Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1864-11-12


Nor<h~rn raCte 70 ccono3lze u0e-
I; may b< Jassly ols~rvcd tha: II there l.
any leslsag eo@aerriA asfsea N Earep< fka;
nation Is Grra; Britain. Asd that The kzlk ID
Ezrvpe&a eosumess- viii follsu uhere British
essnn~rcs l-ads- That coa.sry ess-snes
nore ct our export grain and prsvissoas than
al the world b~ss4--- Nearly Ill the grain
sen: by Us To Europe Is raised in the Western
States contiguous 10 the lak~s. and much O.
the imported manufactures Of Great Britain Is
through, to the Western States for the use and
consumption Of the grain-rsising population
of the interior On this the Consumers of each
others productions, both in the Western
States and Great Britain, have TO pay an ad-
ditiOually increased cost for their RESPECTIVE c
importations. owing to the expense Of trans
portation from the west to the Atlantic sea-
board, such as commissions, railroad or canal
rates, insurance, interest. drayage, storage,
and all the other thousand .and-one profts,
losses and demands that merchandise ia traxs-
nu aud frequent changing of hands is liable
to incur. From this existing state Of affairs,
let us mark-or predict, if you plcase,-thc
change, as it will result from the location
and completion of the railroad from the west
ern shore Of Lake Superior to Puget Sound.
British merchants will establish regular
lines of screw steamships from British ports
to Lake Superior, and from Vancouver's Is
land to China AMI Japan. The ronte from
Great Britain will be via the Gulf of st. Law
renee and the Weland Canal, into the lakes
thence on to the eastern terminus Of the Peo.
pies Railroad, taking their return cargocs Of
grain or other western production from either
OF the lake ports or get cargo in the British
possessions as they pass on their way home
ward. Let it BE- observed that for those re-
turn cargoes of American production, the mer-
chant pays in European manufactures Mt a
much cheaper rate than the New York or
Western merchant could do. and that he gets
those productions of the west less at least tho
expense of transportation, insurance and am
pie commissions than he would on the Allan
tic coast. 1t will be- readily seen that this
establishes direct trade between those re-
spectively who are Immediately the producers
and consumers, in the lake States and Eu-
rope, cheapcning manufactures for the west
ern producer and cheapening provisions for
the European consumer, q mutual advantage
of which both parties will be likely to avail
themselves.
The western terminus has its own peculiar
advantages to offer to the shipping that may
BE- engaged in the China. European trade. No
vessel must leave the ports Of Puget Sound
without cargo. Puget Sound is abundantly
supplied with the finest timber for general
purposes and peculiarly adapted for spars,
large and small, while the supply is inexhaust-
able for generations to come. The rapidly
increasing demand for our lumber and timber
of late years in China, Japan, and the other
large and populous islands Of the Pacific, will.
and does even now, establish direct trade
between Puget Sound and those places.
Knowing that vessels will freight cheap if
they will but get steady employment, my OBJ
.ect in part is to show that freight by sea can
be carried cheaper on the Northern route than
it is practicable to do on the Central; for San
Francisco, the terminus Of that route, has
nothing to export, If we except an occasional
cargo Of wheat and some hides. and much
o: that they have hitherto imported from Ore
gon. Vessels specially engaged on the Gen.
trail route across the Pacific would have to de.
pend almost exclusively on light frcights.
The cost of carrying fieight on railroads va
ries from one-halt cent to two and half cents
per mile-that is, an average OF one and a
half cent per ton per mile. A ton OF freight
from Puget Sound to St. Paul, Minnesota, the
distance, 1850 miles, would cost at one and
one-half cent per ton per mile $2e 25. The
computed DISTANCE from Benecia. CAL, to New
York, is 3.546 miles, a ton Of freight at one
and half cent per mile, would cost $53 10
that is, exceeding double the amount OF
railroad freight on the Northern route. This
estimate is made in view Of having vessel"
come to Lake Superior. Taking the Euro
pcan freight there, the extra expense Of bring
ing vessel up the Gulf Of st. Lawrence and
the lakes would have to be chargable to
to Northern feight but that would be mere
tritie (which fIll cargo both ~.y. ~oSll
readily defray at very small figure.
1t is true that during the winter season the
navigation of the St Lawrence and the lakes
would be impracticabls, but at that season oi
the year. the traffic Of the Northern route may
without interruption @ incouvsnicnce be d.
ver,sd by way Of Portland. Maine. Il SEA port
having one OF the brst hArboss in the United
States OF even New York might be adopted
as the point Of embarkaiiou, and even with
such Temporary divrssioa from its dirscs
course, the Northern route would still retain
a very material superiority lover the Central
rou.el in time and distance. A above stated
the distance from ls~nicia 10 New York is J.
$40 niles, while frva Psgss Sosnd to New
York IL bat 3.i36. b<iae Seo ail~~ shorter.
and osmpstiag railroad keighs - shove. ii
oas asd hsE ocat P~s nile. l-.ves IS % Ia
isvor of the Nosthesn rustic. vhil- the tiae ia
transit besvesa extre.e psssss Il ths sxsP<e-
tive routes ID eh.as-d Ia: 6ale Il ny fssn
the essimsss sivsn ahose-
In esn<lussoa. take see.sisa 10 es>rrvs
that the E-epie u this NxsAvs.tern district
os the Unioa se-m to take bat EfsIe in.sss<: