, 1875-11-04
Contributed.

Did it ever occur to the readers of the
D1spAToH what detriment to the pros :
perity of the Willamette Valley it is hav-
ing the terminus of both the East and
West side railroads fixed at Portland in
stead Of continuing on to deep water.
The bar at the mouth of the Columbia
as well as shoal water in the Willamette
below Portland is terrible drawback to
her commercial prosperity. It seems
to impress every one that the natural
outlet of the Willamette Valley now that
it has two railroads running nearly its
whole length would be junction CT the
two lines at Portland and the building OF
. main line either to Kalama to connect
with the N. P. Road, or clear through
to Seattle. We're such road built, pro-
duce could be loaded on the cars any
where ON the line as high up as beyond
Rosehurg in the Umpqua valley and
come straight through without breaking
bulk or change of cars to warehouses
on the wharves at Seattle. Now there
is unloading from the cars at Portland,
drayage to warehouse. wharfage and stor-
age drayage again to vessel, loading on
board and if a large vessel she can only
be partially loaded at Portland. must
drop down the river and receive the
balance of her cargo from smaller YES
sells. There is expensive pilotage and
towage and delays, making fearful bill
of expenses that eat terrible inroads IN
to the cargo;apd all this burden must be
borne directly or indirectly by the pro-
ducer. And every pound of incoming
freight must be subject to the same tax
ere it reaches the consumer. What the
Willamette valley wants is direct rail
road communicate with some port
where ships can come and go load or
discharge any day in the year. There
are but two such harbors on the Pacific
Coast north .a Mexico. Puget Sound
and San Diego; for even San Francisco
has days at time when it is unsafe for
the staunchest sea going vessels to ven-
ture over the bar at its mouth. Puget
Sound then is the best harbor of the
North Pacific. And with the start Sc
attle, no n has with its natural advanta-
ges its proximity to inexhaustible coal
beds, its mountains ofiron and rlch sill
yer deposits yet to, be developed into a
source of wealth undreamed of by the
most sanguine located in the heart of
almost interminable forests of valuable
timber, enough if converted into ship
ping to make every roller. Of the mighty
Pacific fairly gleam with the snow-white
sails of commerce. If one half the enter
prise manifested by Chicago is put forth
by the citizens of Seattle nothing can
prevent her becoming the great metro
polis'of the North West, second to none,
fully equal to San Francisco. To con-
meet Seattle with Portland by rail or as
soon as possible is an enterprise that
ought to be initiated at once. 1t will
benefit the town as much as the Seattle
and Walla Walla road. 1t will not even
injure Portland, for with her contem-
plated Salt Lake Road and the two al
ready extending up the valley and with
her narrow gague road leading 10 the
mouth Of the Umpqua and to other parts
of the state she will soon like Chicago
become the great railroad centre of Or
egon and Washington. Men who have
some snap to them, who can push, who
are bold and fearless, real rustlers, men
who can point out and show up to the
best advantage the resources of Wash-
ington Territory, are the men who carry
through these great enterprises and reap
fame and fortune for themselves.