The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-06-26

"NNNN N||N - 49,"
hhipper-jaWtd1, or land-loched entranc
that also furnishes q speedy ana shf
entrance for vessels to quiet water I'll
entrance has q great under-wate
preclpice in the ocean opposite, sun
cient to serve for ages as a dnmpln
ground for secured material. 1t has
great river, furnishing the excess Of out
flow over tidal inflow that is almost es
sential to the permanent success OF
jetty system The harbor, although s
neal the coast, has fresh water to pre-
vent the teredo and 10 remove barna
cles. The entrance is over 1900 fee
broad, and over 20 feet deep at meal
lowest low water. There is no other har
Dor in the world anywhere nearly equa
in advantages to this harbor. Portland
to accommodate and retain four ship
pers of wheat in Portland Ohe whea
fleet Of 1912 was consigned by onl,
four firms, now says to the Unite,
States government, and to the people o
the Columbia basin, that this harbo
must not be utilized; that in preference,
to securing an open river for Ugh
draught vessels to the interior, or il
preference to awaiting railway exten
sion to this harbor, the government
must at once divide river and harboI
appropriations, and give much of then
to constructing an artificial deep water
channel to the warehouses Of these foul
firms in Portland.
In order to retain these four shippers
Portland has already secured the ex
penditure by government Of 1927, 1884!
in, attempting TO secure a 2O-foot chan
mel. This gives:
Interest on expenditures ......... $6O,OOl
Minimum yearly expense or
maintenance. 4O'VV'
$105, 00C
Or over so cents per ton on the wheat
shipped by the grain fleet in 1872. This
so cents would carry all the wheat by
rail from Portland to the mouth Of the
| Columbia, without noting the actual
transportation costs by that route. II
we add to the above amount the actual
cost to the Union Pacific Company for
towage, pllotage, etc, on the grain
fleet, or STA 600, we have $219,OOO, or
more than 81 per ton on the wheat, adj
dltlonal to the expenses of ships crews,
demurrage, etc. This Is not a business
like operation. The wheat could have
been llghtered to Astoria and placed on
vessel there for less than this $219, 900.
Thus the sos, 900 is partly wasted and
Is partly a direct subsidy to the four
shippers of wheat for conducting this
operation at one place rather than an
other. There is no gain to the people at
large, as would be the Gaze If facilities
were provided rot already existing or
practicable without cost to the govern
ment. Even with this governmental sub
sidy, Portland is securing less than one
half OF the wheat of the Columbia river
basin and of this amount, she is light
erlng nearly one-third to San Francisco
by steamers not requiring much deeper
channel, II any, than now exists.
Portland, because of these four ship
pers, has been. through the aid of the
Port OF Portland Commission, asking
congress to appropriate $772.464 more, in
the hope Of securing a 25-foot channel.
This was the estimate of the local ems
Major Handbury. But MAJOR
Handbury's superior officer and the
board of engineers state that this esti-
mate will not give sufficient improve
ment; that the style Of construction pro-
posed would last ony a few years"
hat the proposed channel width of 15O
'eet is insufficient; and that more dredg-
ng will be required. How much a
proper scheme would cost the board
not state, nor does 1t apparently
nope to secure enough for such a proper
from congress. But with the
heap and temporary style of construc-
ion suggested by Major Hamburg, and
With the other betterments suggested by
he board, the project will cos at least
i, 500, 600. Such has been the experience
II all similar improvements, even
where the items OF probable Increase
we're not specified in advance, as here.
customary increase of final cost
Iver preliminary estimates Is indicated
ven by Major Handbury himself.
Whatever be the causes, the results
re the same, He says Of Swan Island
bar:
1T was estimated in 1867 that the
emoval Of $4,000 cubic yards of ma
erlal would give an Is foot channel 100
eet wide. Since that time fully 25O,OOO
ubic yards have been dredged by the
States. In addition to this, the
ity Of Portland has taken out probably
1000 yards. The cost of this dredging
not been less than $3.50, 900"
"a similar showing of Increased cost
, obtaining results might be made for
he postofic bar and st, Helens bar,
Though not quite I othe same extent"
II viii be noticed that the past
cost nearly so cents per cubic
ard at Swan Island, as against only 10
snts allowed by Major Handbury for
he future,
Hence II Is only what any business
ian would do to assume at least the
10000 named for the future construc-
ON, or a total expenditure of about
500, 900, equal to an annual interest Of
so, OOO, Allowing ten years as the 'few
which the board expects this
instruction TO last. we have annual de-