The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-12-20

the river from Portland yesterday in tow
of the Emma Hayward.
The heavy southwesterly gale that was
blowing all day precluded the possibility
Of any ships leaving port and all nd ca
ticns point to the same wea her conditions
for the next forty-eight hours.
The ship Fiery Cross, from Cardiff for
Victoria, which put into Montevideo on
August 31st, has been chartered for grain
on October 25th.-B. C. Commercial Jour-
nal.
The schooner American Girl was towed
to sea yesterday morning, says Mondays
Call, and during her passage over the
bar lost her bowsprit in collision with
the schooner Laura May, also outward
bound. The disabled vessel returned to
port for cepairs.
AS cargo the c. P. r. steamship EN-
press of India, due here from the Orient
on Tuesday, says the Colonist, has 1,6oO,1OO
pounds of overland freight, 325 tons meas
urement of silk goods, $50 tons of gen.
eral freight for Victoria, including a zig
shipment of Japanese oranges, and 90
tons for the Sound. AS passengers the
ship carries 20 saloon and 125 storage
voyagers.
Yesterday the schooner Teresa took out
her clearance papers al the custom house
for a hunting cruise in japanese waters
She is the first of the sealing fleet to do
so and will, it is expected, be the first to
sail, although several others, as previous
ly stated are also about ready for sea.
The Teresa will be commanded by Cap
tain Mcmillan, and will carry as crew
whites and twenty Indians. The latter
she will secure on the west coast before
proceeding to the Japanese coast.-Colo-
mist.
The Gypsy left Corvallis Sunday for
points above, the intention of the captain
being to get her as far as Eugene If pos
sible. He had orders TO secure the serv-
ices of several of the government snag-
boat crew, at present in that section of
the valley, and take them to a point
called Lees Defeat, where innumerable
snags al much driftwood obstruct boat
navigation to great extent BY lib.
eral use of giant powder it is thought
this channel can be opened to sdinit' of
the passage of boats, thus affording the
Eugene merchants greater fact tiles for
securing freight.
The schooner Western Home, which ar
rived from UP the coast last night, had
a narrow escape from going on the rocks
while coming into port, says the Chron-
icle She was caught in the blight he
tween the Cliff House and Fort Point
An anchor was thrown out, but it was
carried away, and a kedge was brought
into play The tug Reliance offered the
captain a tow, but as the latter would
not pay more than s25 no contract was
made. The breakers almost rolled the
schooner over, and the captain of the
Reliance made sure of n salvage lob
PVT the skipper of the schooner under
stood his business, and he kedgod hts
way out and sailed into port without
assistance.
The remains of John Wallace, cook of
the ship Eaton, who fell overheard last
night and was drowned were recovered
this morning, says the Tacoma Ledger.
The body was found floating under the
Ocean wharf. Wallace was about 60
wears old and native of Worcestershire,
England. He spent much Of his life in
America. He had been with the Eaton
Hall six months. The coroner decided
to hold 10 investigation as to the cause
Nlit utoills II was SuIIlclenIlN eNlOenI
that the deceased met his death acci-
dentally. The fact that the holy was
floating this morning is proof that the
man must have been killed by the fan
as a drowned man remains under the
ater at least nine days.
The Hocuiaro Washingtonian says o.
The new pilot boat being built there nv
the Washington pilots for use at the
mouth Of this river: '"rhe new pilot
schooner begins to look like a boat But
her unusual appearance IS matter Of
comment by ALL She is formed especial
w for speed and short turning. 1t iz
said she is so round on the bottom es to
re able almost to turn in her own length.
When one of the owners from Seatte was
over last week he told Ship Carpenter
Mcdonald to do his best, and that he
would very probably have chance 10
better It, 1t is intended, If positive, to
build c''e of these boats, one for Willapa
harhcr frd Gray's harbor and two each
for the Columbia river and Puget sound"
The complaints OF excessive freight
rates by the citizens of California and
their attempts to secure lower rates by
conpulsory action of the state railroad
co:nmlssion, and by building a competing
railroad from San Francisco DO n .
San Joaquin valley, have been generally
set down as merely manifestations Of the
same hostility to railways on the part of
farmers and shippers that has been 80
generally displayed in most Of the West
ern states during the past dozen years.
| Advices from San Francisco, however,
| give particulars of the starting Of freight
wagons to compete with the Southern
| Pacific In the carrying Of goods between
San Francisco and the San Joaquin val
| ley. According to that report, the South
ern Pacific's rates on sugar from San
Francisco to Fresno, distance OF ai
miles, is 81 cents per 100 pounds. or S1O2O
| per ton. This excessive charge has
caused one Wholesale grocery firm TO ship
its sugar by steamer TO Stockton at a
cost OF 81 per ton, and thence by six
mule freight wagons TO Fresno, dis
tance of 146 miles. 1t is claimed that the
| freight wagons can make this haul for
s. per ton. or about 55 cents per ton
mile. II seems doubtful whether the
cost OF haulage over common roads could
| he brought 50 low as this. but II Is quite
likely that freighters could afford to do
the work for cents per tOn-miie, the
same rate as the railways. II the state
ment as TO the Southern Pacile's rate Is