, 1874-06-11

Eagtt So,.ud 9ispatfh.
EAsTHRx ORxooA, The Portland Bxl
letia says: Mr.. Bloch informs us that he
Aas seen dour made from the vheai
raised in Grand Ronde Valley Of as good
quality a. the choicest he ever saw in
the Willamette. That hne large valley
is. in fact. especially adapted to wheat
growing. while its circumjacent hills
and highlands are admirably httsd fol
wool growing. The sams can bosaid
Of other portions Of Eastern Oregon
in Wasco. Grant, Umatilla and Baksl
counties. What that whole region wants
very much is immigration Of people. to
cultivate and to develope it. But it Ia
bors under another material disadvant-
age, for lack Of which it fingers. unfor-
tunately. unknown--it is tho want oi
means for adequate transportation foz
produce. merchandise, and Its CHIEF
staples especially. 1t wants railroad
facilities, and until railroads shall be
built to put Eastern Oregon in ready
communication with this portion of the
State. with Idaho. Utah, California and
the States eastward, the splendid wealth
Of its soil and the richness Of its mines
will not be developed and known a. they
orght to be. The project to construct
70 construct the Portland, DAlles and
Salt Lake Railroad through that divis-
ion Of the State. is therefore the most
important measure At this time before
our people. 1t is quite As vital to this
division of the State that it be built, a.
it il to that division, and accordingly
We all ought to aid in pushing it on
ward"
The natural resources of Eastern Ore
gon are all that they ere represented by
our Portland contemporary; the adjacent
territory thereto in Eastern Washington
Is of the same general character. the two
forming territory larger in extent and
by far richer in resources than the whole
of Western Oregon. The whole wheat
product of the famed Willamette and
Umpqua valleys was 100000 bushels
last year. and is estimated at 1000. 900
bushels the present. Tho wheat pro
duct of the single county of WaIla WAL
h Was $50. 900 bushels last year and will
be not less than 1000, 900 bushels the
present. averaging over thirty per cent.
an acre more than the Willamette pro-
duct. The wheat lands of Eastern Ore
gon and Washington are in extent more
than four to one in Western Oregon and
much more productive. In mineral
wealth, the West bears no comparison
with the East.
The disadvantage under which thai
large and wonderfully rich country now
labors for the reans of transportation.
would undoubtedly be materially reliev.
ed by the Portland, Dalles and Salt
Lake Railroad, but incomparably more
by the Seattle and Walla Walla Rail-
road. The distance from the junction
Of the two lines Of railroad is not mile
greater to Seattle than to Portland. II
there was direct railroad communication
between Portland and Seattle, q distance
Of about ITO miles. three fourths of the
carrying trade between Portland and the
ocean would be carried on by the way Of
Seattle instead Of BY the mouth Of the
Columbia river. Large vessels are now
chartered to convey wheat from Oregon,
and lie at Astoria to receive their freight
BY river steamers from Portland, and
whom loadsdsars subject to the expense,
peril and uncertainty of crossing the
Columbia bar, besides the weeks OF de.
lay in receiving freight. caused by ice
in winter. We know of one case which
occurred last winter, in which : shipper
was obliged to pay . single vessel under
charter, SO day for three weeks de-
lay caused by ice in the river. None
Of the disadvantages above enumerated
pertain to the shipping port Of Seattle
Tho cost Of constructing the Seattle
and Walls Railroad. - has been demon.
strated by actual surveys and estimates,
would not be one-half as much, from
the point Of junction. a. to Portland by
the Columbia River route, if the latte,
route is not absolutely impracticable, an
opinion which is entertained by compe.
tent engineers who have surveyed both
routes.
The foregoing facts are perfectly de-
nonstrable to any ono who will exam.
inc the matter; but we have not. like
Portland, two Senators and . Repre-.
sentative. with a powerful steamboat
monopoly backed by the Northern Pa
cific Railroad combination With its land
rings. 10 make interest for us in Con-
Oraea