The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-07-10
Seaports of
the Northwest
Continued from Friday.)

tonnage, and an enormous increase in
cost of structures and of filling low
ground The currents resulting from
these low tides together with very poor
anchorage in rocky bottom, rocky
shores, the difficulty of lighting and
range lighting the channels, and the
fogs and rains Of damp climate, the
cost OF towage and pilotage under such
circumstances, combine to make Taco
mas approach tedious, dangerous and
expensive. The teredo increases the
structural cost and maintenance, and
interferes with logging and milling near
tide water. The inland expenses and
delays that constitute a small percent
age for journey around the Horn, will
constitute heavy and unbearable per-
centage for a journey via the Nicaragua
canal.( The rapid passenger and ocean
express business that increases as a
country develops, and that are so lucra-
tive will be done necessarily from the
mouth Of the Columbia.
At both Tacoma and Seattle there is
ample harbor room and water frontage
for present needs; but there is not the
concentration of frontage within small
area which winding river front gi ;es,
and which a high grade port demands
for cheap and large business London,
by enormous expense upon basins, has
secured this artiicially.
Portland's liability of loss of radials,
already noted, makes her lack Of local
facilities a vital defect in her as a sea-
port. Her only hope of drawing vessels
inland after Astoria secures transporta-
ton routes, would be in magnificent
terminal facilities, such as have pre-
served the commerce Of European in
land ports. Such facilities Portland has
not naturally, and it would cost
tens Of millions of dollars to make
them. The IS foot channel of the VIII
lamette Is only 300 feet wide at South
Portland; 62O feet wide along the busi-
ness front of Portland, and from 700 toI
900 feet opposite the Albina yard. The
ocean steamers already noted would
nearly span the whole channel Port
lands river is simply little creek or
canal. (The United States cruisers Bal
timore and Charleston having gone up
Handbury stated to be six feet above
zero low water, had to be carefully |
roped in position parallel with the chan
mel opposite the city, on account of the
narrowness of the channel) The 25
foot channel is OF course narrower than
the IS foot except at the wharves. Fur
ther down the Willamette the IS foot
channel is only 200 to 900 feet wide all
the way down to the Columbia, 12 miles
The total lack of harbor room and of
turning room. for large vessels any
where in the Willamette river is evident
Along the two miles of the city's water
front 1t is not practicable to build long
piers at right angles to the river. The
river is too narrow to permit them to
be placed in the stream, since piers from
500 to 1000 feet long. such as are GUS
tcmary elsewhere, would span the river.
They cannot be built inshore, as the
banks, where the city is not built up,
are about sixty feet above the river,
and are steep bluffs of cemented gravel,
which cannot be removed except by
blasting and into which even a steel
point cannot be driven. But If such
piers be not built at right angles to
the stream, vessels must lie parallel with
the shore, quickly using up the water
frontage, making the port one of small
capacity, and the cost Of interchange
and hauling very great. Elevators and
coal pockets can discharge only from
one side, instead of from both, as on
long piers; the expense of construction,
relative to capacity, being increased.
Yards must have their tracks par
allel with the stream, giving only one
track accessible to elevators and the
water front generally, not permitting {
the tracks to enter the various struct- !,
ures readily; and greatly increasing the :
costs and delays by this un- /
llduuTdl arrangement.
The floods in Portland of 80 to 80 O
feet, are very serious drawback to
Portland as a port. Mr. Geo. S. Moro
son thus describes Portland flood, in
with the north bridge over
The Willamette: 1.-The current was at
east miles per hour. There was II
great deal of drift, much of it very large
-rees, the roots and branches OF which
were sheered off by this bridge. SO
many trees struck the chord that when
I next visited it, l could see nearly the
whole length slivers and splinters under
very rivet head" 1t will be readily :
ieen how much seaport at the coast
without foods will gain. The height Of
.hese Portland floods has required the
,ity and the terminals generally to be
placed at an excessive height above Or
binary water. The tax on tonnage from
the lift and from the increased cost
md maintenance of structures, is very
great. Deep filings are required to /
Utilize low graund The filling done
1t Albina yard was so deep that 1t aver
Lged over $4,000 per acre. If taken from
he river it would cost nearly $4,000
Der acre for the low ground generally
lround the sloughs some miles north OF
Portland. The bluffs which have been p
mentioned as opposite Portland, would
make it impracticable for tracks to
url and enter en- long piers, even If
.hese could be built. The bluffs make it
to build basins. such as 2