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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1909)
TUBE, TOO COSTLY SHOWN BY RECORD Engineer Modjeski's Estimate J $7,800,000, Not $1,250, !, 000, as Said. DEPTH, APPROACHES BAR Prominent Mn at City Council Meeting in October, 1 908, Recall Hasty Computation by Ex- pert Report Cited. Question of a. tutx for streetcar traffic under ttya Willamette River, at. a point between Burnside and' Morrison streets,. ba been agitated to some extent recently,, despite the loud demand for prompt erec tion of the Broadway bridge, and in this connection it has been said that the tube could be constructed even cheaper than the Broadway bridge. On October 21, 1905, The Oregonlan printed the account of the Council meeting of October 20, at which the tube-cost estimate of $7.SOO,000 by En gineer Modjeski was submitted. A small tube. Mr. Modjeski orally admitted, miht' possibly be built for $2. 800. 000. but he dis cussed no details. In his report, however, be specified engineering obstacles in the way of a cheap tunnel. In The Ore frontan's account of the meeting was the following statement: There wan a. desire upon the part of a few who were present for figure on a tube to accommodate streetcar traffic only and KnKlneer Mrtd jekl made a hasty estimate, piacinsr the expense of the two tubes, which he said would he necessary to care for the traffic, at $::.tsOu,O0U, Kstlmate Not $1,2 50,0 0 0. That The Oregonian's report of $2.K00,000 bs the hasty estimate made by Engineer Modjeski is correct, and that the amount named was not $1,250,000, as has been Mated In a signed comnminlcation to The Orcgonian, is verified by a number of those who were present at the Council meeting,- among thorn Whitney L. Boise, William F. Woodward, J. H. Nolta and Dr. I. M. Davis. "Feople epeak Inconsiderately in dis cussing these tubes and bridges," said Mr. Boise. "It is suggested that a tube be built with an exit at Fifth and Oak streets. Now, it must be remembered that in 189t wo had high water which ex tended even beyond Fifth- and Oak. This may hafpen again, and if we had a tube high water such as that would put the traffic of the city In fearful condition. The Broadway bridge seems to be the only feasible solution to the problem, and 1 am hoping it will soon be built." He Remembers Total. William F. Woodward, of the firm of "Woodard, Clark & Co., was also at the meeting. He Paid last night that $2,800, 0"w was the estimate placed by Engineer Modjeski. "There wus no mention of 51,250,00 at all," said Mr. Woodward. "The mim re quired for the small tube was given on a hasty estimate as $2,800,000. I remember that there were no figures, presented which com pa red with t h ose for the ba -rule drawbridge and the. figures submit ted were so much above the bridge fig ures1 that, they made the tube question an utter impossibility. If I remember correctly, the figures for the tube which would be practicable were almost $8,000, 000, no great B flffure that the proposition I became impossible." J. H. Noil, also at the Council meeting, i when the report was submitted, remem J bered the figures to be $2.H00.000 for the j .streetcar tube. Dr. W. 1. Cottel, who also attended the meeting, did not re member the exact figures, but was sure that $1,260,000 was not named and believes $2,SO.OoO was the exact cost given In the hasty estimate. Dr. M. Davis also remembered $2,800,000 as the" figure placed. Kstlmnte Not Iefinite. Even $2,800,000 was not named as a defi nite estimate by Engineer Modjeski, who, at that time, apologized for the state ment, saying It was but a hasty esti mate and depended entirely on conditions. . In even fostering the idea for such a tube at -all he went against h.is own plans for putting In a tube for safety. Modjeski said a tube, to be properly constructed, should be beneath the bottom of the river, and chose as a place for the tunnel a lo cation in the northern part of the city, beglnningat lower Russell street, on the East Side, and at a point near Ninth and Irving streets on the West Side. Here the river has a depth of but 37 feet, and Engineer Modjeski held that the tube should be below the river bottom, so as to do away with the dangers incident to high waters, snags, breakages and the Tike. Even this tube required long ap proaches. The present agitation now proposes to place a tube between the Morrison and Burnside bridges, where the river Is very deep. Kngineer Modjeski's hasty esti mate, it is contended, was not made for a tube so far down as that, requiring approaches extending far back into the center of the city to allow a grade to bring the cars through and get the open ings, away, from the dangers of high water. "While no estimate has ever been marie on the cost of a tunnel for this part of the city, it is- held that the im mensity .of the cost, with the long ap proaches which would be required, would be s great that a city, even he size of New York, would hesitate to saddle itself with, euch a burden. Advocates of the cheaper tube aver that the tube need not be bored be neath the Seep bottom of the river be tween Morrison and Burnside streets, but placed above the bed of the stream. . But this arrangement, Modjeski de clared dangerous both to navigation and to the tube on account of freshet currents of the river. The Modjeski report is as follows: Five Points Considered. In determining the location for a tunnel the following conditions niust be considered: Cnst, convenience of access, grades and safety. Vnlike a bridge, the location of a tunnel is largely independent of navigation interests, and all physical conditions on the surface of the ground, such as buildings, yards, etc. The problem of location of a tunnel, therefore, affords generally a much greater number of solution? than that of a bridge. The character of the soil to go through " with a, tunnel may very materially affect its cost. The .investigation of the soil in that respect was not deemed to f.-rm part of the scope of this report, but from observa tion it appears that the soil Is generally sandy and. therefore, quite unfavorable to t-ertain forms of tunnel construction... As far as convenience to the public is con cerned v a tunnel is the least convenient method of gfiiinj? across a stream; even less convenient than a ferry. A long tun nel, no matter how well hunted. Is mueh darker than daylight ; it Is usually damp and. therefore, ts not an attractive place by an y means for t ra v e i. If It be taken into account that a tunnel, suitable for rail traffic, as well as heavy trucks, light bug Kies. automobiles, etc.. all traveling at var ious speeds, (t will be seen that unless a tunnel he made wtd enough to let several of these various classes of vehicles pass abreast, there will be a delay of traffic prebat ly more serious than that on a bridge resulting from the operation of the di aw span under ordinary circumstances. Steep Grade Tabooed. For convenience of vehicle traffic through the tunnel, the approaches should not be at a steeper grade than 4 per rent. This make the length of a tunnel excessive. This dif ficulty was obviated in the Glasgow har bor tunnels In Scotland by providing a ver tical shaft near each end of the river por tion of the tunnel through which vehicles were raised and lowered by means of ele vators. I hardly think a solution of this kind ahould be given consideration, not only on account of expense of operation, but principally on account of limited capacity for band ling vehicles iri that manner. The safety of a tunnel requires that tts top be placed below the bottom of the river. It is, therefore, always preferable to choose the shallowest part of the stream for its location. At-certain point the Wil lamette River is as much as 60 feet deep. It would not be practicable at such points to place the tunnel above the bottom of the river, both from the point of view ef safety to the tunnel and safety-, to navigation, be cause a tunnel placed in this manner would act as a submerged dam and would, es pecially durinsr the time of freshets, disturb the current sufficiently to render naviga tion dangerous, if not .Impossible, besides the danger - of the tunnel'- Itself from scouring. 9 Thirty-seven -Foot Ieptb - Chosen. A tentative location for such a tunnel is shown on map on Tlate-I, and iri' profile on Plate IV. The location as shown contem plates crossing the river at the- highest point- where the- danger-from scour would be the least and also where the depth of water does7 not exceed 37 feet. The approach trxm the northeast side to fhl tunnel Is shown as making use of the depression In the ground in Montgomery Uulch, thus making it considerably less ex pensive than any other location. . The Portland approach to the tunnel on this JOcation starts on Ninth street, between Irving and Johnson streets, at elevation 32. -This is several feet below the highest water known, and. unless provisions were made to place bulkheads at either end of the tunnel. It would be flooded during cer tain extreme stages of high water. Such bulkheads could, however, be provided for, but it would mean an Interruption to traffic during periods when they are required. To bring the mouth of the tunnel above possible high water would mean lengthen ing out the approaches still further and making them still less accessible. , A cross-section of a tunnel, which would meet traffic conditions in" your city, is shown on Fig. 1. Plate IV. Such a tunnel would have to be sunk In sections, probably by compressed air. Ioodon Tube Insufficient. Vig. 2. Plate IV. shows cross-section of the Rotherhithe tunnel in London. Al though one of the largest diameter tubes ever used, it would be insufficient to take care of your traffic. The Black well tun nel in London is also built on similar lines, except the diameter' of the tube Is smaller. An approximate estimate of cost of a tunnel similar to that shown on Figure 1. Plate IV, has been prepared, showing the cost of such a tunnel to be $7,800,000. The cost of the Rothernithe tunnel in London was somewhat over $1000 per foot for the single tube, including approaches in open cut. The cost of the Blackw.ell tun nel was $640 per foot. Including open cuts. It would seem to me that in order to ac commodate traffic in your city you would need at least two such tubes, which would mean practically doubling the cost. There is only one advantage to a tunnel over a bridge, and that is the fact that it does not interfere with navigation. It is shown, however, that a high bridge, such as proposed for Una "A" of th Is report, would not offer appreciably greater Inter ference than the tunnel. The greatest ob jection to a tunnel in your city is the ne cessity for all vehicles to descend a con siderable depth below the river in order to come up 'again on the other side. Thus any vehicle going from Portland to East Port land, starting at elevation 32, would have to go down 91 feet, and if bound for the Jilgher points In East Portland would have to climb again 200 feet or more. Thus each load or ton of weight has to be dropped 01 feet and lifted again the same amount unnecessarily, creating a heavy tax on the public. Other disadvantages, almost as serious In nature, are the length, compartive darkness and dampness of the tunnel, which would have a tendency to make all other routes preferable to that through the tunneL It is believed that automobiles and many other vehicles would prefer being delaved cn a bridge, being in the open all "the time, rather than confine themselves in using a tunnel. Chicago Tube Abandoned. The writer knows of no tunnels in this country used for vehicle traffic. A tiinnel for that purpose was constructed In Chi cago' many ears ago, but soon afterward was turned over to the streetcar company, barring out vehicles, and since the aboli tion of cable traction lines in Chicago it has been entirely abandoned. A tunnel used for streetcar or rapid transit purposes only is not as objection able, and in fact may be made very ad vantageous. The approach grades can be made much steeper, according to the length of the crossing, and the unattracliveneas Mills. . . 19 . . 1.5 . . 3.0 .. .97 .. .13 .. 1.2 Valuation. $280,187,737 i i:;;e.iS7,737 23ti.187.737 236,187.737 . 236.187.737 230.764.7S2 215.836.410 220.167,160 State State school .... County . Road I.lbrarv Port of Portland I'lty or Portland . . e.e School District No. 1. . 4.7 Total 20.OO Estimated. s largely obviated by the illumination in the interior of the cars. Then, again, all streetcars, travel at practically uniform ppeed, and therefore tha source of delay mentioned above, due to variable speed, is obviated.. I did not consider that a tunnel for street car use only would form part of this report and therefore I have not consid ered it. In view of the objections Kiven above to a tunnel and of the excessive cost of such a structure. Its construction seems to me entirely impractical for your city. I wbuld certainly not recommend it. I respectfully submit the above report. RALPH MODJESKI. Chicago, September 1, 1908. FEDERAL BUILDING NEEDED Vancouver Will Ask Congress to Make Appropriation. VANCOUVER, Wash., Dec. 15. (Spe cial.) At an open meeting of the Van couver Commercial Club last night a movement was started to secure from Congress an appropriation for a Federal building. A committee consisting of I. N. Swartz, IJoyd DuBois, J. H. Elwell, E. G. Craw ford, A. Burnham and H. C. Phillips was appointed to take up the matter with Government officials. It was the argu ment that the new building would furnish room for a much-needed postoffice, a Fed eral courtroom and quarters for the of ficers of the Department of the Columbia. The secretary was instructed to secure the support of Congressman McCredle and Senator Jones, if possible. It was also decided to make an endeavor to secure the $15,000 for deepening tne channel from Vancouver to the mouth of the Willamette River recommended in the last Government, engineers' report." The following committee was appointed to arrange a billiard and pool tourney to be held at the club in the near future: Thomas P. Clark, W. D. Smith, A. Mun ger. OPERATORS TO ARBITRATE telegraph Men of Illinois Central Agree With Officials. CHICAGO, dec. 16. Telegraph oper ators of the Illinois Central Railroad have agreed with the officials of the road to submit their troubles to arbi tration. The operators have asked for a 10 per cent increase in wages, a reduction in the number of hours and changes in Sunday work. Workman Dodge Arouses Interest. The meeting held last night bv Fi delity Lodge. No. -4, A. O. U. W., in which all lodsres of the city and sev eral of the country lodges were repre sented, aroused much Interest. Grand Master Workman Gevurtz opened the meeting with an address on the future ojt the order. Arrangements were made for holding other meetings of this character throughout the city. Ladies' handbags and leather novelities, special sale, 20 per cent reduction. Stipe, Taylor Drug Company, 2S9 Morrison st. TAX LEVY 4.9 MILLS Ways and Means Committee Cuts Estimate. COMBINED RATE IS 19.25 Mayor Gleeful Over Success In Keeping Rate Down Agitation Over Firemen Dismissed as "Political Humbug.' "With the fixing-, of the city tax levy at 4-90 mills by the ways and means com mittee " yesterday the combined levy to date is 19.25, as against 20 mills for 1909. so that all hope of a much lower tax for the coming: year is at an end. The var ious levying authorities seem unable-to carry on business at any lower rate, with the exception of the city of Port land, which dropped from 6.6 to 4.9. There are levies for tha state, state school, county, roada, library. Port of Portland, city of Portland and School District No. 1. "I heartily congratulate the members of the ways and means committee," said Mayor Simon after .the committee had voted to recommend a tax levy of 4.9 mills. The Mayor had sub mitted his budget, calling for a 6-mill levy, based on the old estimate of as sessed valuation, but the increase. Just certified by Assessor Bigrler, made it pos sible for the slight decrease. The levy is distributed so that the fire department tax is 1.65, the police depart ment 1.05, the bonded Interest fund .73, the street repair fund .27, the library fund .13, the park fund .42, the lighting fund .45 and the sinking fund .20. Fire Department Leads. a The city will thus have for next year's expenditure $1,086,654. The Are department heads the list. It will have $4S5,000. The police department is second, with $280,000. For interest there is provided $161,000 and for street repairs $117,000, for public light ing $119,000, and for the park department $111,000. ' Councilman Devlin, chairman of the committee, called the meeting to order at 10 o'clock, and the work was completed in little more than an hour. This was made possible largely by .the careful manner in which Mayor Simon had pre pared his budget, which was the guide used by the committee in making Its rec ommendations. There was general re joicing when It was found that It would be possible to hold the tax levy below 5 mills, the maximum set by the Mayor. Councilman Wallace expressed the be lief that the salaries of firemen could be cut withou injuring the service any. He Bald he believes they are too highly paid for the work they have to do. Simon Calls It Humbug. "They are busy trying to keep dry, and can't do much for their salaries," re marked Councilman Cellars. "Why don't they patch, up the cracks in their houarj and thus help to .keep themselves warm, if they are as cold aa they are alleged to be." "It's political humbug," replied Mayor Simoni "A lot . of busybodies are doing some agitating that's all." The subject was passed by without further comment. The police department will have funds enough to provide about 20 more police men, which, the Mayor suggested, will be needed in the suburban districts. He urged that thelevy be sufficiently large to warrant the protection of the whole city. The levies for 1909 and 1910 in detail compare as follows: 1010 Tax. Mills. Valuation ' 448. 75 2.0 S2K1.0O0.OO". 354.280 1.5 251,000,000 708.M3 3.0 2M.0O0.0rtO. 229.10'J 1.0 251.O00.000 30,704 .15 251,000,000 276,017 1.7 245,000.000 1.424.526 4.90 231,000.000 1,034.785 6.00 235.000,000 Tax. $ 502. 0O0 878.500 7S3.000 . 261,000 37.650 416.50O 1.086,654 1.175.000 $4,598,304 $4,507,627 19.25 58-YEAR-OLD DEED FILED FIFTH AND " ADDER CflRXKH WORTH $200 IJf 1852. Document Shows Property Now Val ued at $275,000 Was Bought for $100. Three deeds executed in 1851 and 1852, when Portland was in Washing ton County, were recorded yesterday afternoon. The paper upon which they are - written shows the earmarks of age, and the ink has long since turned brown. The property conveyed is the lot at the northeast corner of Fifth and Alder streets, designated in the deeds as lot 5. block 63, in the city of Portland, Washington County. In December. 1861. the site was worth $100, but in the following May its value was set at $200. On December 7. 1S51, D. B. Brenan deeded the lot to Hiel Barnes, who transferred' it to Thomas Prichard on February 3 of the following year. Prichard and his wife, Margaret Prich ard, conveyed it to Robert Arthur on May 21, 1852, the deed being witnessed by Anthony Davis, a Justice of the Peace. The corner is now owned by John B. Yeon. and soon will be the site of a 16-story building. Mr. Yeon has owned the property for many years, and the corner lot, once transferred or $1M and a year later for $200, is now believed to Be worth in the neighbor hood of $276,000. . Now the corner Is in the very heart of the retail center of 'Portland, but in 1851 it was situated far from the fsw scattered houses on the river bank. COMPETITION STILL HOT Postal and Western Union Fight for Business, Says Xally. NEW YORK. Dec 13. Relations of the two great telegraph companies were dis cussed with apparent frankness today by Edward J." Nally, president of the New England Telegraph Company, at he in vestigation" conducted by the state legis lative committee. Mr. Nally said the stock of his com pany was owned by the Commercial Ca ble Company, which controls the Postal Company, of Connecticut, which, in turn, acts as -holding company for practically all the 41 postal subsidiaries. Mr. Nally declared that there was the "hottest sort of competition" between the Western Union and Postal, so far as serv ice was concerned. He thought the two big companies split the competitive busi ness about evenly. Does your bak ing powder con tain alum ? Look upon the label. Use only a powder whose labelshows it to be made with cream of tartar. NOTE. Safety lies in buying always the Royal . Baking Powder, which is the only baking powder made from Royal grape cream of tartar. VARIOUS VIEWS PRESENTED ON THE BRIDGE QUESTION Railways, Not City, Should Build Tunnels Bridge Straight to Peninsula Needed Walking Against Draws Decried Port's Stand Lauded. PORTLAND. Dec. 15. (To the Edi tor.) In reply to. the recent articles of C K. Henry and Martin Winch, in their advocacy of tubes, tunnels or subways, under the Willamette River, in lieu of bridges, permit me to say: These gentlemen should read Engi neer Modjeski's $5000 report given to our city "dads" some three or four years ago. If I remember .correctly, this $5000 expert engineer's estimated cost of a subway under the Willamette River was In the neighborhood of $7, 000,000, with SO feet of an elevator on the West Side and a 90-foot elevator on the Bast Side, so that the cost of operating elevators alone would exceed that of maintaining five or six bridges, while the cost of such a tunnel ($7,000, 000) would build four or five new first class structures across the Willamette River. I think I am safe in stating to these gentlemen, as well as to other enthu siastic citizens who earnestly favor subways, without first inquiring into the practicability of such "burrowed" highways, that there Is not a subway under any river in the United States to day (and for that matter I think I am safe in stating under any river in the world) used for either foot passage or wagon traffic. Chicago abandoned its subway to the railway companies some six or eight years ago. There is not a subway under any river in the United States today that does nat leak or seep more or less. If subways, tunnels or tubes become nec cessary, then let them be built by 'the railway corporations who can use them, and not by our -municipality. What Portland now wants and demands is high bridges, and enough of them to accommodate the present growing traf fic needs. This subway and tunnel par lance is but a subterfuge to blind the people and retard the building of bridges, which are the only accessible and practicable- hig-hways between the water lines of East and West Portland. . PETER TIMM3. bridge: for the penlscla. . Straight tine to the West Side Instead of m Lone Detour. PORTLAND, Dec 16. (To to Editor.) There has been more or less contro versy during the past year regarding the location of a new bridge below the present Steel bridge.' At the present time it appears that the Broadway lo cation Is favored by. some, yet at the same time there are many who think that the new Steel bridge to be built at Glisan street will be ample to take care of the traffic which now crosses the present Steel bridge. Everyone knows that the new railroad bridge must be built aa near the present location as possible, and for this reason the Gllsan street site was selected. Now does it not seem preposterous to have another bridge almost within a stone's throw north? It would certainly crowd our already congested harbor. The logical location for the bridge Is not at Broadway street, but much far ther north. The bridge at Glisan street will be ample to serve the Holladay, Irvington, Albina and all the districts northeast of these additions. What -is really needed Is a bridge to serve St. John, Peninsula and all those' districts lyin north of Killingsworth street and west of Williams avenue. A close In spection of the" map of Portland will disclose the fact that there is a great bend in the river below the Ainsworth dock. Have you ever noticed the great detour the Inhabitants of St. John and all the Peninsula district must make in order to reach the business district of Portland? Look on the map and see for your self. The Peninsula people can save this long detour by going straight south on Denver street to Overlook. la which addition there is a high bluff. From this point a very high bridge can be erected which would touch the West Side on Sixteenth or Seventeenth streets. Such a bridg-e can be built without a draw and high enough to al low even ships to pass underneath, and would therefore interfere very little, if any at all, with, our harbor. If you will examine the map carefully you will obseve that this would be almost a straight continuous line to the West Side. There will In the very near fu ture be an Immense population living on the Peninsula and nearby additions which can be much better served by a bridge at these points. A savins of 15 to 20 minutes can be made by com ing straight to the West Side instead of making the present tiresome and long detour. DOTAL OREGONIAN. MR- NEPPACH SPEAKS FOR TUBE. Think Albtna Tunnel and .Steel Bridge Make Broadway Viaduct Unnecessary. PORTLAND, Dec. 16. (To the Editor.) As a heavy taxpayer, both on the East and West Side, and having the interests of the City of Portland at heart, I wish to eulogise the Port of Portland for the stand it has taken on the Broadway bridge. For the new railroad bridge, aa every one knows, specifications and soundings have all been made, and this gigantic work will be completed within 11 months. This bridge is 72 feet in width, and is ca pable of carrying the traffic of both sides of the river more thoroughly than all the other bridges put together. Team tracks, automobile tracks and car tracks will be separate. thereby obviating confusion. This bridge will be so high above the river that ordinary steamers will pass un der without opening the draw. The steamer Potter can run under it at the highest stage of any hifth water we have ever had. The draw will never be opened except to let pass the highest-masted sail. Ing vessels, and this will not be over 50 times a' year. Streetcars, pedestrians, teams and automobiles will seldom be de layed. This bridge will carry more traf fic than all the other bridges combined. as commissioner Wheelwright stated, if we have need for better service- there should be a passage under the river, as in other large cities, particularly for this part of the city, where shipping and steamboat traffic is heavier than in any other part. It has occurred to me that Lower Albina would be a good point for this underground passage. It Is one of the oldest parts of our city and heavily Inhabited, and would accommodate as many people as any bridge that we have in the City of Portland. The people have been misled by lack of information about the Steel bridge, and by the Push Club, built up largely by leaders who have selfish motives in poli tics and otherwise. This matter should be sanely considered before spending $2,000,000, and if any such amount of money Is to be spent, it appears to me that much better services would be had by means of a tube or a tunnel than of the Broadway bridge. A. NEPPACH. KO WALKING ACROSS THE DRAWS. Earnest Protest Against the Suggestion of President Josselyn. PORTLAND, Or., Dec. 15. (To the Edi-Aor- As an. East Sider. I wish to pro test against the plan of President Josselyn for the improvement - of the streetcar service at the expense of the comfort and convenience of the patrons of the c'ars. The plan suggested is that all cars stop, or rather end their run, at the approach to all the bridges, and that- the passen gers be transferred across the bridges on foot. This plan would no doubt expedite the movements of the care, but think of the extremely disagreeable alternative of having to make so many transfers in the rain and mud of an Oregon Winter. Men, perhaps, would not mind this so much, but think of the poor women and children standing In the rain, waiting for the draw to close, and then having to scramble into another car on the other side, with the ominous warning of the starting gong dinging in their ears. We most devoutly trust that the powers will be kind, and that this greater burden will not be added to those we are already called upon to endure. As to the delay of cars on the Steel bridge, it is not caused entirely by the opening of the draw, by any means, but the narrowness of the structure compels the teams to use the car tracks, delaying the care in a most exasperating manner. Thus it will be seen that the bridge ques tion and the streetcar service are most closely related. This bridge and trans portation problem are questions which vi tally concern the Interests of the entire city. And what especial interest are the members of the Board of Commission for the Port of Portland taking in the mat ter? This board is composed almost en tirely of men from the West Side, who seem to have little or no conception of the needs and interests of the Greater Portland on the East Side. Men occupy ing a position of so much Importance to the growth of the city should be broad minded enough to encompass all the in terests and requirements of .the entire mu nicipality. Or is the East Side to be left to build up her own business and com mercial interests? We already have a majority of the pop ulation, and it might be no idle dream to see this accomplished. But this is not the true spirit of unity which should pre vail among the builders of a great city. There, is no denying the fact, however, that more bridges are needed, and needed badly. I know that there are -those who claim the right of way to river trans portation, because the river was there first, and, I believe, too, that this claim is backed by law, but we have only to refer to our own Oregon .Legislature to be convinced that all- laws made by Leg islatures are not wise. Would not this form of reasoning apply in the same way to the legal rights of the original tribes of this whole country, and would we. not all be proven interlopers on the lands of the first inhabitants?. But, again, as to President Josselyn's suggestion: We sin cerely trust that an early and overpower ing protest may forever consign such a proposition to the grave of darkest ob livion. . C. H. M. OKE TCBE FOR STREETCARS OXLY Then Another for Vehicles and Pedes trians, Both at Public Expense. PORTLAND, Dec 15. To the Editor.) While transportation over the bridges is the burden on the mind of the people, may I suggest the . idea of a double track tube under the river for streetcars only? The Light & Power Company to build and own it, or pay for Its use if built by the city; the city to issue bonds; tube to be centrally located, . with approaches on a street where the minimum of travel is, say. Stark or Aider; entrance at cross streets to be above high water mark; all crossing cars to use the tube. Cars could make fast time crossing, without delays. Another tube for vehicles and pedes trians only would be- convenient, placed a few blocks away, so that congestton at the various approaches would be avoided. Property owners near the ends of the bridges would, of course, object to these plans, but there are others to be counted Sherman If ray & Co. Sixth and Morrison A NewwPiano Should Mean A Lifetime of Musical Pleasure It is not entirely how an instrument looks but how it . lasts, that determines its real value. Glossy varnish does not tell; the praise of the salesman does not tell. You musflook for the name on the piano; you must know that it represents an established reputation for honesty and merit. Yo.u should be. certain that you are not paying more for it than someone else would be asked to pay. When you buy of Sherman, Clay '& Co. you have the assur ance that the piano you select is the very best that can be bought for the price paid. Every piano is absolutely guaran teed, and the price is marked on every one in plain figures the ONE PRICE that will buy it. An inexperienced person pays no more than the best judge of piano values. This we believe to be the fair and honest way to do business. by the hundred thousand who have greater interests. G. B. "TUCKER. PORT BOARD'S STAND IS LAUDED. Mr. I. Gerlinger Sas "Walt for CsHean and Madiaon Bridges." PORTLAND, Dec. 15. (To the Edi tor:) As one of the residents of the East Side of the river, who thoroughly believes that the Broadway bridge proposition is premature, I wish pub licly to commend the stand which the Port of Portland has recently taken upon thig Broadway bridge proposi tion. The reports of the proceedings of the Port of Portland in regard to their stand upon the Broadway bridge ought to carry conviction to the minds of any one that it is wise to go slow in ob structing our harbor with new bridges, and go slow upon the proposition of spending a large amount of money for the Broadway bridg-e until it is shown that we need it. Everyone should bear in mind that the new railroad bridge, which is being constructed, will be seventy-two feet wide, and the upper deck is to be higher than the Broad way bridge, which will give an unob structed track for cars to go in each direction, and will give an unobstructed roadway for teams to go in each di rection at the same time.' There will be no conflict between cars and the teams, and this bridge, when built, will furnish large facilities for cross ing the river. It also ought always to be borne in mind that th-2 Madison street bridge is being constructea, snd that as soon as it is finished it will carry a very large traffic, which is now crowded upon the Morrison bridge. In other words, our present inconven ience ought not to blind us to the fact that we are suffering from a lack of authorized bridges, and that we are building two fine bridges and that when those bridges are built there will be a great difference In the facili ties for passing over the river. I particularly commend the state ment and stand taken by the members SPECIAL HOLIDAY WINES & LIQUORS 25 DISCOUNT 75c Port Wine, per gallon 58 $1.00 Port and Sherry Wine, per gallon. . 75 $1.50 Port and Sherry Wine, per gallon. .$1.13 $2.00 Port and Sherry Wine, per gallon. .l.50 $3.00 Port and Sherry Wine, per gallon. .$2.25 $4.00 Port and Sherry Wine, per gallon. .3.00 $1.50 Angelica, Muscatel, Tokay, Madeira, Malaga and White Port Wines, per gal. $1.13 $3.00 Whiskey, per gallon $2.25 $4.00 Whiskey, per gallon . .'. .$3.00 $5.00 Whiskey, per gallon $3.75 $6.00 Whiskey, per gallon . ... . $4.50 $3.00 Brandy, per gallon $2,25 $4.00 Brandy, per gallon $3.00 $5.00 Brandy, per gallon $3.75 $6.00 Brandy, per gallon $4.50 Irving Apricot Brandy,-per quart. . . 75j National Blackberry Brandy, per quart. . 75 Peach Brandy Cordial, per quart 75 0 range Brandy, p er quart 75 Beautiful Wine Sets given FREE as Christmas pres ents with $10.00 purchase of the above liquors. NATIONAL WINE CO. The Quality Store, Fifth and Stark. Phones, Main 6499, A 4449. Goods Delivered to All Parts of the City. Opposite Postoffice Sherman, Clay & Co. sell : The Steinway, Everett, A. B. Chase, Conover, Packard, Ludwig, Es tey, Kurtzman, Emerson, Cable, Kingsbury, Wellington. Each the accepted standard in its grade. See our list of-used pianos ort' another page. Store Open Evenings Until Christmas of the Port of Portland, and I wish to protest against advocates of the Broad way bridge" claiming in the press that the united East Side Is in favor of the Broadway bridge. The people on tho East Side of the river are by no means convinced of the wisdom of the Broad way bridge proposition. It must al ways be remembered that 6,061 voters voted against the Broadway bridge and only 10,078 voters voted In favor -f it, and yet there was a total registration of voters of over 30,000. In other words, a majority of the voters have never voted for the Broadway bridge, and no dne has a right to claim that the Broadway bridge is the choice of a majority of the voters, to say noth ing about being indorsed unanimously, by the people of the East Side. Let the Broadway bridge be discussed upon its merits before the Port of Portland, instead of attempting to break down the reasonable objections of the Port of Portland by mere public clamor and newspaper articles. Let the people of the City of Portland study over this proposition and when they give it their serious thought they will follow the wise leadership' advo cated by the members of the Port of Portland. . It seems to me the proper thing to do would be to wait and see if the fa cilities for crossing the fiver will not be sufficient after completion of tho Madison and Glisan-street bridges, and use a little of this frantic effort to regulate the opening and closing of the present bridges. On completion of those two bridges, if it Is found neces sary to have more ways of crossing the river, then build a tube or tunnel in Lower Albina or some other suit able location. Reading Koad Declares Dividend. PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 15. The direc tors .of the Reading Company today de--clared a semi-annual dividend of 3 pr cent on the common stock, an increase of 1 per cent. wines and