The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-09-28
A PORTLAND LETTER
A NEWSY RESUME OF RECENT
EVENTS IN THE METROPOLIS.
The Big Fire.-The Goodwin Trial
Athletics and the License
Ordinance.

Portland, Sept. 23.-As usual for
few weeks, Sunday gave us sensa-
ton, this time in the form of a great
conflagration. About o'clock in the
afternoon a fire broke out in the coal
bunkers on the east side of the river.
below Albina, and before it's progress
could be checked it had consumed the
Pacific coast elevator the docks for
half a mile and large number of
freight cars standing on the tracks ad-
jacent to them. The fire department
was almost helpless, owing to the ma
ture of the property on fire and the
surroundings, and the fire practically
burned itself out Two large English
grain ships loading at the burned
docks We're saved by casting off their
lines and being blown away from the
fire by the wind. The large ocean
steamer Willamette was saved by
being tOEed away. A barge that
caught fire and drifted out into the
stream threatened to set fire to ship
ping all along the river, but was at
great risk towed down stream and
grounded on Swan island by the
steamer Hoag. However the William
ette Chief caught and was burned.
Thousands Of persons lined the river
front to watch the dramatic specta-
Gle, and as the wind was blowing
gale directly across the river many Of
them were busy extinguishing the lit
tie blazes that continually broke out
on the west side from flying sparks.
A desperate effort was made to save
the freight cars, and a great many
4 81 AI@ 1ry& ktN0
fire ran along the docks so rapidly
that many were burned and some al
ready moved to place considered
safe were also destroyed. The burned
cars contained wheat chiefly, but
dozen or more contained the expensive
of the Oregon City electric
works that has been year in maxi
ing, and the completion Of that great
will be long postponed by
this loss. One of the greatest individ-
ual losers was Hon. George 7. Mey-
ers, who few days ago brought over
from Puget sound a large lot of sal
mon, which was burned on the dock
The elevator will probably be rebuilt,
but the shipments for the remainder
Of the present season must be made
IN the old style from the docks. There
will be some delay In dispa tching the
vessels now in port, and it will be
difficult to find warehouse room for
grain on the way here from the in
terior, so that wheat may not be
brought in so fast for few weeks.
The total loss is put at about mil
ion dollars. It is an i'll wind that
seems to do nobody any good.
AS predicted the result Of the court
martial of Captain Goodwin was q
yerdict of acquittal, and he has been
.eleased from arrest In commenting
Upon the evidence General Otis dis
approves the verdict, and reviews the
evidence to show that the weight OF
he evidence proved the charge. The
papers have been forwarded to the
secretary of war through the general
n command of the army, and II may
De still further commented upon by
hat official.
Portland is all torn up over license
aw passed by the council and almost
to be signed by the mayor. 1t
S a war measure to raise money to
larry on the city government, which
promises to be 100000 in the hole at
he end of the year. Something must
,e done to keep the government
,oing. The mayor and council con-
,ider it a ground hog case, and have
therefore, passed this general license
aw, which puts tax on every kind
# business carried on in the city, e1-
.ept that of newspapers and profess
,ionai men. There is a general howl
rom everybody because everybody Is
lit. The mayor Is willing not to sign
he bill if he can be shown any bet.
er way to raise the money. The root
# the difficulty is the poor assess
nent of property in this county and
n the state generally. We have not
lad a genuine assessment for four
ears. The assessor has simply copied
me years roll for the next, making
! few changes where he has casually
observed a necessity for them, but has
lot made a systematic assessment
The result is that great deal of both
PERSONAL and real property is omitted
rom the roll and there is much inc
yuali.y. There is considerable also
hat is wrongfully assessed, which
becomes delinquent, and though the
ounty pays the state tax on this It
an collect nothing. Then the general
practice throughout the state of AS
essing property at about 25 per cent.
f it's actual value keeps down the
Otal valuation. AS the CITY lS HuItsu
o 8 mills levy this low total valua-
ion does rot raise revenue enough. 1t
$ hoped our new assessor will not
ollow in the footsteps of his prede-
essor, but will spend some Of the
money paid him to make complete
assessment. With this done aud the
harter amended SO as to allow
evy of 10 mills to be made, this
orced loan may be dispensed with. II
SCISSORS would follow the plain let
er of the law and assess property at
Is actual cash value, Oregon, the
icher state of the two, would not
how a total assessment roll less than
ne-haIf that of Washington, a fact
nat is quoted very much to the In
ury of the state by those who seek to
rocure immigrants and capital for
p. p. b.