Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-04-11
Railroad and Harbor of Refuge.

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Will you pelAit me to call attention
to at least one side of two questions
now of great interest to a majority of
your readers? | refer first TO railroad
question, and second to the harbor cf
refuge. As regards the first, it has one
side which | think has never been ex.
amined ,and. on which | fear your views
with those Of the people Of Portland in
general, would not agree with mine.
You have frequently expressed the
idea that Portland would become a
great seaport in the event Of the com
plcte success Of the N. p. Il. r., not
wi,hstanding that the road would have
a line terminating at some place on the
Sound. Such hope would never be
realized. My views in this matter are
based upon the following propositions:
A ton of wheat raised in Idaho or
Eastern Oregon could be laid down on
the Sound as cheaply as at Portland,
and not be subject to crossing bad
bar and pay a high river pilotase and
towage. No great overland railway
could prosper and compete with the G.
p Il. r. Of California with DO better
4 seaport than Portland as its terminus
With the n. j. r. r. completed as a
0 great overland read with one terminus
on the Sound aud an ,ther at Portland,
the latter city will be placed in the
a same position as Sacramento now occu
s pies in California. The great distrh
utiug poiat would be at deep water on
the Sound. ! suppose that Eastern
Oregon and Idaho cares but little for
y the individual success of either Port.
e land or Seattle, but will ship by such
route and through such place as then
D. Interests dictate. My belief IS that
d your city would do far better il the N
p. r.. r. should not touch the Column
bia at all at any navisable point, bu
lpet that. instead, a number ct short loca
y lines Of railroad were made to oente
there. with perhaps a branch to th
$, coast at such place as shall be- selected
y far the harbus "f refuge to secure
. shorter and swittor passenger route t
~ sau Francisco the New York OF tn
S Pacific. AIS, build up yonr river trad
and prevent the por'ages from bein
IS used as lever Of oppression.
Aud now lew words about the net
at essary qualifications Of any place {
make 1t a goid harbor OF refuge.
Us will first state that ! am seaman II
profession, and having served as nastt
of coasters for several years, | have be
cone familiar tn the roadsteads alon
this coast, and aiso with the dang an
difficulties to be met with in coastlng.
an shall not here give any opinions t
m to the merits Of one place over aoothc
Sc local interests would make them az
* peur rrrjudice6. On this coast We
-, SCI scarcely ever needs shelter from all
gales but those from the southwar,
Il, Grange from S. S. y. to ". ). W. au
rrl when caught out in those gales she
oe naturally unable to carry much canva
er She could. if in distress at all, enter =
on port that she could not run into befo
~ a., the wind, carrying little or no canvas
- all. Hence harbor of refuge would
gn of no use unless it had the followlt
is good points: l. An entrance from Il
rst sou Inward and sufficient room to RON
m to after entering. ,. No shallow wat
;y,s near the entrance to the southwark nj
westward, and no bar to cross. as Vi
nd sci in distress would be entirely unat
ig- to cope with such dangers in II hca
es- gale. 3. Not located ia blight. whe
vessel would have to run in with t
wind aud sea abeam, as she would be L
Ter able to do 50 if in distress. 4. 1t shou
for above obvious reasons, be located
Ter the south side Of some point or ca
''' extending we'll out west, and havs
plenty of deep water and sea ro'
we south of it.
roe N. G. LoRENTZEN.
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