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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1906)
14 - THE MOltyiXG OREGONIAN, MOST) AY, JANUARY 1, 19Q6. , VANCOUVER MAKES VERY RAPID STRIDES Energetic Citizens Get Columbia Channel Deepened . North-Bank Road Will Add to Prosperity. I 5 PMf-- P7 fi OP J&ttS - WASHINGTON AND OREGON IiUMBEB COMPANY. V III HWI PERHAPS no city of Its size In the Northwest has made such rapid ad vances during1 the year just closed as Vancouver, Wash. So general and abundant has been the prosperity of Ore con during the twelvemonth that It has disregarded hard and fast state lines and overflowed Into the nearby country! The city just across the Columbia from Port land has erected many new buildings, both business structures and residences, added largely to her population, transacted more business than ever before In an equal period, sent more children to school, started new industries, welcomed a trans continental railroad to the municipality, established a harbor for shipping, and largely increased the valuation put upon city realty. Not only that, but for the year just be ginning, Vancouver expects to establish a new record of growth. She expects to outdo any previous performances and to double her present population of nearly. two within the next few years. Tho North Bank railroad is the project that looms larger in the future of Van couver than any other enterprise just now, and from the building of this line the city has reason to be hopeful of very great results. The railroad company has al ready acquired large holdings of land, both In the city limits of Vancouver and "west of the city, along the Columbia, Vnd It is expected large terminal facilities will be established there. Many switches and tracks where trains will be made up, warehouses for the storing and handling of freight, machine and repair shops and other requisites for the terminus of a trans-continental railroad are among the things Vancouver expects to see built within the coming year. Twenty-Foot Channel Dredged. During the year Just closed a channel of 20 feet was dredged below the city, per mitting the passage of lumber droghers to the Vancouver mills from the sea. This marks a new era for the city, and to maintain and deepen this channel is the aim of the municipality during the com ing year. . "Vancouver has made remarkable prog ress during the year 1903," said Mayor E. r&y?sC- G. Crawford, also president of the Van couver Commercial Club, "but we expect more remarkable things for the coming year. New business houses and residences have gone up to an extent never before realized. "Attendance at our schools during the past year has been greatly increased, un til now we have about 1100 pupils enrolled. "We have lust comnleted a niw lilirh school at a cost of 530.000, and have added, a moaern business department. Vancou ver and Clark County now has one of the best school systems In the United States. "The year 1905 has seen the completion of a deep-water channel to Vancom'cr. In this work the Vancouver Commercial Club has been of valuable assistance, and It Is the Intention to keep at work deepen ing the channel so that ships of deeper draught can reach the city. "Vancouver has over 5000 population, ex clusive of the garrison, where between 1200 and 1500 troops are stationed, and we expect to double this figure within the next Ave years. We" have now pending applications bofore the City Council for a water system franchise, three gas fran chises, two street railway franchises, one of which Is planned as a suburban electric line, and a franchise has already been granted to the road headed by. Dr. n.W. Coe and others for a belt line through the city. Although we may not rival Port land as a shipping point, we expect to play Jersey City to Portland's New York." Great Growth Expected. - Judge W. W. MeCredle. Judge of Clark County, and for many years a resident of Vancouver, expects the city to grow more rapidly during the next 12 months than It has at any time In the pasL "With this new railroad coming down the north bank and passing through the city, Vancouver Is getting fairly started." said he. "We expect railroad shops, roundhouses and other things as a result of this railroad building. "During the past year the Wash ington & Oregon .Lurnber Company has put Its large mill on a paying basis, and it now has a payroll of 320.000 a. month. This Is due entirely to the success attained by the citizen of Vancouver in getting a 20-foot channel, and the active support accorded them by Senators Ankeny and Piles and Repre sentative Jones will not soon be forgot ten. The new capital brought Into this mill could not have been interested with out the support of the citizens, and any BEIT EiHiKHn' ''H E. G. CRAWFORD, MAYOR OF VANCOUVER XSV PRESIDENT OF COM MERCIAL CLUB. one visiting, this plant will be astonished at the progress being made. Real estate holdings over twice In extent of the old plant have been added, assuring ample room for future needs. In case a 23-foot channel Is obtained, so that the foreign business -can be bid for, and the large ex port ships brought Into Vancouver and given full loads. The plant Itself has In stalled new boilers, giving the mill 1000 horse-power, new planers, making eight lb all, with a dally capacity In 10 hours of 73.000 feet, and surfacing timbers 22x32 and ICO feet long; three new cement dry kilns, the finest In the world, with a dally capacity of CO.0CO. It has doubled Its dock capacity, Juat finished a dry-lumber shed 100x20) feet, with new railroad spur to same; are Installing an Immense water tank, holding 100,000 gallons, for fire pro tection, this being one of the three tre mendous tanks which supplied the Lewis and Clark Fair grounds. All these im provements and the success of this plant are due to Vancouver's enterprise on the river question and In encouragement ex tended; and It has been stated that the interests behind this mill, who arc large owners of timber lands, will make this plant second to none on Columbia River waters when the largest ships can dock for lumber; or. In other words, a 23-foot channel. "AH industries should be given every encouragement, as payroll 13 what we need, and once given that, our future Is assured beyond question. "Two other sawmills are operating here, and there Is talk of establishing another. The business section of the city nearly doubled during last year. We expect the Portland Consolidated Railway Company to give us a better service as soon as the new line to Shaw's Island. Is completed. when we are promised a. schedule that will carry us to Portland in 30 minutes without stops at way points. Quick trans portation Is bound to help greatly. "The garrison last year erected some fine barracks and officers' quarters, and the Government expects to expend $300,000 more during the coming Summer. The post has been enlarged tq accommodate a full regiment of Infantry and two bat teries of artillery. Further enlargements are anticipated as more land is -sought for the post." Vancouver, with Olympia and Walla Walla, ranks as one of the oldest cities In Washington. It Is surrounded by many historic spots, and its beautiful location on the Columbia makes it a Mecca for the tourist visiting Portland. A delightful farming country, -capable of growing al most the entire range of agricultural products of the temperate zone. Is tribu tary to the city. The fact that Clark County Is the most thickly populated in proportion to its size of any in the state speaks well for the productivity of Its soil. Clark County has a population of about 1S.0CO, with 56.000.000 taxable property and a debt of $160,000. Perhaps better known than any other product of the county is the Italian prune, grown and shipped In enormous quantities. It Is estimated that during the past year about 4000 acres of this product produced 300 carloads of fruit, or over 7,000,000 pounds, which, at 4 cents a pound, re turned to the producers something like $300,000. Lumbering, dairying and fruit raising of all kinds are leading activities of the Clark-County fanner, a-nd hay, po tatoes and onions are staple crops. Commercial Club Energetic. An organization that has helped to a great degree In the development of Van couver and Clark Count' during thp past year Is the Vancouver Commercial Club, with E. G. Crawford, president; A. B. Kastham. vice-president; H. W. Arnold, secretary, and Lloyd Du Bols, treasurer. Its membership numbers nearly 200. This club has been the chief factor in getting a deep channel to the sea. Tro yeara ago a bill was passed by the State Legislature authorizing districts of the state to add to their general tax in order to provide a fund for the Improvement of rivers and harbors. By taking advantage of this act, the Vancouver district raised several thousand dollars and dredged the channel deeper below the city. More work re mained to be done, however, and by work largely done by the Commercial Club, Con gress was Induced to appropriate 560,000 for deepening the channel Just below Van couver and above the mouth ot the Wil lamette, where the river Is wide and shal low. A part of the 530,000 was expended last Summer and a 20-foot channel se curer. It Is planned by the aid of jetties to confine the current to a narrow space next Shaw's Island, and thus keep the channel already dug from filling up" with sand dunlng the Spring freshets and cut out a deeper waterway as the need arises. PORTION OF PORTLAND HARBOR WITH GRAIN FLEET LOADING FOR DOMESTIC AND ORIENTAL PORTS , , t t r iif in" r i -ii - i " n m