The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-03-16
Peoples transportation Company

There is another Richmond in the field.
For some time past the Untonist has been
nibbIing occasionally, evidently hoping it
would have something big thrown to it;
and from the following, which appears in
its last issue, we infer it has at last been
grati6ed:
person who has not made a trip By water to
the head of navigation, has any idea of the diff
culties our indomitable steamboat men have TO en-
counter and overcome in freighting on the William
cite. Tho river from Harrisburg to Eugene has
no regular channel. In many places, even at q
good stage Of water, Ii is barely possible TO pass
through the narrow ehutes which are constantly
changing, rendering the navigation both danger
Gus and difficult. While some are inclined to com
plain atthe price charged by the Peoples Trans
portation Company for carrying freight. when the
expense of running boats on the Willamette is Ia
ken into consideration, il is certain that theiT
prices are as low as can reasonably be expected,
and much lower than many having their advanta-
ges would charge. The cause of the heavy ex-
Pense of exporting from the interior Of our State
is not owing TO sxtortien on the part Of the Peo-
pies transportation Company, but because of the
cost of running boats over gravel bars with only A
few inches Of water, and consequently with only a
.eW tons Of freight. A trip TO the head Of naviga-
ton viii teach any observing man these facts, and
convince him both Of the practicability and ne
eessity Of improving the navigation Of the river"
Such special pleading as the above de-
serves something more than a free ride to
Eugene City and back to Salem. The
Company should pass the editors freight
free for a year they Should give him fat
advertisements, and pay him four or FIVE
prices for them, and they ought not only
to pass him free up and down the Viii
Iamette, but they should give him his
meals free, with wine, cigars and other
little civilities too numerous to mention.
He should be treated generously, for no
other apolOgist has dared to go half as
far as he has for this Monopoly.
He declares that the prices charged by
them for carrying freight, "are as low as
can reasonably be expected !" that they
IRE not'gdilty of "extortion !" and that
the expense or cost of trimming boats
Over gravel bars with only a few inches of
water" is ~fearfully large, and terrible for
contemplation.
1t may be. true that the boats some
times have some trouble in getting over
one or two bars, and that the cost of run
ming them is thereby enhanced but not.
W~ithstanding all this cost the Company
manages to clear from twelve to twenty
thousand dollars per month /; or over two
hundred thousand dollars annually. This
Is an enormous income or profit upon the
amount invested by the Company; and
"one which will not always be submitted to
by the people.
But let US examine the statement of
the tnionist a little further. The editor
contends that the difficulties" of naviea-
ting the Willamette river above Corvallis
are enormous. We have never been above
Corvallis, and cannot, therefore, speak, of
our own knowledge, on this subject. We
Will concede that there are difficulties
such as the editor represents !; and that
hence freights should be correspondingly
enhanced. But this will not apply to the
Willamette below Albany. The river
from this place to Portland is generally
easily naVigated. There is one or two
bad bars which trouble boatmcn in very
low water /; but most of the year the
boats go over them with but little trouble.
Hence; the reasoning Of the editor of the
'Omtontst, as applied to the Willamette
from Albany to Portland, is perfectly abb
zsurd and unsound.
But let us farther examine this plea of
great Difficulties arising from "gravel
lbars" in the Willamette. There are "bars"
that are troublesome to others beside the
Peoples Transportation Company. There
ARE at least two between Portland and AS.
toria which, at low stages of water, very
much annoy and trouble the ocean steam
ships; and the mouth of the Columbia is
always difficult and somewhat dangerous to
navigate. 1t is so much so that vessels
are at the additional expense of an extra
pilot. Yet, freight is delivered at Port.
land at the rates of So per ton. In other
words, freight is carried by these ocean
steamships, costing a half million dollars
apiece, seven hundred miles, over a rough
and tempestuous ocean, up the Columbia
and Willamette rivers, over sundry dan
gerOps breakers and gravel bars there
in, all for So per ton; and the "Anchor
Line" is SO well satisfied with these prices
that they have recently put another boat
in the trade Yet the Unionist would
have is believe that the P. 7. Company
cannot afford to deliver freight, from
Portland, at Albany, for less than S12 per
ton! The distance to Portland is about
100 miles; there are no "gravel bars" ex-