The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-07-31

L
The steamer Signal arrived yesterday
from Vancouver, B. c., having made a
very quick "trip. She carried 400 tons Of
coal for Portland, 15 Cinnamon for Port
land, and 5 Cinnamon for Astoria, of
whom 4 were landed.
A. Adolphsen, the Dairyville sawmill
man, brought down some piles last week
| to be used In the wharf, which he had
treated to preparation OF his own in
vention. which he thinks will prevent the
ravages of the toredo.-Port Oxford Trt-
bune.
| The steamer Columbia, the flagship OF
the o. r. and N. ocean fedt, is rapidly
nearing completion, and win make her
first trip from San Francisco on the 18th
inst. She has been thoroughly overhauled
new boilers placed in her, and every part
| Of her made spick and span.
The run Of fish dropped yesterday. The
large run the day before was the best Of
the season, and that yesterday might be
| termed the worst. Many were of the
| opinion that the run would last three
| days, and yesterdays sudden drop was
a disappointment to a large number of
| salmon catchers.
The new dry dock at Southampton,
which is about to be opened by the Prince
of Wales and which has been built ex-
pressly with the object of accommodate
ing vessels of the size and capacity of the
st. Louis, is 750 feet in length, liz feet
in breadth at the top and 81 feet 6
inches at the bottom. The width at the
entrance is Cd feet, and the depth from
cope to floor is Al feet. Its construction
has occupied exactly two years.
ut is stated that the rate Of wages
is so low in Japan that steamships of
from three to four thousand tons are
now built there under contract at about
81 per ton cheaper than they can be con-
structed in English yards If this dis
crepancy is equaled by japanese eff
cheney she should not be afraid Of any
competition until the condition of exist
ence among her people are much more
radically changed than there is now any
indication Of"
There Is no pile driver on the Sound
tall enough no drive the piles required
for the work of fixing the new company's
warehouse. Accordingly special driver,
10 feet tall, Is being constructed. 1t will
be finished within a few days. The new
warehouse will be 13O feet wide and 700
feet long. An idea OF its length can be
gained from the statement that were 1t
placed on Pacific avenue with one end
resting at the corner OF Ninth street,
the other end would project twenty feet
into Eleventh street.
The State arrived in from San Francisc-
IA
very quick voyage. She arrived of the
bar at 2 a. m. and had discharged and
passed on up the river at a. m. Pas
sengers report the trip an exceptionally |
smooth one. There was not even the usu-
sl swell OF the ocean, and the wind |
straight from the Northwest. The big |
raft was passed off Cape Blanco and was |
In good condition, making good time. |
Captain Bolles made a careful examina- |
ton and reported everything about the |
raft in splendid shape
Capt. Barker, of the United States |
lighthouse service, Portland arrived yes
terday on the Manzanita, which has just |
returned from its trip along the southern
coast. The captain reports that they |
went to Port Orford and delivered the
annual allowance of supplies to all sta
tions on the way, south of the Columbia
river. They worked the buoys along the
coast, also the Umpqua river buoys, and
established buoy on recently discover
ed and very dangerous pinnacle rock In
the channel leading into Yaquina bay.
The rock Is right in the line of the late
ly established range lights in that chan
mel. The Umpqua river light station was
inspected and found in good shape. The
captain reports good weather on the en-
tire trip.
The low price OF hour on this coast dur
ing the past year or two has enabled
US to cultivate the China and Japan mar
kets, and this has been done TO a con-
siderable extent, but the effort has not
been attended with perhaps as much
success as was expected. The conditions
have been eminently favorable for a
grand achievement. Such low prices for
-four have never been known before on
this coast. The article has been actually
cheaper than rice, the Chinaman's staple
vegetable In addition, freights have
been unusually low. Up to within few
weeks the rate was $6 per ton. 1t was
then lowered from the Sound ports to
"a, and 1t is now reported that the rate
has just been reduced to 81 per ton from
Tacoma and Victoria. Large quantities
Of -four have been shipped from those
ports for some time.
There are at least a dozen ships due
and overdue at this port, says the San
Francisco Bulletin, and the delay In their
arrival Is quite provoking to those who
have been under charter or who need
them. The loading fleet is now reduced
to nine ships. One Of these is loaded
and four others are loading, all OF which
will have their cargoes aboard In a
few days. 1t takes from one. to three
weeks to discharge vessels after they
arrive, SO the chances are that wheat
loading will be much diminished In Aug
ust unless these overdue ships arrive
pretty soon. Included in this list are two
ships from eastern Atlantic ports, eight
from European ports and eight from
various ports in the Pacific. An but four
OF these are iron ships. 1t Is believed that
nearly all OF the other fourteen are under
charter to arrive, and II they would only
make 1t point to bring up here within
anWeek. 1t would greatly help the wheat
movement next month.
The personnel of the navy Is shown to
have undergone but few changes In the
past six months. The active list Of the
entire navy, exclusive Of non-commis-
STONED officers, numbers 1,l63. The retired
list Is composed OF 4l3 officers, and cadets
at the naval academy number 195. Dur
ing the last six months there have been
a resignations, . retirements. - deaths.
Q dismssals. IA honorable discharges, and
/ dropped. Yacaneies In the medical corps
number u, in the engineering corp IS, and
in the pay corps !. The number Of COM