The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1883-08-16
ga Question Of Sea Ports"

ere now gone to Puget Sound and
sailed up that placid inland sea to
New Tacoma for $3.50 per ton less
than they charged to cross the
bar" The Union is mistaken if
1t means that any vessel took or Of
erei to take freight from any At
lantic port or foreign port at $3.50
per ton less to New Tacoma than
to Astoria. The facts are that the
n. p. r. II. Co., wishing to try
the matter, chartered some large
vessels to carry cargoes Of iron to
New Tacoma. On discharging at
Tacoma the vessels found they
were obliged 10 take such rates for
grain freight as they could get,
possibly $3.50 per ton less than
vessels were at that time getting
from Portland. We believe they
were not given an opportunity of
naming a rate that they would
take If they came around to Asto-
ria TO load. Had such privilege
been accorded they would proba-
bly have named 81 or S1.2J Dar
ton more than they would accept
at New Tacoma.
The Union will realize the fai-
lacy Of Its reasoning when it IS
told that there has been a large
ship, the Highiaad Light, waiting
at Astoria eight months for a "a
vorable charter, and that vessel
would now take fully %1.25 per
ton less to load at Astoria than to
go around 10 Tacoma to load. Il
is not reasonable to draw conclu-
sions from instances Of what yes
sels would do or have done in
such extremihes aS W. have
named.
What every producer is inter
ested in knowing is this: Which
is the cheapest for a large ship and
cheap carrier to do, to come from
any point she may, to Astoria and
carry hence cargo OF grain to
Europe; or to go to some railroad
point on Puget Sound and thence
to Europe with her cargo?
We have repeatedly demon
strated that Astoria is the cheaper
loading point and our figures have
not been contradicted by any con-
temporary, however adverse to As,
toria's interests.
Possibly the majority of vessels
loading at Tacoma and Seattle DO
not take a tug. If they do not an
estimate must be made Of addi-
tional risk 10 the vessel and extra
time taken in sailing al the rate of
eight cents per register ton per
day. When this is done it will
be found to more than offset tie
''cost and dangers of crossing the
Columbia River Bar" An adj
vantage to the vessel coming 10
Astoria to load is in distance.
The grain-carrier comes from
Australia mostly, or South Amer
lea, China or Europe. No matter
from what direction she comes
there is a saving of 200 to 300
miles in coming to Astoria.
When she is loaded with grain she
goes to Europe. There again she
has 200 to 800 miles less distance
to traverse than when loaded on
the Sound, in taking the cargo to
its destination. Now again, there
is the matter OF inward cargo for
the vessel. On the average there
is, and probably will be, much
greater receipts to vessels coming
after cargoes to the Columbia river
than if they go to Puget Sound.
1t may be. only L few hundred
tons in each case, but ia every in
stance it enables the vessel to take
the outward cargo at less rate.
For instance, nearly every YES
sci coming from Australia to load
grain in the Columbia river finds
it profitable 10 bring a few hun
dred tons of coal for ballast. If
the vessel onl y receives one dollar
per ton freight on the coal it is
preferable to going to the Sound
in ballast, and where she could
not sell the coal. We hope, how
ever, that in the near future AS
toria will be shipping coal instead
of importing it. But the fact re-
mains nevertheless, that the de-
mand for coal in the Columbia
river at present is a great factor
of cheap outward freight. Future