The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-11-11
LETTER TO LIVERPOOL.
PORTLAND. Ogn.

PORTLAND, Ogn., Nov. 1.
To the Editor Of the Liverpool
Mercatry For the future guidance of
shipowners and masters coming to this
port we request you will be kind
enough to insert this letter in your
paper.
Being interested in the shipping
world, it behooves us to state that the
exhorbitant prices charged at this port
surpasses any that has ever come be-
fore our notice. The freights, how
ever, we will allow at the present time
are very good But to counteract this
the danger connected with the bar, the
pilotage and steam expenses on the
river, are such that they literally
swallow all the profits
The nature of this port is such that
vessels have been known to stand off
and on the port for period of four or
five weeks before an entrance could be
effected.
There are many charges, we regret
to state, which are well known to the
inhabitants of this town to be an impo-
sition. One we will mention is a
charge for wharfage while vessel is
loading at Astoria, the wharves be-
longing to the same company in this
city who also do all the ightering with
their own steamers. The jealousy that
exists between Portland and Astoria
is such that only small portions Of car
60 are sent down, and that at long in
tervals, to vessel loading at Astoria.
Another very serious matter is that
vessels consigned to Portland with only
very ordinary draught cannot be
completely loaded there, and are then
frequently stuck on the river banks,
the ateamer charges still continuing at
the rate of eight dollars per hour for
detention. We have known case in
which under these unjust rules mas
ter had to pay $174O for extra lighter
age and detention. We. may further
say to strangers, opposition here in
river towage seems to be very strong !;
but with little personal observation
it is not difficult to see how the two
parties engaged in it join hand in hand.
With regard to approaching Astoria
bar there has been great neglect on4the'
part of the authorities in not making
known to the shipping world the new
lights that have. been erected We
also think that the life boat authori-
ties would do well to try and afford to
keep more than one man. We have
lately seen case in which whole
ships crew nearly perished, soldiers
being the only volunteers of the life
boat.
Vessels are frequently detained here
for length of time owing to that un-
warrantable practice of kidnapping the
seamen Immediately on the vessels
arrival.
VIM. JONES, ship Derbyshire,
JAS. P. WEsTLAND, ship Strathblans,
CAPT. CRoMpToN, bark TAFT Sing,
CAPT. ALEXANDER, bark Mary Low,
CAPT. LIVINGSTON, bark Lanarkshire,
JOHN MoRGANs, ship Charles Worsley.
We copy the above from the Orego-
nian of the 9Th that the people rnay
discover therein one of the causes mil
itating against US in procuring suf-
fcient number of vessels, and at rea-
sonable rates, for the transfer of our
wheat to foreign market. Added to
the fact that general information con-
cerning our whole coast is not suffi-
GENTLY disseminated among foreign
ship owners, certain influential classes
have always persistently represented
that the Columbia is the one and only
possible harbor on the Oregon coast,
and that such improvements as can be
artiicially supplied there are our only
hopes of an outlet to foreign market,
notwithstanding the cost and great
danger TO large vessels entering that
port for cargoes which is often over
estimated. Seeming to prefer that our
vast resources should remain undevel-
oped rather than attention which might
lead to the investigation of other ship
ping points should be drawn for
moment from the Columbia, and all
through jealous fear of competition.
Tt is reported-and the report comes di-
rect from person connected with that
paper-that the Oregonian has been sold for
SOC, 600, to parties not stated, (but supposed
to be in the Willard interest) possession to
be given Janxary 1, 1882. We do know
that negotiations to sell have been going on
fer month past, the first asking price was
sflO, That is positive-but it seems
the proprietors were able to drop consider
able from the original asking price.-Stand
ard.
The Oregonian emphatically denies