Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1881-05-12
PORTLAND As A SEAPORT
From the Tacoma Ledger

Now that the question of Portland
being the terminus Of continental
railroad is under discussion, ,hefollow-
ing testimony as to the preposterous
claim of that town being seaport is
not out Of place. Here is what the
master of the clipper ship Cutwater
writes to the New York agents of the
vessels:
"Our mutual friend,
Lawrence, advised tho writer that you
suggested Oregon rs voyage for his
ship. The writer, just returned from
those Internal regions, suggestedto Mr.
Lawrence that you could not have
been gutted of your Intervals through
experience, as we have been. The OK
penses in and out Of Portland Of our
ships, 9l3 tons, exceed $1,000; and
she was Quilted for the whole voyage,
or fourteen months. Her towages and
pilotages exceed $500. There is not
an honest or fair transaction in those
regions. II any shipowner is anxious
to send his ship to hell, send her to
Oregon"
The owner Of the ship Dakoto writes
as follows to his agents in New York,
where the vessel is now loading:
''In reference to
changing the destination Of the ship
Dakota. When l chartered for TOGO
ma had in view the fact that expen-
scs there are low, and facilities for pro-
curing outward loading Of coal, either
at Tacoma or Seattle, or lumber from
adjacent mills, so good that there was
much more money in the voyage than
in higher rate to San Francisco or
por land. l do not wish to be consid-
cred as unreasonable, but should say
| oug t to have $4,000 additional to
wha, the ship will stock at the present
loading, if l change from Tacoma to
Portland lighterage to be paid by
cargo.
A Maine ship carpenter, now in San
Francisco, and who is personally ia
millinr with the situation, recently
wrote to o director of the Northern
Pacific Railroad the annexed solid
sense:
81 want to say few words in re
gard to Tacoma and the Columbia riv
er. l am well posted about the two
places. / have been repairing what
ships on the Columbia river for three
years; have talked wi h all the cap
tains; and what thy say with what
, know, with thirty five years expert
encc about deep water ships, know
that Portland is not, nor ever will h'
place for shipping. 1t is hard mat
ter to get ships there the second time
: And all it wants is your roads connec
ted--the Kalama road with Portland
/ and the Tocoma road with Ainsworth
and the commerce of the northwes
will 90 to Tacoma. This ! KNOW
: Ships are large, and want plenty {
= water. At present there is over on
, hundred thousand tons OF wheat i
$ Washington and Oregon for export
0 and ships will not 60 there for it, o
I account of the great expense of gettin
" in and out of the Columbia river, an
a being detained on account Of the ba
| have no AK to grind. ! am just wri
y ing you what every shipmaster and a
!, persons connected with ships thin
t and say out here. All of these me
h that have property in Seattle or Pcr
f land will say their place is the place.
l. But you take FOOLS dvice, and bull
r YOUR branch road into Tacoma, just q
y soon az possible, and you will give N
r the credit for all that | have writer
n Gass Il Sawyer, shipbuilders of Batl
" Maine, know me well. Capt Gass h'
,e been out here two times, and toun
D. the country just as | wrote him.
it have been up in that country for ov'
ic twenty years, and know every foot
n it; and your place, Tacoma, is the he
lc harbor on the east shore Of Pug
id Sound. And | would not spend anot
in er half million again getting iron al
O. material up that Columbia river
H. When your road is built from Tacon
~ to Aainsworth, it will pay you hett
xe than you have any idea Of, / can tt
,h YOU. Try it, and see for yourself"
to In addition to the above, there b
10 been laid before us letter from I
ae captain and ownerof the clipper Ale
On dated March II. This vessel had be-
ed charted by the Northern p. r. c.
MS take rails and locomotives to Tacou
in 1t became desirable to land porti
tn of her cargo up the Columbia riv
n and the captain was felt of in rsferen
ly to change of voyage. He got
a back up instantly, and fatty refus
IN in this decorous way:
ng "In reply ] beg to say that l am
in, wiiltng to substitute Portland, Greg
ly, for Tacoma, on account OF the bad
no at the entrance Of Columbia river
IS, trust the railroad company will not
I'll sist on making the change"
ere a boatman named Vagal killed
VI wife and four children at Vienna
tho I'd, and afterwards cut them ul