The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-24
THE ORIENTAL LINE
Another Big Steamship Com
pany Looking to Seattle.
WANTS AN AMERICAN TERMINUS.
Sochfro Asaro. OF Tokyo, Favors This
Porr-yexctisfion~ for the North
ern Pacific Line.


chosen Seattle a. rs Ar~rican terminus.
corne fhe Accredited age1ts 81 tks Tokyo
Eisea Ezh8stskl kazs1a. OF orle1tal
steanshlp Company. q Tokyo. ar9 fhsy.
sca. are leoksrx fzEorahly On Seattle a.
tke oest port az uhica % land Their steam
ers. There - cn,v ore obstacle IN the
pay % this Diace hesnx e. once selected.
ans tbat = thai the Nippon Inc WITH
vhick fAs Tskyo Kissn kabuxn.ks kasxaa
woaif b. elrsct competlior. has oetaine,l
privileges thar may gsse y too great q
COMMERCIAL aevartaxe. But this oostA-
Go ray - obvlateG ~ the purchase. on
he1zk o. ne rev ire. % the DocwsH Inc
o. TIE <orthern Pac5fsc Steamship Com
feny. runnsng oaf q Tacoma. and IN thst
compiefe1. ard Seattle would be mate the
terminus.
The visitors 70 the city yesterday were
sochiro Asano. president OF the company
II okaEs. elrector OF the OF Paper Com
pary. near Tokyo: Capt Shunfiro Tom!ka.
fn the service % the steamship company.
and Hiroyuki k0teyashi. interpreter for
pursued rs investigations quietly. and
then left the city well pleased with the
VISIT. Mr.. Asano brought letters 70 Gov.
McsrAw. r o. Graves. Lester Turner and
= n Ammid0wa, president OF the Seattle
Power companv. but owing 10 limited
time presented only the letter 10 Mr.. Am
midtown. who took charge Of the party
and showed the visitors. rs best he could
IN the few hours allotted him. the adyan-
tages offered By Seattle as port worthy
20 be made the terminus OF great trans
Pacific steamship line. The letter TO Mr.
Ammidown was from Robert r. Porter,
an old friend. who wrote from the Arai
hotel. Mike. japan. May IL. as follows:
The bearer. Mr.. Sochiro Asano. j. one
-
Japan. He Is visiting the United States
on tour OF Inspection prior 10 starting
a new line OF steamers between certain
ports OF the United States and Japan.
Among other points under consideration
is Portland. or. Feeling SO much con-
flfence in your judgment and foresight In
all matters relating to the Pacific coast,
! have suggested 10 Mr.. Asano that he
see you on his arrival al Seattle, and
that you place him IN communication with
conservative business men, who viii not
fear going ever all the facts with Mr..
Asano. or course can PUT him in rsla-
ton with those he wants 10 see in the
East. bat ! must rely upon you In Seattle.
MIR. Asano and his family have been
most kind TO Mrs Porter and myself
here. and am especially anxious that he
should make no mistake In respect of
Portland. Perhaps you may know per-
sons there who would be willing TO give
an unpFeJudsced view OF the matter.
ssWilI you help Mr.. Asano In any way
possible. AMI IN so doing shail be most
grateful"
Found Fine City.
From the tone of Mr.. Porter's letter,
and also from conversation with the jap
anese visitors, IL was apparent that they
had come 10 the United States impressed
with a belief that Portland was the best
seaport on the north Pacific coast The
results OF the observation are best sum-
married. In a general way by a remark
OF Mr.. Asano Just before ne LEFT the city
last evening. II came 10 Seattle" he
said. pleasantly. expecting to md a mere
village; but | have discovered il 10 be
q fne city"
But the most favorable circumstance In
connection with the information furnished
NJ. Asano by Mr. Amm!down was the
fact that the japanese millionaire took
eopious notes OF everything Of import
ancs bearing on the advantages OF this
city. He was told OF the harbor. OF the sG-
pertor railroad connections. Of the pros
poets for return cargoes, particularly OF
hour and cotton. Of the improvements
under way By private parties and by the
government. including tn, south and
north waterways. the army post on Mag
n0iia bluffs. and the Port Orchard dry
dock; and all these thiugs had great weight
with him. Nr. Asaro was the only one
In the party who did not speak English,
but through his interpreter he remarked
what We want IS good trade connee-
TONS and he left 4 plain Inference that
x he could make satisfactory arrange
ments with the railroads there would no
longer he any doubt that Seattle would
be chosen as the terminus OF the Oriental
steamship Tine.
With the Railroads
Right here probably will occur TO the
reader what occurred 10 the minds OF
everyone In the party Yesterday. That
inasmuch as the Great Northern has closed
a contract With the Nippon Yusen kalsha,
the only road left Tor the Tokyo Kiseu
kahash!ki kaisha Is the Northern Pacllc
However. The japanese capitalist ard par
IS. accompanied hy Mr.. Ammidowu. paid
a visit 20 Hon Thomas Burke. local coun-
sci Tor TIRE Great Northern. who assured
them that 50 far as ne could tell the
read would extend 10 the new line very
favorable rates The fact that one steam
ship lire has already been located here
observed Mr.. Burke, would not prevent
another one coming.
The party next paid visit 20 Receiver
Bagielgh ~ the Northern Pacific. End
Mr.. Asano desired 20 nnd out the exact
terms Of thu eontrae. between the
Noryhevn Pacific Railroad Company ana
the Doiwei line. OF the Na-thern Pacific
steamship Company. a corporation 9Wnea
Bee E.ord0n and operating from Tacoma.
This Information Was rot AZ oa.s avail
able. aut e is theaEht Nili be furnished
in due time hY ere receiver. NJ AKsno
then observed that Seattle appeared - -
lccatcd on a scr of ne main Nne. and
De Vas assured thar dtfsct Wolld he re-
medled o. 3 snort slime. Further con
ycrsRtloa tauchei on me relations % me
Northern RaCin- steamship Cnsnaanv "a
the Oriental Steanishfp Con narv. ara
then So appeared that AR Asano hal al
ready been neroratIax Ter the coatr1l OF
the netve1 hne. and that be he7ed %
Bring hi~ negotiations O. a s1s-esseaf end
On fhc oe aston % IS visit 20 Ton 33a "a
fey weeks should tais result - sr-
eoUnl fhes. Mr. Aumia0su q sanxsiae
that seattle VII D. chosen a. tha terminus
- thc or.en,si Steamship Coraaanv.
Mr. As&no asked = great many ouestto-s
about Portland. ard carefully exar,i~e8
a mas Nita the intsu'loa % stufviar ont
Whsther g woaIa De less t.1c Tor IA xfea~,-
shEss 90 tsuch bota 81 seattle ans Port.
ian3 Whsn ~ sa& TIE stretch % soas-
i.or. saa3 tea lonE raa 80 tAe Columbia
an1 TIRE Willamette. Ac Indicated that Nsfs
one tsrmt@sfs Wcgl1 - arvtsaAsn He
srake trse1v nf the San-ess Inc. ana as
Fuaarks ssensa - Indicate thar sessse e.
fort aat been made 70 gain control ~ tAat
also bee se viewe5 wlth svsIens asstsvo~
tae loa< Hats arross coUutrv shrsaxN =
Louis aH3 eu t0 tae Assamsle coast
After tas conferences wlta she rsareeer-
tstees - she railroads. ths Asaue rarfv.
sbleA BAD aRcn increa sed ~ Mark Ten
SAa. tas - ness merchant g. Eats civ
ard ~ EsaHsss NJ wso8 ~ tse 7-rtfa
REGISTER. Vas taSan IN }aunea pr ~
ArsrnsA4sn fer a tFse or ara hzsAsr. Thrv
@vnt as9E sAe ws5ee ffenf. carefully Ir-
xeeslsnS stse ssarves ara shipping gaes9s-
s.es a. TAR aarsh as SFafgA .ove. Th~re the
iauneh So 90 q - La -s...r g. =.