The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-10-29
CHANNEL TO THE SEA
Holes Knocked in Some Foolish
and Threadbare Arguments.
AsToRIA.THE REAL PORT
This City Must Always be the Head
of Deep Water Navigation and
the Real Shipping Port.
AsToRlA.1HE REAL PORT

The following extract from the Asto-
rian Of January 1st, 1895, and written by
Mr.. Archibald A. Schenck, Of the New
York Central railroad, viii be found of
SPECIAL interest at tDis time:
T.re advocates OF an inland location
have somewhat blinded their renders to
tine question at issue by citing a large
number of intended por,5 that have faxed
of great success, both miami and coast,
creating the impression by the hasty re-
cital OF them that all the failures were
due to not being inland. All the small
pcrts between Baltimore and New Or
Teams, lying entirely outside the great
lines OF tonnage movement, are called on
to confuse the real issue Some ports as
yet without transcJnHinenltal railroads, or
even tocal railways, are cited to prove the
necessity Of inland location. Mere river
side deepwater points, absolutely without
distinctive harbor or terminal features,
are called on to fortify Uhe inland theory.
For those readers to whom the recon-
moir1ation OF a manager of transportation
lines is preferred to detailed examina-
tion of 'Jlle case, we quote the vice-presi-
dent of one OF the grolte5t transatlantic
Tines. He says:
I'm our opinion it 10 undesirable, ex-
cept in the case of very oQ1 and con-
venient inland port, to send a steamer
inland for CARGO
Astoria has a hlrbor Giat the United
States government mas secJrel an en-
trance to by am expenditure of 81, 200 900
upon the ietty at the moGJdl of the Col
umbia. This harbor Is magnificent in
size AMI Character; of ample working
noom fer vessels of UAe largest size; of
great length and concentration of water
frontage; and with a great number of
Waterways penetrating the land. The
harbor is well Sheltered by the peculiar
"nipper-j -jlwe1" or land-rocked entrance
that ALTO furnishes a speedy and safe
entrance fer vese,s to quiet water. The
entrance has a great underwater preci-
pice in the ocean oIpotjte sufficient to
serve for ages as a dumping ground for
securing material. Ii has a great river,
furnishing the eXce-s of outflow over
tidal inflow that is aTmoct essential to the
permanent success of a jetty system. The
hauoor, a3J1cu2h 50 near the coast, mas
fresh wator to prevent the teredo and to
remove barnacles. 1lIe entrance is over
5000 feet bread, and over 20 feet deep at
mean lowest low water There is no
d3her hlarbor I'm the wocid anywhere near
ly equal in advantages to This lrar'bor
shippers of wheat in Portland (the wis at
fleet OF 1872 was consigned by only four
finns), ncw says to the United States
government. and to the people of the
Columbia BASIN thnt mis- harSor must
net he utilized; thas in preference
to securing an open pllver for light drau.h.
vessels to the inteiic-, CIR in preference
to awaiting railway extension to this riar-
Dor, the government mc9t ait once divide
river and harb1r aprl7g praltions, and give
much of 'Jaom to ccrNGruotlng an artificial
deep water Channel no Inc wSctiolses Of
these four f1ms in Portland.
In order to ne.ain these four Shippers,
PORTLAND has already secured the exp rndi-
ture by HE government of 1927 S38 40 in
attempting Ito Secure. 29-foot channel.
In regard to tle iner5lse1 ccc. by deep
drau8.c ve-Eos Nr2an on contracted in
land waters. CGr, e. L. Corhell the as-
socllte of CC,. Eldes On the Mia1,ss,ppi
jetUies, V1us writes IN paper to the Ca
naGlan Society of Civil Engineers:
mo ril;l'ow DRAINED Is to be considered
at az adequate for the wants Of com-
morce. Careful investigation has n,ale
1t evlderr. Heat netting but unres,ricted
cianntls OF the very largest Dimensions
for laden vtz-e's of .ll-se tonnage, will at
an compare wiuh the advantages Of trans
Dor,1,,ion bv ron narliNuI,rlv IA, M
United sts.es 9rl Canada ;,
In these marrow cClanne!s, besides the
necessary reduction OF speed, the vessels
do nct steer well whenever a variation
of iSQil,i occurs; in going doivn r.r,am,
the orrents affect the rudder even in
st.raight Channos; ar1l clfre is required to
avHll Dire olge5 of HE channal. 1t has
been recQ-02-y to widen the Suez cana;
to S25 leO., aGli the Baltimore ship chan
mel 70 600 fsst. The advocates of bring
ing ocean ve-u1!s ir'and are constantly
losing c, Int of Ede .5mporlaat difference
bcworn sa.n navigation and that en- the
free ocean. by free ocean service, the
ccrHcl. times 60. as lclY as less than one
mul per ton-me But such ocean vessel
mas .i1eat "a hGura IN going ia niles in
land to Portland: or near,y 60 ror~s OF
atcual towlrg time. TO the increased cost
fran 1uC'l mn altscsl mode Of navigation
add 80 cents per ton for tc,wagN. pmotage.
o.c. ard II Is reodiyCsen why ocean r
vico is not secured inland. les the YES
se.'s draug.i. he ,wlrr 1T may. Whor lip-ht
drausflt boats can be taken without |
tplnsfels from llre producers to a con-
vcnlent hai Dor AZ tAe river mouth. river |
Improvement fce oStAn vessels Is a waste |
of nysney
To secure PoiVandG Inland pClcsr1to on !
I'll mil5,s cf inland ravlgn.ion are re- |
ported. For Tacoma's So miles, 100 miles |
Of Inland navigation anu 12O miles of |
WV Lc ocean navig tlon are required. as |
compared wltCi polist opposite the mouth |
OF the Columbia.
c oucester, the nart mani psrt OF |
Eag aid aaou.d hold suprcmlcy accord |
Ing to the inland theory. Gloucester be-
s,des being from three to fcu- times as |
lar Inland as any cther port in the Unit
ed Kingsom, Ens Its cr!rance in TIE direct
inc Of ocean commtCcc. with no lost
distance. eYt Gloucestec Is but one-s,x-
.eanth the size of Liverpool. and less
iSan one-Aundreith the size If London.
Ds the % wheat vessstls sent by Portland
IN 1915 10 H1e United Kingdom. only one
rcs-el wSs consignel to tiouceaeer. Mon
real secured only eis1t an1 One-ha.s per
,ent of the wheat shipncuts, although
I Is most distinctivsly inilLG OF all The
american ports and conusctei with the
aterlor by .he larges drlugh. water
,hannel that CMst5. AS already noted,
;he yario,,s trans,le-tat tior Zines ir 1891
.,ol, from: Cai.is1 th ul,tinrore only
n a37 busl1e,s. and 20 I'hi,aIalphia only
~ 40 os o.,ai,,st 20 S-S 900 h,,, 1als 10 NYevr