14
THE 3IORXIXG OREGOXIAX SATURDAY, JANUARY 1. 1910.
GREAT
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G ESIABLI5HE
0M PENMvSULA
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1 dustrial center la 8prinKinS up to the entire state. N . ' f JBKfsjrA lt r-ASSiSTvr TTMLrVM?- '" I tf
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LMOST in a night a. Kreat in
dustrial center la springing up
In Portland, involving the ex-
pnditure of millions of dollars. Port
land has long been the chief manufac
turing point of the Pacitiu Northwest,
but this new district that is being1 de
veloped is entirely separate trom the
older factory sections. The movement
is bringing about the transformation
of a vast tract, two years ago a vacant
waste, into a neighborhood crowded
with manufacturing plants that will
make Portland the chief industrial city
of the West.
The site of this great development is
the peninsula formed by the confluence
of tho Willamette and Columbia rivers,
and crossed by Ilarriman and Hill rail
roads. The pioneers in the movemont
wero the Swift interests, but the orig
inal project tho erection of a great
packing plant is now only one of a
large number of enterprises, sites for
which have been purchased. In sev-
ral cases buildings are already under
way, and before tho end of the present
year the hum of wheels, the roar of
nhe forge and the rasp of the saw -will
Itilend in a chorus of industrial prog
'ress. Much has been written about the
ipacklng plant being erected by the
jT'nion Meat Company, tho Portland cor
Iporatlon of the Swifts, and which is to
(make this city the Chicago of the Pa
cific Coast. The other manufacturing
Concerns, which have been buying sites
nd going ahead with building plans.
t:ave received less public attention, but
-heir cuminir here is a matter of great
importance, not only to Portland, but
to the entire state.
I Industries are now assured for the
Peninsula wnlch will on their comple
tion give immediate employment to
more than 2000 men. According to
those in close touch with the situation,
negotiations with several other largo
corporations are now pending, and t
is expected tuat within the present year
tho number of industries which w.-l
have selected locations on the Penin
sula will have doubled. But, without
drawing on tho future jn tho least, the
companies that have secured sites will
support a population of more than 10.
000 people, will greatly increase the
city's shipments, both by rail and ves
sel, and will supply a market for live
stock and various raw products that
will benefit tho entire Pacillc North
west. The companies which have purchased
sites oif tno Peninsula are as follows:
Vnion Meat Company (Swifts), Monarch
Lumber Company, Pacific Car & Foun
dry Company, National Wood Pipo
Company, Pacillc Tank Company, Da
vis Safe & Lock Company, Pacific Gas
Traction Company, Security Vault &
Metal Works and the Glazed Cement
Sewer Pipe Company. Two of the con
cerns havex nearly completed their
plants, three others are under construc
tion, and on the remainder work will
soon begin. To these might be added
the Portland Union Stockyards, the
only livestock market west of Denver.
These yards were opened September 13.
The pens are on a concrete floor 15
acres in area, and comprise one of the
i F'1 ok'. 'jX - ' - x - - - $
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I Gov-c5-7ryvcsG Trow I .
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most modern systems In America
the handling of livestock.
The Swift plant, which Is the largest
single industry not only in Portland but
in the Northwest, will be completed in
March or in April at-the latest. The
main building. "00x140 feet, half four
stories and half six, is nearly completed.
Thl structure has hard brick floors In
the slaughtering quarters v and asphalt
floors in the cooling-rooms. A large tank
house, a power-house and a--fertilizer
plant are also nearly ready for use, and
In addition there Is soon to be put up a
wool pullery and glue, factory, and still
other branches later on. ;
This giant abattoir is to give employ
ment to from BOO to 600 men as soon as
operation begins. Its average daily ca
pacity wilj be 500 cattle, 1000 hogs, 1000
to 1200 sheep and from "J00 to 300 calves.
This packing plant will represent an in
vestment of approximately $-',750,000. The
Swifts originally purchased 3100 acres, a
small portion of which has been sold to
other concerns. A large amount of work
was done, in dredging-the Oregon Slough
channel and building up the site with
the material excavated, and experts now
consider the location of this industry as
unsurpassed in the entire country.
The second industry that Is nearly
ready to open Its main plant is the
Monarch Lumber Company. This con
cern now has a mill on the Peninsula
cutting 70,000 feet of lumber daily, but
the one soon to be completed will cut
250.000 feet dally, and this plant will
be finished within the next few weeks.
The establlshmnt of this mill will add
materially to the strength of Portland's
position as the greatest lumber-shipping
point in the world, both rail and
water shipments being considered..
The main building of the Monarch
Company Is 600x200 feet, and its equip
ment is the most modern machinery of
the kind manufactured. This is espe
cially true of the power department,
hich consists of two immense turbine
engines. Besides excellent railroad fa
cilities this plant is to hajre a dock,
100x900, feet, where the largest ocean
carriers will be loaded with cargoes
for foreign and coastwise ports.
Both the Swift and the Monarch
plants are located on Oregon Slough,
which is really a branch of the Co
lumbia, separated from the main stream
by Ilayden's Island. This is nearly a
mile from the town 'of Kenton, where
other Peninsula factories are being lo
cated. Of these the plant of the Na
tional Wood Pipe Company and the
Pacific Tank Company, affiliated cor
porations, is now well under way.
These combined- concerns have secured
a site of 30 acres between Columbia
Slough and Columbia Boulevard and
will have 5000 feet of private trackage
connecting with the O. K. & N. and
Spokane, Portland & Seattle railroads.
This plant will consist of five large
buildmgB, the foundations for - which
have all been Installed and erection of
the super-structures under way. These
buildings will cover six acres and the
storage sheds will cover another six
acres. The buildings consist of the main
pipe factory, tank factory, power plant,
concrete dry-kilns and dry storage
building. The foundations of these struc
tures have been placed entirely under
ground, and the railroad tracks are also
sunk several feet. This method .of con
struction has been followed as a precau
tion against spread of fire from one
building to another.
It is expected that this plant will he
in operation in February, when 200 men
will be employed. The Investment of
tho company will be approximately $200,
000. Between 5,000,000 and 10,000,000 feet
of lumber will be used each year in thej
manufacture of pipe and tanks, 300 miles
of pipe being the amount that the Port
land concern is to turn out each year.
. These companies now have factories In
San Francisco and Los Angeles. Another
branch of the concern at Olympia was
destroyed by fire. The tank company Is
the largest of its kind in the Vnited
States and has just completed supplying
tanks for the Milwaukee's new road In
the Northwest and for the Western Pa
cific's line to San Francisco.
Of the industries announced but on
which work has not yet started, the most
important fs doubtless the Pacific Car &
Foundry Company. There has been little
official given out concerning this firm's
plans but it is known that a factory site
of 22 acres at Kenton has been secured.
This site adjoins that of the Monarch
Lumber Company and engineers have"
been-, at work for some time preparing
detailed plans for the enterprise.
This company, which is capitalized at
Jl. 000, 000. will manufacture passenger and
freight cars and general repairs for rail
road rolling stock. Between 400 and 500
hands are to be employed. Heavy capi
tal, it is understood, is behind this cor
poration, the chief backers being a syn
dicate of San Fvancisco bankers. One
of the officers, however, is also an officer
of the American Car & Foundry Com
pany, of St. Louis, the largest manufac
turer of railroad equipment in America.
That the Portland corporation Is really
affiliated with the St. Louis one Is the
general impression. In any event It is
certain that the car factory on the Penin
. sular will be one of the most Important
Industries In the West and one from
which this city will greatly benefit.
The Pacific Gas Traction Company is
also to build at Kenton on a tract of 80
acres recently acquired. The output of
the plant will be gasoline traction engines
fori farm and industrial uses. W. H. Cor
bctt. president of the W illamette Iron &
Steel Works, is head of this company,
although the two concerns are entirely
separate.
The investment of this company is to
be about $200 000 and the plant will
probably begin turning out engines
about April 1. One hundred men are to
be employed and 200 engines will be
manufactured each year. The main
building will be of the "saw-tooth"
construction, a plan adopted In large
industrial buildings to secure the
greatest amount of light possible.
Urading on the site of the Davis Safe
& Lock Company's plant at Kenton be
gan over a month ago and this con
cern expects to start operating by
March 1. Six acres have been bought
for this industry and an investment of
about $145,000 will be made. The main
building will be of fireproof concrete
construction, 100x400 feet in dimen
sions, and with a basement 100x100 feet.
One hundred twenty-five men will be
given employment and the output will
be 20 safes a day, besides vault doors.
An iron and brass foundry will be
operated in connection, the company
receiving pig iron and turning It out
as the finished product.
An Industry along somewhat the same
lines will be the plant of the Security
Vault & Metal AVorks also at Kenton.
This concern will make metal doors,
bank equipment and other-metal com
modities, but its chief product will be
steel culverts. This concern has ac
quired a site and It is announced that
It will employ 100 men.
A six-acre site east of the Security
Vault & Metal Works has been pur
chased by the Glazed Cement Eewer
iipe Company. Seventy men are to be
employed by this company.
As a result of all this activity on the
Peninsula. Kenton, a new Portland su
burb, where the men employed In the
various factories will reside. Is growing
with a rapidity of a mushroom. In less
than two years since the town was laid
out. eight miles of sewer and water
mains have been laid and more than
$200,000 has been spent in building;
homes. Scores of houses are now go
ing up and the building movement will
be heavier the coming six months than
before. The town now has streetcar
service to Portland and an electric line
operated by the Kenton Traction Com
pany connecting the town with the
packing plant and the other Industrie
on the Columbia.
It was with the greatest deliberation
that the Swifts, -as well as these other
companies, chose Portland as the loca
tion for their gigantic industrials. The
factors that threw the choice to Fort
land rather than to some other Pacific
Coast city were many, but foremost of
all came transportation facilities. They
found here ideal means of shipment,
both by rail and water. With two
roads, the O. R. & N and the Spokane,
Portland & Seattle, crossing the Penin
sula, they have the choice of two water
grade routes by which to ship raw ma- .
terial from the interior or to send their
products eastward . as well as railroads
north and south from Portland..
The Columbia and Willamett rivers
add greatly to Portland's strategic po
sition as a shipping point, offering the
only fresh water harbor on the Pacific
Coast At the location of the Swift
plant there Is a 40-foot channel in the
Columbia, so that the largest ships of
the merchant marine can be dispatched.
At no other point on the Pacific Coast
are equal facilities at hand, and con
servative Eastern business men who
have inspected the Peninsula agree In
declaring that Portland will always be
without a rival as a manufacturing
center west of the Mississippi.