Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-10-07
DAILY SENTINEL
ACROSS TnE CONTINENT.

ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
IN Uy,er Columbia Rirey-Hs Se<auy--Hs
sksrsystssn--TAs Fsslds Opeas--Orsgon
and It's Position
Icsu~poSeenos Of the Springfield Repselieaa-l
PORTLAND, oszsos, July 81 1865.
When ar enthusiastic 0rego1isn told ne the
Coismsis river sss fhe largest on the continenf,
and vatered q vide section OF eonntf7 Than any
oSter. tbssght Of the d Lswrencs and the
n.s.s-ipei. ana smiled With mild incredrlisy.
But asroiI your map and trace lie course into the
heart Of this north nestsrn istsrior, though the
Cascade Mountains. back inso the great BASIN
between them and TIE Rocky Mountains. and
then. BY. Is main branches. stfstchiDg up north
and sindiHg oas thFough all of British Coiuubis,
and south ana sest iato Idaho, and over into The
bowels Of the Rocky Mount .ins. touching With It's
fingers all the vast north Of tie great desert
basin and wet OF The Rocky Mountains; then
sail With me Up and down is mile aid I. hall
vide sweep OF majestic Volume af the distances
OF enc hnndred and fifty mIes above he moth:
see what stesnseats already navigate its
waters, and the points % which they reach;
and listen TO the vide plans OF the navigaiors for
the use Of its most distant upper waters.
in British Columbia and Idaho--sappiBg toe vsry
vitais OF Brltisb dominion IN the Northwest and
practically tapping the e6c rzilroad AZ Il comes
vWtat salt lake. 70. the benefit Of Portland.
Osegon--co all this, and We will make oar bow
together 70 the 0rsgosisns and their great river.
Only more fall sarveys can determine the literal
correotness of tbeir claims 70 superior vsstness;
the OolI mbia sith us chief divisisn, the Snake.
meg 10 any where from 200 20 1900 miles 10
length; but that IL ranks among three or fear
great rivers OF the world. and that it is the key
TO vast political snd eommercial questions and
interesIs-giving to It's line the elements of
powerful rivalry 70 the great central commercial
route OF our continent, Of which San Francisco
u the P~cihc termlaas--Bo one Who examines
its p0s5lon aod extelt, and withsssss the various
capacity of the territory it waters. can for mo-
nent doubt.
A distinguishing feature in the landscape of
this ride up the Columbia-apart from H. vet
bounding il, shadoNing il, yet enkindling il with
the highest majesty and beauty-is Mount Hood
This iss the great snor peak OF Osegop, its
Shasta. rs Rainier. is Mount Blanc Lying Of
20 or 80 miles south OF the river. in iu passage
through the mountains, il towers high above all
its fellows, and seen, now through their gorges,
and again at the end of apparent long plains.
leading up 10 II from the river. Most magni-
hcent views OF Il are obtained through nearly all
the sai lp and deSn from Portland. That
wbHh Bextadf has chosen tor Us perpstustion
on cspvass sndvhtch is thus familiar % Eastern
eyes,fs tht most complete and impressive, and
recognized upon the steamboat. In il, the noun
tain seems to rise. apart, out from an upward
going plain, now-covered from base to summit;
oppressive n its majesty, beautiful in form, an
gec IN its uhiteness-the union of all that is
great aud pure and Impressive. Various heights
claimed for Hood, from 3 900 to Is 500 feet;
but IL Is not likely il exceeds 5 QUO feet There s
the best reason TO believe that the famous high
peaks of the Pacific States have been popularity
over-estimated; there are many ndisputably from
l2eOets 4,eUV feeshigh; but the highest noun
tain On DE coast is believed TO have been one
measured last year in Southern California and
rising TO the height OF about 10. 600 feet Add
ing this GROWING eleneut TO the scenery Of the
Columbia river, and IL Is probably Just TO say of
il that this excursion Offers more of natural
beauty and wonder TO interest and excite the
traveller ban any other single expedition or spot
which tho lacitic coast presents. except the 70
Semitic Valley. That must stand first. unrivaled
and unapproachabe But TO this give the Sec
ond place
The navigation CT the Columbia River is now
in the hands OF a strong and enerpe,ic company,
who Bcfionly have he cepsety 70 improve all Its
present opportunities, but tie foresight To seek
out aud create new ones. They ere indeed max
ing paths in the wilderness and show more COM
prehension OF the Situation ead purposes to de-
yelOp IL than any SCI OF mea have vet met on
the Pacific coast Organized in 1861, with
property worm tldJ VOVs thcF nave now, with
eighteen OF twenty hfst-olnss teamboats the two
railroads around the Cascades and the Dalles,
and their appointments, warehouses at all the
principal towns on toe river, including one 935
feet long at Cellilo, and real estste in prepara-
ton for future growth, fetal property of rising
two million dollars. all esroed IRON their basi
ness. Besides this great increase % wealth Iro N
their own enterprise. tnev naye paid themselves in
DIVIDENDS 1882 50. By wagon road rom toe al
les, irorny m4tlu and from w ilula the river snd
their beats have formed Andstill forai ire CHEAP
est ae qeiekest route for travel FREE ght the
rich mines OF BoEe aud Osyhse in Idaho.
well as to those IN eastern Oregon Bose City
is Dot miles from nallia. and 0wyhee $50
miles. The road from the other points are lOuger
and poorer. So large hare been the travel aud
trade II this direotio n the lsst es years that
the GfegoniStesm Navigation Company has car
ried to the upper Columbia % 800 tons in The
last four years. beg ginning with 5000 tons in
1862 and Using TO nearly y, 0OU tons in 1864
In thessne time their boats have carried up and
down on the river nearly 100 900 passengers. in
ereasiBg from III. 600 in 1861 TO 30 QUO in 1864.