The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-06-23
HOT AND STAGNANT
Continued from First Page.l

George A. Hull, president Of a mineral
stock and share company at Altoona,
Pa, told me yesterday that the argu-
ment which made it appear that the big
Portland mercantile houses would be
content to stand a flood every ten years
or so ard put 1t down to profit and loss
at stated intervals, rather. than a the
Increased cost Of haulage every day for
the ten years, necessary n removing
back several blocks from the water
frort, was to a business man an as
sumption almost too insane to reply TO.
TO haul a truckful of merchandise ton
blocks instead of six (Which would be
the real result Of such a policy is a
very different thing from the notion
given by Mr.. Holman-namely, that
none of the big houses at present had
to do any hauling to speak OF.
The car service is improving daily,
though, owing to the wretched condi-
ton Of the rails in many portions OF the
city, a ride Is attended by several in
convenlenees, In some ways resembling
a trip in a handcar over the Young's
Bay motor line.
which 1 will endeavor to s%ubstantiate at
headquarters tomorrow, to the effect
! that the United States photographic de-
partment has decided to start a branch
in Astoria.
Prominent business men were assem-
bled In knots between the puddles on
First street this morning actually en-
gagged in threshlng out the question Of
street raising in that part of the city.
The locality has already been raised
two feet since it was originally graded,
and these men are talking of a second
and very much greater uplifting of the
whole river front district as the only
means of combating threatened com
mercial evils. A work of this magnitude
would of course cost several millions of
dollers, but the general impression
seems to be that without 1t the annual
falling off in trade will amount TO much
more.
There has been a very slight fall in
the river during the last II hours, but
the water is all gradually disaI pearing
from the city, and in all probability by
Sunday morning will have left the sur
face Of the streets. The cellars for many
blocks up will, of course, remain full for
..
several weeks, and there will be hun
dreds of small lakes and %puddles, both
in the open roads and under sidewalks,
for some time to come.
Portland, l think, has more old, dilapi-
dated, crazy wharves to the mile than
any city I even knew of, and these or
naments to the river front, that remind
n Of nothing so much as a series Of
Astoria net rack stands, have afforded
fine sport for the playful ravages of the
flood. 1t has literally torn many of them
TO splinters, and | will have to wait un-
til my next letter to give you some more
detailed description of their condition
at the present time.
Messrs. Fisher and Cook, of Astoria,
who have had several opportunities late
ly to judge of the wreck and havoc that
have been caused in the warehouses and
hundreds of stores and dwellings here,
have had all they want of scenes of de-
structior. Both state that they never
could have believed 1t possible thae so
much desolatlon could be seen ON the
principal streets Of a large city.
Several Astoria people are in town.
Among them are Hon. C, w, Fulton,
James Young and Prof. Halves.
Messrs, Higgins, cashier of the AS
toria National bank; +, p, Kendall,
manager of the Can factory, and a num-
Der OF Astoria ladies were round the
today.