The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-03-23
UNDER THE vBRANDAH,
BY Hugh Kal.

The advent OF a railroad VIII uh'
doubtedly lead in the very near future
TO the establishment Of new and I'M
portant industries in Astoria, and al
ready, am told, negotiations are be-
ing entered into with both California
and Oregon parties concerning the con-
struction of both Touring mills and
fruit canneries near the water front
Astorla's advantages in this direction
are obvious. The proximity to deep
water, easy loading facilities, cheap
freight rates, and good sailing connec>
tion not only with other coast ports put
also with Europe, China, and JAPAN
form n ust of attractions which to
business man dealing in manufacturing
industries can hardly be excelled. Here
is a field of labor for the Chamber OF
Commerce, and splendid opportunity
for Its members to follow in the loot
stems of their colleagues of Seattle, Ia
coma. and Vancouver, B. c., when
those cities were In the condition we
are In today. 1t Is the duty OF the
Chamber to ascertain the source OF
every prospective establishment OF
manufactures, and then by taking the
lead in advocating to the balance or our
citizens a course of absolute liberality
to promoters, use every honoraple
means to bring capital this way. There
are several branches of effort In TINS
direction, and outside Of personal COM
munlcations to moneyed men who de-
sire information, the most important
Is undoubtedly the frequent and meth
odical use of home newspapers. Here
Is a. means of diffusing knowledge OF
our condition to which, for some un-
accountable reason, our public bodies
have always been blind. venture to
say that If any Eastern man desires
to come and live among us, or invest
his money here the first thing he does
Is either to write to the local news
papers for information or to the local
postmaster for copies of the home
newspapers. 1t is certain that the
papers will be public spirited enough
to meet any proposition half way. This
is a matter that should be well Thought
out by the Chamber of Commerce and
the city council, for 1t points to the
best, most legitimate and handiest
method of telling residents Of other
states who we are, what we are, and
what advantages we possess. And
these questions have OF late been ask
ed very frequently.
The sun Is no respector Of PERSONS
or sewerage, and In a few weeks we
may expect to have his fordship BEAM
ing down among us with a proud dis
regard of the condition of drains or the
efficiency Of the committee on health
and police. In the district down from
Twelfth street towards Uppertown,
where the river winds Its edges into
a series of small bays, there are clus'
tered a large number of tall. ungainly
houses filed for the most part with
gentlemen who batch" In these
places the term drainage" Is an un.
known quantity, and all the filth and
garbage that leaves them goes by the
window route-that is to say, 1t Is
thrown in a series of nauseous cata-
racts down into the ravines below. Oc.
casfonally, by accident 1t will catch
high water mark, but more often 1t
is allowed to form great heaps Of gar
bage dn places where the water has
not reached since Noah's flood. Here
1t remains thu the sun strikes 1t, and
then gradually evaporating into sicken-
ing odors, finds its way into houses In
the neighborhood whose residents are
averse to living like pigs I'm sty. The
fact that this filthy condition of things
must to certain extent react on the
men that cause 1t, cannot excuse its
existence, for the average catcher"
especially in the vicinities 1 refer to-
has hardy stomach impervious to al
most anything. But its effects are
spread over a large area and among
many families who are daily sickened
by dt 1t would be sort of poetic JUS
tice If an epidemic of typhoid were to
depopulate these hatcher tenements, but
while such happy issue out OF our
Affections still remains in the dim fu-
ture, would it not be we'll for the city
council to take a hand and root up this
evil before the summer is fully on top
of us?