The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-03-22

SidAS VI ~ tOiS buiNSb. OHS 'iA''N
further up stream is fixed bridge !
on the county road.
Two thousand feet off the mouth
of the Skipanon there is a bar with |
only l foot of water at very low
tides. Inside the water Is of suf-
6cient depth for ordinary steam
boating, but three sharp bends
make the channel too tortuous
for the longer steamers. The stern
wheel boat Welcome, whose di-
mensions, over all, are about 81
feet by. 145 feet, has followed the
channel through two of the beds
without any difficulty. She is
shorter and steers better than the
average steamer. If necessary, a
canal 500 feet long, Of easy exca-
vation, could be made, to cut off
the bend where the channel is the
most difficult in direction.
On the Skipanon and near ITS
mouth are three fishing stations
and one establishment for beef
packing. During the salmon sea-
son freight belonging to the sta
tions IS transferred to and from
steamers at an isolated pier built
in the deep water of the bay out
side the bar.
There are eight or ten small
farms on the Skipanon, which are
in the vicinity of the boat landing,
where the ground near the bank is
above overflow. On the opposite
side of the river, and below on
both sides, the ground is low, fiat
and marshy. Some little attempt
has been made at diking..
Besides the daily mail on the
Skipanon, a second small steam
Iplunger finds ready business by
Iplying on the rivers and bay.
The country above described
contains a population, mostly agri-
cultural, of about $50. Its pro-
ducts find ready market at As.
toria, where merchandise and
other supplies are obtained. As
toria is A to 5 miles, across good
navigable bay, from the mouths o
the rivers. Land communication
lis exceedingly difficult; for an.
heavy traffic it is impracticable
In addition, the Skipanon is th'
outlet for settled regions to th'
west and south, known as Clatsol
Plains and Clatsop Beach; th'
latter is a summer resort; III
Plains is thriving agriculture
tract, consisting principally o
dairy farms, and containing
population of some 800.
Il Astoria is the center of the sal
mon fishing and canning industry
and the point of distribution c
its product. In 1866 the pack wa
1900 cases, and in 1881 it wa
$50, 1000, at IS case. Ten steal
tenders, l, 400 boats and nets, an
$500 employees are said to hav
been engaged in the salmon trad
during the last season. There al
three saw mills at Astoria, whic
o supply local trade, l salmon-cas
factory, and l tannery. Consid
cradle -four and wheat are store
here for transshipment or tranfel
e red directly from river to sea Graf
al Astoria is the port of entry for Il
including collection district. The walt
b Of the staples tin and salt fer the ca
# endar year 1881 is reported as 1920
lac. The value of the exports for Il
E, same period on salmon, -four, al
is wheat is given as S2,724, ,915. TT
o nearest light house and works of d
fense are at the mouth of the Colul
re bia river.
t. The extension of navigation {
ar the Young's, and Lewis al
q. Clarke's rivers to give 6 feet
of low-water to the head Of the It'd
lg which would add Z miles and ma
es the present length of 13 mil
d. more easy, and the desirable T
2 Hoval of snags in the Skipan
ir after dredging, would require t
d. work of snag-boat for two mont
n of each year. The running c
e. penses for that period would
Is- $1,000. The first cost of constrt
n. ton is estimated at $12,500, a
ty for renewed construction, each t
lis years thereafter, $4,000.