.-;it
. :' - tui ; . - v i, v 11 Jiliil 1L-U UVUJ
l!
:h.
r; '- I.' 7
HE origin, growth and pres
tige of all the largest com
mercial fcitiea of the world
is directly traceable to their
respective favorable locations as en
trepots for the exports and imports
tf their sustaining areas.
Commerce obeya the law of nature
In following the line of least resist
since, which means the transportation
(tf merchandise inward and outward
bound alng )inel encountering the
fewest natural obstacles.
The topographical features of a
country are the all important con
sideration in the determination of
lines of transportation, and the point
bf convergence of a number of such
lines or arteries of commerce estab
lishes as a natural sequence the com
mercial center of that country. While
-'OM fw ti 4t-4fei 4 - foreign -'(countries
have attained a consider
able prominence as commercial cen
Jlers, though located in the interior
'land away from either fresh or salt
(water porta, the rule obtains that the
foremost commercial centers of the
'jvorld are located "Where rail meets
Kail," thus affording access to the
gnarts of the world.
Arnlvinr thi rnli tr ihe larirr
.u -n . t- j Spokane), the Port and Si Seattle,
t es of the Pacific coast, we find F " ...... D .. .
t TT .. , Oregon & Washington Railroad Co.,
upon spreading a map of the United . p " . n , ' r. ,
me r . i. ot ix. u., iiic vv , r. re. i ivdi xci.
Itige of all the largest com- UP T ) i -V -U t
mercial fcitiea of the world l V '
111 I s- . ' i .."tnji'.i-. . , " z 111!
111-. UAV''i ' ! S
Hit Ml U ""--f ' w i ih ifV VfVlf
111 wJlv V' ;, "Vtf I I-1 1' IwJ
J4! '
ovblt sKTatrPPUL-aMFXA&o. ron wc TArsaronjsoa revs
CA3t VCMflVZCrOAT Mm THE STATE f0&rAGJZjRAa.Mty
This review would be incomplete ship owners or charterers. This ac- the eastern side of the country, incl
without due reference to Portland's tion of fresh water explain the so- dent to the deficiency of the crop U
accessibility for transportation by called phenomena of the greater some of the states in the gre&aKhcatf
water. The second largest river of speed of outward bound vessels from belt. This diversion of a portion
the United States furnishes the high- this harbor over any other harbor the surplus for that year was no det
way to the markets of the world. on the Pacific. riment to the year's trade, though?
The Columbia Jetty. With the liberal appropriations of the results did not figure in the for-j
The great Columbia jetty is near- the federal government for the lm- eign export column. In fact il
ing completion and a safe channel for provement of the upper river and the probable that the sellers realized bet
deep sea crafts of all sizes will in- work of the port commission of Port- ter prices per bushel for the quantity
vite even more shipping to the only land, there will soon be a 40-foot sold for consumption in this country
fresh water harbor on the Pacific channel to the sea. than for that sent abroad.
coast. The fresh water feature of While the department of commerce "
Portland harbor is an important fac- and labor has not yet discovered and PORTLANDS DRYDOCK.
tor in favor of this port as it thor- therefore omitted showing the lines Portland has a municipal drydock
oughly cleans the befouled bottoms of commerce out of this harbor on its which was completed in April, 1904,!
of seagoing vessels, and that, too, trades chart, nevertheless the list of
without expense or loss of time to ports of the world having direct corn-
Navigation Co., Canadian Pacific (via
Imports.
States before us that Portland is
ideally situated, and has all the es
sentials for the making of a great
City.
Th Vine of lat resistance is
plainly indicated by the course of cal ,nd mm"cial position, a
three mighty rivers, the Willamette,
the Columbia and the Snake.
The importance of the argument of
the line of least resistance may be
more fully realized when it is consid
ered that the Columbia river is the
R., the Mt. Hood Electric Railway, lvuu $l.X4.18
' ., .. 1901 1.526.S04
and other lines. m2 2.555.568
Having shown the soundness of the i Q03 2.774,784
foundation of Portland's topographi- 104 2.462,801
brief IV5 2,611,339
r6 AK.V.630
account of its growth and develop
ment will further demonstrate that its
founders "builded better than they
knew."
Foresight of the Pioneers.
Jobbing Trade.
1000 $ 84,500,000
1901 106,000,000
1902 127,000,000
190.1 138,000,000
1904 162,500,000
1905 195,000,000
'4s
5f -KM- l
4
A site was selected by the pioneers
only navigable stream that breaks of the early 50's near the confluence 1906 (estimated) 203,000,000
through the back bone of the western of the Willamette and Columbia Manufactures,
continent, thus affording the only rivers representing practically the en- 1S00. 1906.
gateway to the Pacific ocean on a tire stream system of the Pacific Number 408 485
mter grade. northwest. g-piul in v. ..$10,500,000 $22,o00,000
i7njTni. ,. . .. employes .... 5,380 9,650
AH Roads Lead to Portland. At that early date, and even in the Wages, year.. 2,750,000 5,885,350
Three great transcontinental rail- days of the aborigines, this point was Value product. 18,500,000 34,570,000
!way systems have recognized the a sort of rendezvous for the various The Star of Empire,
great advantage of such a route over tribes to carry on trade and barter After considering the city of Port
Others more difficult and more ex- among themselves and with the ad- land in the retrospect, a prospective
pensive. Two of them had already vance guard of civilization, the hunter view may be deemed a logical conclu
constructed and are operating roads and trapper. sion of this subject,
to another Pacific coast port, yet the Time proved the permanency and Instead of indulging in prophecies
(cost of lifting heavy goods and pas- destiny of the settlement, as the fol- which might evoke a smile of incre
fcenger trains over four mountain lowing census of population shows: dulity, let the reader draw his own
ranges with varying altitudes of 1,800 1850 821 deductions from a condition which
o 4,500 feet in an approximate dis- ? 2,874 wjn Surely exist two decades hence.
lance of 300 miles through a country oo sUr of empire j, lti wendjng bv his father- and the realization that
ill ;
7 ,
III j jTT "'! ' ' .
I;
and met with instant favor from both
the owners of sea-going and fresh
water vessels. From the time of com
pletion until April, 1907, three years,
there were docked 134 vessels. They
were classified as follows:
Screw steamers 79
Stern-wheelers 6
Side-wheelers m if
Sailing vessejs 88
Dredges and barges lOf
Total isr
The vessels docked represented;
nationalities and tonnage as follows :
121 American vessels 51,279f
9 British vessels 22,572?
2 French vessels 8,885
1 German vessel 4,37l
1 Norwegian vessel 3,580!
Total tonnage 3 years. . .85,205i
This drydock is composed of five j
pontoons, each 80 feet long and 82
feet wide. The entire length of the
dock is 468 feet; it has a lifting capa
city of 10,000 tons dead w.fjght, and
will accommodate vessels 500 feet
long. The cost of the drydock was
$400,000.
il
lialf of which yields no revenue to 1890 !!.'!!".'!".'.'!!!!!'.!!!!.'! 7257 its way westward. The ever increas- pea,er opportunities await his boys
the company as against a down hill 1900 90,426 ing population of the eastern and ,n lne lar wesr- comPe's lne reuera-
fcaul, shorter distance and a practic- 1907 (estimated) 200,000 middle states is also constantly aug- tion of Hoce Greeley's advice "Go
ally all revenue yielding country, too, The volume of business is herewith menting competition and the struggl; w" .voun? nian " The P"sent rate
forced them to build a new road shown under the subheads, as follows: livelihood becomes more tense of lnf,ux roni he cr PP?ud
al5ng the line of least resistance. As
Chauncey Thomas of the Success
as the density of inhabitants in-
east is an indication that the Pacific
northwest will house and home mil
lions of people. Picture, if you Cn,
Bank Clearings.
tsos ca 10 "tta nn creases.
UVlagazine savs. there IS an embargo lOm inxmoni? 40 The dava nf nnarter sertmn for a
Of $1,000 on every train load cross- 1901 1 21 1 s!026!5 1 farmer's holdings in that section is this area of 2S0'000 sluare mi1es 9'
Ing these mountains, as against a K 154,320,103.09 passed and the 5 i0, 20 and 40-acre ,and caPable of supporting 50,000,000
(water grade haul down the Columbia g$ IS'Srffjo tracts are pi"y becoming the aver- of PePIe- thus populated, and the
river " inni 'Tit'Llt, tu. t . products of their industry as well as
lU" a51,lU,yO.ZO "uinKa. liic uujr Ul I wu - .
inis action demonstrated most . t 1 1 '
wi l v i j 1, Exports of Principal Commodities.
lonn inAc
liment. Dollars, in obeying the law Wheat, bu 8,955,544 5,658,103
of nature by following the line of Flour, bbls. ...... 792,416 l!oi3!75
least resistance, are enabled to trans- Lumber, feet b. m. . 2,322,000 88,978,000
port merchandise at a lower cost to Postoffice Receipts.
and from the nearest Pacific coast 1900 . .$265,61 1.00
port, although sentiment expressed in 259,061.37
millions of money an incalculable jf 333277 58
amount of energy had been - expended 1904 ..."'.'"!.'".'!!!.'""' 379 522 70
by these companies to maintain the 1905 (exposition year) .... 473083.38
prestige nf Tacoma and Seattle as 1906 540,805.47
commercial points. This water grade Percentage of increase for 1906
haul gives Portland a greater con- over 1905, 14.3 per cent.
tributive commercial area than is pos- Note. Portland is the only first-
sessed by any other Pacific coast city class postoffice on the Pacific coast,
and equaled by few if any other cities excepting San Francisco.
On this continent. Building Permits.
The fertile fields of the Willamette, yMr N(, pefmit). Total
the forests of the Cascades, the gold- 1900 392 $ 944,985
en grain of eastern Washington, east- '01 745 1,529,143
ern Oregon and Idaho, and the pro- J1: I
ducts of the mining sections of west- 10u 1 720
ern Montana, of Washington, Oregon 1905 2,318
and Idaho all roll down grade to 1906 3,307
Portland, where steam and sailing Note. The above represents un
craft await the arrival of their bur- devaluation, owing to graduated fee
- Idens and carry them to other coast system for permits, in vogue here,
ports or across the seas. ReaI Estatc Xransfer8t
jHverpool o the Paciftc. Yeaf Tota,
A rough sketch will show ' at a Iqdo $ 3,531,985
glance the meaning ot it all, and 1901 4,986,246
. Idemonstrate the soundness of the 1902 7,421,223
"V (contention that Portland is destined 10 550 400
lO be the Liverpool of the Pacific Qo; " 15 102185
northwest, in so far as transportation 1906 24306832
;ls concerned. The names of railroads Exports.
.Entering Portland either over their FjSfai year
t- vwn ms w yamj iiitu uwii, ui
" under traffic agreement or joint Jl 11,925,172 j
iraerhip, fo,Ios: Thei903 J'sS
v Bouthejn Pacific, Northern Pacific, 1904 7.1 13312
Creat Northern. Oregon Railroad & 1905. lo'o65.'43i
erations ao cannot leave a ouarter ,he ""PP of their wants Passin
section of land to his boys of the throuKh a cify skated as is Portland.
p. sent generation, as was left him Is 11 wonder that wnter8 with
keen perception, like Chauncey
Thomas become enthusiastic and pre
dict a population of one million for
Portland a generation hence?
2.730,660
4,281,056
4,029,225
4.183,368
6,927,971
- i
meree with Portland by regular and
intermittent service includes all Asi
atic ports on the Pacific, also Vladi
vostok, the Philippines, and Austra-
THE MIGHTY COLUMBIA.
The Columbia River is the great
waterway of the West, and, in the
United States, second only to the
IT 1 ,1 T-, l t ..f
nan pons, aiso an racmc ana Aiian- Mississippi in size. It is the gate
tic coast ports of North and South way to the Pacific 0cean o a vast
America, South Africa, and the prin- jnterior empire, and furnishes to the
cipal European coast cities, as the Rreat Northwest an avenue for an
flags of all nations displayed by the inimitable and world-wide commerce,
shipping in this harbor attest. In- Xhe Coiumbia is Nature's outlet to
deed, Portland is pe.l.aps better the ,M and jts course is fof t Hme
known in the principal ports of the a soIution of the transportation prob
world than in the average inland city em of the Northwest. It8 gorge re.
in the United Stat"- duces the Cascade Mountains to the
WHEAT TO FOREIGN MARKETS water lcveI and Provides a Path for
, both water and rail transportation of
Wheat shipments from Oregoti to jnterjor traffjc o thc pacjfic Jh9
foreign markets for the past fifteen Columbia is navif?able to DalIe8f
years, with perhaps a single excep- a disfance of ncar.y 200 mjles from
tin for which there was a good rea- its mouth and a portagc rQad at tha,
son, have exceeded 5,000,000 bushels maintained b the t ,
per annum, i" ... ,uC d(rect conn.ction wjth & j
years in this interval they have ex- stretch of fjver Completion
ceeded 12,000,000 bushels per annum.
The best of these year was 1897-8,
when the shipments from the Wil
lamette customs district were 13,224,
000 bushels, and from thc Oregon
customs district 354,800 bushels, mak
ing a. total of 13,578,000 bushels. The
shipments for 1903-4 to foreign mar
of the canal at Ceklo, which is now
in progress, will establish uninter
rupted water traffic between Portland
and Lewiston, Idaho, the .bead of
navigation on the Snake Riv-eWNy,
M
Portland is the financial center of
kets were only 3,468,500 bushejs. the Pacific Northwest. Banks in the
This was not because of a deficient Portland Clearing House Associa-
surplus, nor because of an unusually ,
heavy export of flour, but because of t,on have 'deposits amounting to
th heavy demand for wheat from $.65,000,000.