, 1889-05-30
~, senate Committee Inrc~risatton,.


feBuluE l''Nl '' 'l' idSH.SS L''N
shortly after lG o'ciock q. m Senate
Hoar presided
J.E MORRISON. Of Massachusetts,
the secretary of the committee, and A
Johns, OF Washington, d. c., stono
grapher.
Governor Moore q Washington terri
tory, was first called and, after beinI
sworn by Senator Hoar, proceeded t.
give a great deal Of genera! Information
respecting the territory and Its resources
snd in particular, gave testimony re
ssrdiDg the connections Of Washington
With British Columbia. The Canadian
Pacific railroad lie SAID, IS fosteEed by
ihe subsidies Of the British government
and for that reason cant afford to make
cheap rates. Governor Moore favored
subsidies from our own government to
steamers on the Atlantic and Pacific,
owned aHd Coz tr0lled by American
citizens, as a sure means Of building uD
our commerce and Of giving our freight
TO American vessels.
Hon. James q. Swan, OF Port Town
send, followed. He first read COM
munication from the Port Townsend
chamber of commerce, in which the at
senIion OF the senators was respectfully
asked 10 varying topics Ct public IN
terest First. regarding the fisheries of
the North Pacific, aud the seal fisheries
- norEicu1pr rrofaSfiDg pgajuSt fha not
of congress in closing the Behring sea
and in protecting fur seals for the sole
benefit Of single monopoly, the Al
sska Commercial company. The cham
Der Of commerce asked the attention of
the committee TO the fact that the fish
cries Of the Pacific ocean have scarce
begun to be developed but that the mag
nitude and Importance OF these fisheries
is very great, aud the possibility are that,
IL properly encouraged and fostered by
the government, they will exceed in value
the fisheries OF the Atlantic, and they
protested against the closing Of the
Behring sea as opposed to the principles
OF sound public policy.
The chamber of commeGcs also asked
the attention of the committee to the
smelling works at Irondalc, located on
Port Townsend bay, where iron, proved
to be equal to she best in the world, is
smeised, and from this pig iron the Un-
ion Iron Works at San Francisco, had
rolled and forged the material from
which they have constructed the Q. S.
cruiser, Charleston, whose excellence is
8 surprise and pride to the nation.
Eight hundred tons of pig iron from
Irondale have been shipped to San
Francisco, for the Union Iron Works.
Showing that in Port Townsend bay,
already may be found the elements re.
quired for building our war vessels and
that the harboF must necessarily become
the rendezvous of our navy in the
event OF war, so as to combine with the
defenees to be constructed at Point Will
son. Admiralty head and Marrowstone
Point.
Attention was also asked to the pro-
posed canal which the joint commission
otarmy aud navy officers. in 1s4S, re-
commanded 70 be opened through the
low sandy formation, which separates
Port Townsend harbor from Oak Bay,
so as to make the two harbors one,
and thereby prove Of great public i'm
portanee to the navy and merchant ves-
sells and direct saving of distance il
transporting mails. The chamber OF
commerce also asked the attention of the
committee to the site OF the proposed
Qualifications to the new custom house
and the urgent necessity of prosecuting
the work with energy to completion;
to the necessity OF new building for
the q. s. Marine hospital, and asking
that an appropriation be made for plac-
ing the telegraph from Pozt Townsend
to Cape Flattery in the entire charge Of
She o. S. signal service and that q
proper officer OF that service be stationed
atPort Townsend to attend to the bus
mess which now, from want of sufficient
appropriations, is very unsatisfactory
performed.
The chamber OF commerce also re-
ferred to the direct benefit the merchants
OF Port Townsend had experienced from
the low rates of the Canadian Pacific
road, which has relieved them of the
extortionate charges with which they
hsve been oppressed by the officials OF
she Northern Pacific railroad, bnt they
admit that the cause which enables the
@. 2. Il. L. TO compete with our roads
is the subsidies they receive from the
RrItish government and they ask that
congress grant subsidies to our OWL
vessels in like manner as is now done
Gy all the great nations of the earth
to benefit their commerce.
During the reading of the communica.
ton, the senators showed marked in.
terest, which they evinced by constan
reference to the government maps and
charts OF Puget Sound, and the frequent
explanation OF localities, which was given
them by Judge Swan, in answer to inter.
rogations.
Alter finishing the reading of the paper
from the Port Townsend chamber of com
meree, Judge Swan read communica,
ton he had prepared in reply to letter
received by him from the senate com
maittee, inviting information from him
felatlSe to the general subject of their in.
Vestigations, and especially to the fish,
cries OF the North Pacific. This commu.
nieatlon was almost exclusively confined
70 the fur seal fisheries. The statements
made were supported by various exhibits
which were marked and numbered and
hled as evidence.
At the close of hss remarks, Judge
sRap was camplimented by Senator
sioar Tor the interesting and valuable in
formation he had presented, and stated
that 1t would all be published in the re
port OF the committee.