The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-11-23
THE O. &. & n. FLEET.
Boats That Have Made Bushels of Money
And That Are Still In Active And Pros
perOus Business.

4 w 1oA DO tdcocuRcI observation-disclosures
are concerned, with the exception of 9
tri-weekly night boat, Astoria is in the
same condition, regarding communica.
ton with Portland; and Portland is in
the same condition, regarding communi.
cation with Astoria, that the two cities
were many years ago.
1t is now about seven years since Capt
Scott put on the little Fleetwood. He
just coined money with that little boat
She cost very little to run, and was al
ways crowded. Then he built the 1eLe-
phone and began running her i'll March,
| 1885, but she never. proportionately, made
the money the Fleetwood did for him.
Bat she did q big trade, and the o. z. d
n. Co. never realized what an enormous
freight business she had been doing, till
that boat was burned two years ago, and
the freight for Astoria came piling into
the o. r. d N. dock at Portland. 1t as
tonished the 0. r. d n. Co. officials to
see the sudden increase Of their business
when the Telephone went off.
By the time Capt. Scott had the T'eLe-
phone No. 2 ready to run, the O. Z. d n.
Co. had made arrangements which fin
ally eliminated in practical resumption
of the old status.
The fine steamer Z. j. Potter goes
off the route on the first of next month,
and the Thompson, Reed and Telephone
will run the winter through.
The Potter is about the finest passen-
ger boat on northwestern waters, the
Telephone was remarkably well built: is
a new boat and after the tremendous
amount of running she has done, looks
remarkably well. Probably no steam
boat in the Union has such a record;
certainly none on the river: for so long a
time, without a break or miss, making
two trips a day, six days In the week.
Nothing but the greatest care and yigi-
lance made such record possible.
Like most of the company's boats the
Reed and Thompson are old boats, end
have made their weight in money for the
o. Il. d N. Co., some of them paying for
themselves the first season: some of
them date back from the regime of the
old o. S. d N. Co.
Here is short list, which may prove in
teresting:
The S. G. Reed, 1751ss: 7.3: 3:sOO.27 tons,
was built at Portland in 1873, and cost
$40,000 the r. r. Thompson, 125x38: sc:
,15S,04: was built at The Dalles, in
1873, at a cost of $4,000: the Emma
HdylUdrd, now on the Sound, 177x29: q:
576.S: built at Portland, 1873, cost 10000:
the Dirie Thompson, 155x2S.2: 61z: 443:
built in Portland in 1871: cost S14, 600:
the Bonita, 155x30: 6.2: 526.52: built at
Portland, 1875: cost $4,000: the Vel
come, 127x27: 81: 1856: built at Portland,
1874. cost $4,000: the Wide West, long
the finest boat in northwestern waters,
2l2, 2,2X39.5: 80: 1,200.80: built in Portland,
1877: cost $65, 900: the Mountain Queen,
176x32: rs, 1858 built at The Dalles,
1877; cost 1927 900: the Annie FdTon, now
running on the upper river, 165x36.3:
708.66: built at Cello, 1877, cost $19, 600:
the HGrUeSt Queen, 200xS7:7: $3.50: built
at Cello. 1870, cost 1000; the VILLAIN
cite Chief, 163135.5: 693. .19: built at Port
land 1873, cost So, 900: the Z. N. Cooke,
$50. 5x25.6: 415, built at Oregon City 1871,
cost $4,000; the Ockldhomd, 152I31.8:
581: built at Portland 1876, cost $21, 600;
the list might be further extended, there
being over twenty more, some of which
are piled up at the boneyard, while some
have disappeared.
Of the newer boats the Olynlpidn is
plying on the Sound; her sister vessel the
Alaskan, was lost last May, of Cape
BIanco, enroute to San Francisco.
Of the ocean steamers owned by the
company. which are all iron propellors
the Geo. w. Elder was built in 1874, she is
250x38. 81: 1,709:59: and cost 100000; the
Oregon was built in 1873, is 283x37.4: 23.4:
2,835: was built in 1873; cost $50, 900:
the Columbia, built in 1880, is 309x38.5:
Il, A: 2,721; cost $225,000. All three were
built in Chester, Pennsylvania, by John
Roach.
The o. r. d N. Co. was incorporated
June 18th, 1873 little over ten years
ago. The incorporators were Henry Vii
lard, James b. Fry. Artemas II. Holmes,
Christian Bors, w. H. Starbuck, Chas. E..
Bretherton, w. H. Corbett, G. N. Lewis,
J. n. Dolph, Paul SchulZe and n. Thiel-
son, with capital stock of S6,00O,000.
There is probably no corporation in
the country that has made more money
on the actual capital alinvested, or that has
better record, in safely carrying pas
sengerS on ocean and river.
At present it is known as the Pacific
division of the Union Pacific railway
company.