluted by the surface seepage. These were finally provided by whittling out two half-tubes from long strips of wood, fitting the edges carefully together and wrapping the whole from end to end with small twine. The brine came up free and strong from below, the "gum" floor was made water tight, and from the "gum" the brine was raised to the surface by bucket and sweep. This is fcaid to be the llr&t rock-bored salt well west of the Alleghany Mountains, if not In the United States; it required a year and a half to complete it. The success is the surprising feature. Meanwhile their furnace, a reproduction of Brooks on a larger plan, was under construction and was completed In time for the brine. On February S, 1S0S, the Ruffner brothers secured their first out put, and immediately cut the former price of salt one-half, selling it at the unprecc dently low figur.e of 4 cents per pound. The neighbors, who had watched the progress and result of the Ruffner struggle, began boring on their own lands with more or less success, and In 1S17 there were about 13 furnaces and 15 or 20 wells in operation. Improvements in me chanical methods of raising the brine were adopted, the bucket and sweep giv ing way to the winch, and the winch In 1S2S to steam. Coal, too, began to be used for fuel, David Ruffner being the enterprising pioneer In this as in the bor ing. In 1S31 William Morris Invented an. ingenious but simple tool for boring salt wells, which is today used in boring oil and gas wells. It was the tool known as "slip" or "jar." Morris Invention was never patented, and, liko the hydraulic ram, has not been Improved upon. Snlt Harvesting? In Utah. In 1899 Utah produced 235,671 barrels, equivalent to 1.178,355 bushels, nearly all of which was made by solar evaporation. In the making of salt by solar evapora tion the pump3 are started each year about the month of March, the brine being pumped into large reservoirs, each cov ering from 10 to 20 acres. As the brine becomes stronger it is drawn off Into other reservoirs or sloughs covering from three to 15 acres. Sloughs are made with a hard clay bottom and with a levee thrown up three or four feet high around the sides to retain the brineand at the same time fur nish a ditch on the outside to carry off fresh water. The sloughs are replenished from time to time during the Summer, the reservoirs being kept stocked until Sep tember or October, by which time salt Is deposited to the depth of from three to six Inches. Harvesting then begins with wheelbarrows and tramway, the salt be ing stacked on the banks In large piles shaped something like a haystack, but not so high. A crust which answers every purpose of a shingle roof forms on eacn pile. This is the crude salt ready for market. It is hauled to the mills for re fining purposes or is shipped In this crude state to the silver mills working under the chlorlnatlon process. Tho latest Improved machinery in the mills consists of revolving cylinders, rol ler burrs and a series of sieves. The salt is hauled to a crusher, whence It Is car ried by hoppers to the heated cylinders, which deliver it perfectly dried to the roller burrs; thence It goes to the sieves. It Is purified by means of a suction blower as It passes over the sieves. The impurities are lighter than the salt, and as It passes over the sieves the suction is set wif,h just enough strength to take oft the Impurities and allow the salt to pass on to tho bins, the different grades being conveyed to the proper bln3 by a series of hoppers. Rata Destroying Salmon, ASTORIA, Dec. 30. Superintendent Honchen, of the Washington State hatch ery, at Chinook, has discovered an en tirely new enemy of the young salmon. For a number of mornings he noticed that there were many salmon In the troughs dead with their heads missing. One night he sat up to try to learn the cause of it, and found that a number of rats jumped on the edge of the troughs and actually went fishing. The rata would reach ,ln the water, grab a young salmon by the head, jlte It off and starrA after another. The rats in the vicinity are be ing exterminated as fast as possible. r f .- "WE favors '." The same agents. Tho same management. The same company. No changes of any kind. No changes are necessary. "Flourishing like a green bay tree." The Equitable Life, Strongest in the world. 30G Orcgonlan building, Portland, Or WITH WHOOP, HURRAH! NICARAGUA BILL TO GO THROUGH Tins HOUSC. French Company's Greed Is a Bar to Success of the Panama Project. There aro several reasons, telegraphs Henry Loomls, to the Boston Herald, why tho Nicaragua Canal bill Is likely to pass the House of Representatives very soon after tho reassembling of Congress in January. In the first place, tho Con gressmen who aro most fiercely in favor of an isthmian canal also favor the Nica ragua route. In the second place, the sentiment of the people of the country has been educated In favor of that route, partly by the failure of the French com pany which began the work of digging the Isthmus of Panama, partly by the scan dals connected with tho company, which has been supplanted by the present or ganization, and partly by the old belief, which had good foundation, and which has not ceased to control the public mind, that the engineering difficulties at Pana ma were insurmountable. This public sentiment has been adroitly taken advan tage of at the present time by those who have been promoting tho Nicaragua scheme. It is truo that the old Maritime Com pany, whoso agitations In Washington kept tho Nicaragua scheme alive during the time when public Interest in the canal had waned, has gone out of existence. Nevertheless, the results of "its agitation arc still felt, and the Nicaragua Canal project Is almost Immovably fixed in the minds of those Senators and Representa tives who are most earnestly advocating the Morgan and Hepburn bills. Tho keen ness of the interest In the project is, of course, manifested by only a few, and these few have been engaged in the Nic aragua propaganda for several years. The great mass of members of Congress know hardly anything of the relative merits of the two routes, and are not likely to take pains to learn them. The report of the Walker commission is one of the most voluminous documents that the Government has ever been called upon to print. The maps alone arc numer ous nnd elaborate, and ought to bo published on a very grand scale if they are to be Intelligently and un derstandingly read. Tho amount of testimony Is very large, and the corre spondence between the commission and others, and especially between it and the Panama people, is very Important. The engineering discussions arc difficult for the layman to understand; so that, on the whole, the letter-press and the maps will not appeal to the average Congressman, who will solve his difficulties by voting in accordance with what he thinks will be the Inclination of his constituents. He will get his information from those who are supporting the side which he joins, and who have taken the pains to inform themselves. Naturally there are selfish Interests cov ered up in this schemer as there are in almost every proposition involving the expenditure of large sums of money; these selfish interests are on both sides, or on all three sides the Nicaragua route, the Panama route, and the railroads who are opposed to any canal whatever. The in terests of the last two, the Panama Canal and the railroads, are easily understood. There are other than canal and patriotic Interests involved in the Nicaragua route also. A considerable number of American citizens, some of them Intensely patriotic and enthusiastic, such as many officers of the Navy, and others purely speculative and adventurous, have already invested considerable sums of money In work at Nicaragua, Most of the work, however, has been destroyed, or gone to pieces, the diggings have filled up, the har bor at Greytown is choked with sand, and the tools and Implements of the old com pany are now represented by a lot of old Junk. As soon as the Nicaragua bill passes, these old Investors will ask the Govern ment to reimburse them for their work, and they will make the attempt to se cure payment out of the funds appro priated for the securing of a right of way across the isthmus. It will probably be found also that most of the territory which i to be condemned, provided we make the agreement anticipated with Nicaragua. Is owned by American citi zens. The Eyre-Cragin concession will be one of the Interests or properties looming up and demanding purchase by the Gov ernment These are troubles that will probably bo met properly by the executive depart ment of the Government, and, if they aro sent back to Congress for solution, experience teaches us that they will be dealt with decisively and quickly. Con gress thus far has shown no disposition to pay for any old material along the Nicaragua route, or to compensate previ ous speculators for their filled-up dig gings. Nevertheless, all these varied. In terests have friends In Congress, and they are united behind the Nicaragua bill because it Is from the passage of that bill and the selection of that route only that they can hope for reimbursement. Therefore, the Panama people face nat urally against a strong opposition, and this opposition has been greatly strength ened by the attitude and conduct of the Panama Company, as it has been repre sented by M. Hutln, who has just re signed Its presidency. It Is perfectly true, as everybody Is now saying, that, If the French company had return our sincerest thanks to our numerous clients and the public in general for past and wish them all a prosperous New Year. W. S. BOWEN, JOHN T. LIGHTER, FRANK McFARLAND, , CLARENCE S. SAMUEL, FRED K. BOWEN, EUGENE F. SAMUEL. j- Special J. L. SMITH, w". J. BUTLER, GEO. S. SMITH, S. D. BOONE, V. A. LISTON, L. SAMUEL, Manager "EQUITABLE LIFE" Strongest in the offered to sell the Panama route to this Government for $40.000,0010, the report of the Walker Commission would have been very favorable to the Panama route. But the French company hesitated, and its president over here did not dare to make a proffer of the company's property such as this Government could afford to ac ceptthat is, an offer to sell for a sum which, addeu to the sum to be expended for the completion of tho canal, would make the total less than the presump tive cost of a canal at Nicaragua. Now, it seems that the French people have come to the conclusion that they had better take anything that this Govern ment will pay for the Panama route, but tho new proposition will be received by people who have acquired an unfortunate attitude oft mind toward the Frenchmen, by people who say that they are tired of Hutln and his association, and that these aro doubtless succeeded by persons who are no different. No one who thinks of the proposed canal doubts for a moment that its con struction, unless put entirely under the control of Army engineers, will be at tended with a saturnalia of robbery, and an enormous legacy of disgrace will be left to the country. We aro not even safe, as tho Carter case has shown, in the hands of tho Army engineers. Still, In their hands, honesty of work and honesty In expenditure are reasonably certain. If the canal, however, is built by the favorites of the politicians, that Is, built by ordinary contractors, the country will not soon get over blushing at tho cor ruption that will attend the work and that will be eventually exposed. Quotations of Mining Stocks. SPOKAXE. Dec 30. The closing quotations of mining- stocks today were: Bid. Ask.! Bid. Ask. Amer. Boy .. 1 5XPrIn. Maud .. : .1 Blacktall ....10& HiQullp 2T,b 2S XrstaI 7 Ramb. Car ...64 w?K C?J tTi?U " ? 2s Republic 3 41, Gold Ledsre .. 1 IV Reservation .. 1 3 L. P. Surp.. IY- r.,, Sullivan i ii Mtn. Lion ...24 23 Tom Thumb...l7 IS Mom. Glory.. l?i 2"1 Trade Dollar.. 4tf 5 Morrison 3 C L. Dreyfus 4K- SAN FRANCISCO, quotations of mining Alta $0 Andes Belcher Best & Belcher... Caledonia Challenge Con ... Chollar Confidence Con. Cal. & Va... 1 Crown Point .... Gould & Curry.--Hale & Norcross. Justice Dec. 30. Offlclal closing stocks: 04,MexIcan $0 38 1 Occidental Con S SU : r. 18 12OphIr 13Overman ...... 2JPotc-"?l 14Savage Gjsiorra Nevada, KB Sliver Hill W)standanl 3 1 Union Con .... TlUtah Con 14yellow- Jacket . 0 NEW YORK. Dec. 30. Mining -stocks today closed as follows: Adams Con 50 201 Little Chief $0 12 Alice 44OntarIo S SO Breece 75 Ophlr K Brunswick Con .. Corns tock Tunnel. Con. Cal. & Va... Dcadwood Terra.. 15 Phoenix 5 U.PotosM 3, 1 Oo,Saate 2 COlSIerra Nevada ... 20 1 DOl Small Hones 40 t Horn Silver iron cmcr wistanuaru 3 an LcadUlle Con ... 0 BOSTON. Dec. 30. Adenture S 10 -Closing quotations 73 Osceola OoParrott 37Qulncy SOlSanta. Fe Cop... T5Tamnrack OOiTrlmountaln ... 50iTr!nlty SOU'nlted States .. 2oitTtah OOjVIctorla oOJWlnor.a SItWolverlaes $ SO SO 140 3 203 37 14 14 ot 1 50 no Allouez Oi Amalgamated .. Baltic Bingham ...... Cal. & Hecla... Centennial .... Copper Itange .. Dominion Coal. Trankltn oo no CO 00 50 Isle Itojalo .v! Mohawk 30 oo Mall "Will Go From Seattle. SEATTLE, Dec. SO. In compliance with an order received today from the Post ofilcc Department at Washington, D. C, mall nf nil. classes addressed to tho At- lln and Yukon districts will hereafter be ! made up and forwarded from the Seattle ' postofllce. A previous order forbade the i TS FOR Largest Practice ' on the Pacific Coast Dr.Talcott & Co. Many Men Treated for a Weakness Which Never Existed. In the largest proportion of cases of lost vitality, the prematureness and the train of sjmptoms known as "weakness" certain mor bid conditions of the urethra and prostate Bland damased by early dissipation, too often repeated and too lons-contlnued excitement, so react on the organs that a condition ot di minished ltallty and function la Induced. Our knowledge ot the morbid changes In the organs thembeles Is quite clear and full, but how these changes operate on the nerves and spinal cord center are mjstcries to the medical pro fession. "Whatever the morbid 'change may be. however, the effects arc apparent to the em barrassed sufferer: these troubles being- symp tomatic of the above-mentioned well-denned morbid conditions. It seems that een the un professional patient must understand that stomach drugging will not cure, but efforts di rected toward repairing the damaged tract will restore. In practice such Is the case, as the treatment on these lines never faili to ac complish the desired resuit. Colored chart of the organs sent on application. PORTLAND OFFICE: 25014 Alder Street, Cor. Third. San Francisco Ofilce, 007 Market St. SPECIALS Agents. World. admission of other than first-class mat ter to malls for these parts of Alaska. For this reason, distinction in classes has been made at the Seattle office, only first-class mall having been forwarded since the close of navigation on tha Yukon. Petition for Clt-niency. SEATTLE, Dec. 39. A petition will bd presented tomorrow to Governor Mc Eride praying for executive clemency in the case of murderer i'liam Seaton. under sentence to be ''.u'cd next Fri day. Insrnlty Is the c.u:e assigned in the petition. No More Dread .ie Denial Chal? TXF.T i EXTRACTED AND FDLED ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT PAIN by our lata scientific method applied to fiie guma. No sleep-producing agents or cocaine. These are the only dental parlors la Portland having PATENTED APPLI ANCES and Ingredients to extract, fill and Apply cold crowns and porcela'a crowns undetectable from natural teeth, and warranted for 10 years. WITHOUT THE LEAST PAIN. All work done by GRADUATED DENTISTS of from 12 o 30 years' experience, and each drpart ment In charge of a specialist. Gi7e us a call, and you will find us to do exacfy as we advertise. We will tell you in ad vance exactly what jour work will cojc by a FREE EXAMINATION. POPULAR PRICES NO PLATES ffta New York Dental Parlors MAIN OFIICE: Fourth and Morrison sts., Portland. Or. HOUR3: S:30 A. M- to 3 P. M.; Sundays. 3:20 A. M to 2 P. M. BRANCH OFFICE: 61 First avenue. Seattle. Washington. COMPANY'S E3Sm&r'rl rnovD, iTX sk-S- -- ..-.w7 "ritt7 Cold Weather Shoes Shoes built to wear well in rough and wet weather, are what you need this time of year. The storm shoc we sell at S3 30 is a foot protector In the worst kind of weather. It keeps out rain or snow and saves your health. E.C.Qoddard &Co. Sixth and Washington Sts. PERFECT AH ELEGIT TOSLET LUXURY. Used by people of refinement for over a quarter of a century. I BLUE Igfegj 1 - I yr GUARANTEES - n .a Br Ivor's mJm K cw tJ Art. a a vmh Iv S a oOS yi at & a y "p7! m o