12
THE ST73sDAY OREGONIAS, PORTLAITO, TJfATJCTT 21, 1913.
ARRIVAL OF LINER MAKES REALITY OF SOUTHERN INVASION
' Great Northern and Northern Pacific Declared to Mean Increa se in Transportation Facilities for Freight and Passenger Traffic.
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A
liTHOUGH the arrival of
steamship Great Northern
Flavel last Tuesday was an event
of unusual importance to Portland, As
toria and other Columbia River cities,
it Is probable that the occasion was of
more importance to San Francisco and
Northern California than It was to the
communities of Northern and Western
Oregon. .
But San Francisco seems to be too
much Interested just now in her world's
fair to give due attention to the inaug
uration of service by two new transcon
tlnental railroads.
-" That's precisely what the presence on
the Pacific Coast of the Great 'North
era means a direct invasion of Cali
lornla by the Great Northern and' the
Northern Pacific railways. These two
transcontinental carriers - are the sole
owners and proprietors of the Great
Northern Pacific Steamship Company,
which has placed the steamship. Great
Northern in commission and which,
within a few weeks, is to supplement
this service by the introduction on the
San Franclsco-Flavelrun of the steam,
hip Northern Pacific,' the duplicate of
the Great Northern.
These two vessels will maintain reg
ular service between the mouth of the
Columbia and the Golden Gate." Sail
ings will be scheduled every alternate
day from each port.
While - the-great exposition at San
Francisco is in progress this year the
passenger business will be ah import
ant factor in the business of these two
new vessels. But as a permanent ele
ment of trade, the freight traffic will
fee the controlling influence. j
The Great Northern and Northern Pa
cific railroads now expect to be in po-
sltion to compete . directly with the
Santa Fe, the Southern Pacific and the
Western Pacific for the freight traffic
moving from the Eas and the Middle
West to San Francisco., They are pre
pared to meet the rates of their Call
fornia competitors and declare that
they will meet them also in the class
of service that they can offer. - They
can beat the time of the southern roads
from Chicago and Eastern points into
San Francisco, they say.
They are prepared to offer special
freight service from St. Paul to take
care of their California business if
necessary. All this traffic will be
handled between Spokane, Portland,
Astoria and Flavel over the North Bank
road, which, too, is owned by the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific Jointly.
This fact serves to point out that As
toria now, for the first time, is placed
on the through route 01 a iransconu
nental railroad. Heretofore Astoria has
been the terminus of the Columbia
River line of the North Bank system
operating out of Portland, or a way
point on the line between Portland and
the Clatsop beaches.
Now, however, Astoria is an import
ant point on the through lino of both
the Great Northern and the Northern
Pacific between St. Paul and San
Francisco.
The people- of Astoria duly appreciate
this fact and manifested their apprecia
tion by turning out in large numbers
last Tuesday to see the Great Northern
land at Flavel on her -initial voyage
from San Francisco. The Astorians
had complete charge of the programme.
They arranged the ceremonies at the
dock and had . general supervision of
the celebration of the day.
They invited Portland and the other
Columbia River ports to join them and
their invitation was more generally ac-
new leviathan to better advantage.
She presented a majestic appearance
as she neared her dock. She cut
through the waters gracefully and en
tered her berth with extreme ease.
Through the remainder of the after
noon she was an object of much inter
est and curiosity to the thousands of
visitors. Following are some statistics
regarding the vessel:
Length, 624 feet; beam, 63 feet: depth.
50 feet 8 inches; draft, fully loaded, 21
feet; registered tonnage, gross, 12.0:
dead weight . carrying capacity, 2185
presented - to the Great Northern a to the orators and rushed to convenient tons oi - about J8;
handsome and valuable m.Hnp- clock, nlar-a nMtsid whr thev could Bee the cargo capacity, 200;000cudic reet, ap
cepted than they had anticipated. Port
land turned 2000 of her most earnest
and most enthusiastic citizens. They
sent two brass bands, the Elks and the
RosaTian . bands. The territory at the
river's mouth produced a band ' of Its
own from Fort Stevens. These three
musical organizations kept - folks in
good cheer all day long.
As a further testimonial of tneir in
terest in the event the Astoria people
The. formal presentation was to have
been attended with some ceremony, but
just as the principal orators were get
ting warmed up .the ship turned the
corner of the lane in the Pacific
Ocean and entered the mouth of the
river. As the people saw the big
smokestacks belching forth smoke and
the prow of the vessel shoving the
waves aside In her. haste to get to
Flavel, they left the platform assigned
proximately: refrigerated cargo capac
ity. 500 tons.
Accommodations for B50 first-class
passengers, 108 tourist, 198 third-class
and for crew of 200. . Total, 1056. .
Cost $2,600,000.
Speed, 24 knots.
Time between Flavel and San Fran
cisco, 26 hours.
Officers or Great Northern: Captain
A. Ahman, Chief Engineer G. W. Spen
cer, Chief Officer A. T. Hunter, Purser
j. s. Ford; surgeon. Dr. Charles Duffy;
chief steward, L. M. Bruce.
C Gllman. president of the North
Bank and affiliated railroads, also is
president of the Great Northern Tacifla
Steamship Company. W. I). Skinner,
traffic manager of the North Hank, is
traffic manager for the stoamshlp com
pany, in charge of the business at tho
northern end, while Cal E. Stone l
general traffic manager in charge o
business nt San Francisco.
-J. M. Hannaford. president of th
Northern Pacific; George T. Blade, vice,
president, and other officials repre
sented that road at tho Flavel celebra
tion Tuesday. The Great Northern ws
represented by Walter F. Hill, son of
James J. Hill, and a passenger on th
vessel.
USE OF BIG LOGGED-OFF
AREA IN FARMS URGED
Expense of Removing Stumps Blamed for Retarding Development of
About 200,000,000 Acres, of Which About 75 Per Cent Is Good.
ET HARRY THOMPSON,
Aslculturiat. United States Department of
AKrtcuItura. -
THE approximate area of the orig
inal forest land of the -United
States of 900.000,000 acres has
been reduced steadily by the demand
for forest products and for aericultural
land. Nearly 300,000,000 acres of too
present Improved farm land have been
cluared of the original forest growth.
Of the remaining forested area more
than 200,000.000 acres now are classed
as logged-off land.
The most of this area has been cut
over by tho lumber man. The rest is
second and inferior growth that has
not. and probably never will be of any
aiue commercially. This land is found
in 30 states. It is estimated that from
0 to 75 per cent of the present logged
eft land is suitable - for agricultural
purposes. In addition to this large
amount of logged-off land, there are
millions of acres of pasture and cul
tivated land that still contain stumps.
This condition is found in the sections
where the crops grown and the rooting
systems of the timber will permit. Up-to-date
machinery cannot be used or
diversified farming practiced upon
land from which the stomps have not
been removed.
Expense Retards Development.
The development of this land has been
retarded for several reasons. The prin
cipal one has been tho expense of re
moving the stumps. Prairie land, irri
gated and dry-farming land often could
be bought cheaper than stump land
could be made into farm land, and what
was more desirable, such land was
ready to begin producing, while stump
land required several years to clear and
bring to a proper state of cultivation
before it would produce good yields.
While it is true that a large propor
tion of our improved land has been
cleared of stumps, most of, this cleared
portion lies within the hardwood belt
and crops were grown between the
stumps until they decayed to such an
extent that their removal could be done
easily and cheaply. Most of the pine
land that has been cleared was cleared
when all were pioneers together and
when other and better paying indus
tries did not attract the labor from the
farm.
Floaeer Condition Are No More.
In those early days when all were
pioneers, the farm machinery in use
was crude, most of the crops were used
npon the farm and only the live stock
marketed.
In no section of tho country do the
pioneer conditions prevail today. The
settler upon stump land is brought into
direct competition, by means of im
proved . transportation facilities, with
the farmer using up-to-date machinery
upon land free from stumps. Until the
settler upon stump land has cleared his
land from stumps and roots he need
not expect to produce crops as cheaply
as the farmer working under mora fa
vorable conditions.
In many sections inflated prices are
asked for this land if it is at all dealr-
able, the worthless tracts of swamp- or
rocky hills being held at a very low
price to attract the homeseeker.
. Settlers Often Discouraged.
The settlers attracted to these lands
have been few and they are generally
poorly equipped for the task before
them, and consequently make little
progress toward clearing their land.
They often give up the attempt and
move away when there is no longer a
demand for. labor in the near-by mills
and camps. Many neighborhoods and
small towns have been depopulated
since the timber was logged off.
The problem now before these com
munities in the different states is that
of converting these lands into fertile
farms. The census figures for the last
30 years show that the clearing of these
lands has not kept pace with the rural
population, and that the population of
the near-by cities and town are import
ing from other sections dairy and farm
products that could be produced upon
land near at hand if it were cleared
ready for the plow.
So far only two states having large
tracts of logged-off land have made any
attempt at legislation intending to aid
the settler in clearing land. Neither
of these states has put these laws into
operation, so that their merits will not
be discussed at this time.-
Need of Flu Is Conceded.
It is generally conceded by men who
have given this subject their attention
that some plan must be put into opera
tion whereby a settler can go npon a
tract of land large enough to eventually
be made into a profitable farm. A por
tion of this tract should be cleared
ready for the plow, and this, por
tion should be large enough to provide
employment for the settler and his
team throughout the greater part of the
growing season. He can devote the re
mainder of his time to clearing the bal
ance of the farm. By disposing of the
second growth, down logs, and snags,
and seedins to the sroper grasses for
hi3 section, he will increase his pasture
and hay land and will be employing the
best preparatory means of reducing the
cost of stumping later.
If a plan were put into operation and
financed so that the settler could pay
tor the land in 20 or 30 small annual
ayments, it would be found an easy
matter to attract desirable settlers to
the logged-off lands. Until some such
oolicy is adopted, it is unlikely that
there will be any greater development
of the lotrered-off lands in the next 1U
ears than there has been in the past
decade.
Should these plans be carried out and
nn..hiir nf fhA nresent loesred-off land
settled upon by industrious farmers, it
would seem that the revenue irom tne
increased valuation of these lands
would more than compensate the county
and state for any expense that they
may have made.
COMPANIES BAR DRINKING
Officials of Mines Must Shun Lilquor
On or Off Duty.
SCRANTON, ' Pa., March 14. The
Pennsylvania Coal Company and Hill
side Coal & Iron Company issued or
ders from its offices in Dunmore re
cently, fixing dismissal aa the penalty
for violation of the rule of the com
pany forbidding officials of its mines
and offices to drink intoxicants on or
off duty. The purpose, it was ex
plained, is to make better men of the
officials.
The order is one of the most drastic
Issued by any corporation hereabouts.
The experience has been, it was said at
the offices, that drinking detracts from
the efficiency of employes and the com
pany hopes to stop the habit.
The order follows the efforts of the
Erie Railroad Company in license court
to have licenses for five saloons near
its shops and roundhouse refused, .
PORTLAND BOY RISES TO
HIGH WIRELESS POSITION
Leonard F. Fuller, Son of F. L Fuller, Vice-President of Portland Railway,
Light & Power Company, Chief Engineer of Big Company.
FROM a backyard amateur In wire
less, experimenting in sending the
ether waves with a plant of Mb
own manufacture, to the position of
chief electrical engineer of the Federal
Telegraph Company, one of the leading
nrtralaca mt Till f Htliring COnCemS - ih
America, is the jump that has been
made by a Portland boy. Leonard .
rnii,r uin of F. L Fuller, vice-presi
dent of the Portland Railway, Light &
Power Company. ,
. Mr. Fuller has just supervised the
inataiiarinn nf n. nart of the apparatus
at the new Government wireless plant
at Tuckerton, N. J., wnlcn, witn us
fnnt mast And loner antennae. Is the
lnnirest sending- station In the world.
vm- hin romnanv Mr. Fuller has
,-r,ro of the manufacture of equip
ment for the Government wireless sta
tion at Panama, which, when complete,
will have the longest radius of any
station in the world, even exceeding
that of the new Tuckerton station.
. it wn frnm Tuckerton that the ma-
phlnprv nf the Panama-Paclnc Exposi
tion was set in motion Dy a wuc.
Maori nrrriM the continent. President
Wilson pressed a telegraph key in the
White House that conveyed an electric
impulse to Tuckerton over an ordinary
telegraph wire. There the pressure on
the Presidents Bey seni a
spark that was picked up on the an
tennae of the receiving station at the
i-..naHiMi lfarhtinz millions of lamps
and starting the machinery of the big
Mr. Fuller was a siuaeni jn tuo ro-,
;; A fJ-r :
;: : vs -::
I'A'-.-I-Wri.S. ...rw ::A.... l,t., I Snlftld I
i
t
station in the yard of the Fuller home
on Portland Heights. He practiced
sending and receiving and frequently
was in touch with stations as far away
as Cordova, Alaska, and Mare Island,
Cal
Following his graduation In Port
land he became a student at Cornell
University. During his last year he
was an instructor on the subject of
wireless at that institution. With the
.T.ntlnn of a short time In the service
of another wlrelexs company, Mr. Fuller
has been with the Federal Telegraph
Company, a competitor of tho Marconi
concern, using different patents, ever
since.
Leonard V. Fuller, loans; Port
land Man Mho Has Attained
Fame In Wireless Work.
land schools, and during his spare mo
ments he built an amateur wireless
CITY HAS ITS VANCOUVER
Louisville Couples Hook o Indiana
Town to Be Married.
JEFFERSON VILLE, Ind, March 8.
The marriage business in Jcfferson
ville for Louisville couples lias grown
to such proportions that It ha struck
Louisville jeweler as worth wlilko
catering for. and accordingly on tho
side of a building In Broadway, which
he occupies, there appear these lines:
A pretty girl, a diamond ring:
A trip to Jeff is Just the thing.
The Louisville justices are said to be
worked up over the way in which the
Jeffersonvllle "marrying squires" are
cutting into their business and a fight
may be started in that city against the
business. An editorial in a louisviiio
paper on the "Industry," undir the cap
tion. "Made in Jeffersonvllle," re
marks: "There used to bu a tradition, or a
supposition or maybo It was a super
stition that marriages were made In
Heaven. That was before the era of
the marriage parlors in Jeffersonvllle
and it's a long, long way to Heaven
from JelfersonviUo."- .