The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-06-24
THE RAILROAD
PROGRESSING
Contractors Driving Work With a
Vim, and Other Contracts
About to BE Let.
TINE TO START OTHER WORK
Dry Dock the First Thing Needed II the
Competition Of the Sound Is 10 BE
Headed on OTHERS
Mill join.

The item published IN yesterdays
issue announcing that another large
dry dock. at a cost OF $4,000. is 10 be
constructed at once on Puget Sound.
has set many AstorIans TO thinking.
With two dry docks on Puget Sound,
which win accommodate large vessels
OF every description. what VIII Astoria
do 10 meet such competition? 1t Is well
known by shipping men that sailing
masters In the merchant marine SER
vice. other things being equal, will al
ways seek that port where ample facil-
tiles are offered for cleansing and re-
pairing the bottoms OF their ships.
Even though a vessels bottom is not
IN need Of extensive repairs. when
the means are at hand. almost every
ship captain will dock his vessel and
clean and polish the bottom. This en-
ables him TO make better time on the
ocean. and pays good returns TO the
dock company.
During the recent strike difficulties
railroad matters have been somewhat
lost sight Of. Those who are In touch
with the situation. however. know that
the contractors are driving the work
along the water front most vigorously
A number OF pile drivers are engaged,
those under Contractor Goerig working
west from the can factory, and those
under Wakefield q Jacobsen working
east from Kinney's eannery. have now
crossed Ninth street. The Youug's
bay bridge is ready FOR the rails. as is
also the grade Of the New Astoria
branch. New rails viii Immediately
replace the old iron on the Seaside d.
vision. where new ties have already
been laid. and as soon as the first ship
arrives with the heavy steel, It will be
laid across the bridge II is contem-
plated that II there is any great delay
in the arrival OF the vessel. some Of the
iron now on hand viii be laid on the
bridge temporarily, so as TO start the
trains from Astoria for the Seaside
travel. General Land Agent Gosslin.
who returned yesterday from Helena,
Mont. where he went to meet his wife,
says that all matters are progressing
as rapidly as possible, and II is thought
that Mr. Curtis, who is now in Port
land. will complete the Wolfe contract
for the main line grading before his
return 10 Astoria. Architect Delin Is
getting along well with the plans and
specifications for the Scow Bay depot,
for which 1t is anticipated that bids
viii soon be called. II Is probable that
the bids for the warrenton depot will
be opened and the contract let in the
near future.
With all these affairs under way on
the railroad. II would seem that the
time had certainly arrived for some
activity on the part OF Astorians to
develop the wonderful resources at
their door. First and foremost there
must be a dry dock with sufficient ca
pacity 10 accommodate not only the
largest sailing vessels, but the largest
war vessels in the white navy That
such an enterurise would be a paying
one none have dared to question. That
IL is needed on the Columbia river was
demonstrated many years ago That
Astoria needs II now is a well known
fact. That Astoria win have such
dry dock cannot be doubted. Let the
bah be started to rolling by the clti-
zens themselves, and foreign capital
win soon fall into the procession. De-
lays in these matters are dangerous. A
well known capitalist of Portland when
here the other day, said;
Il am thoroughly in sympathy with
the movement Of affairs in Astoria, and
firmly believe In its future prosperity.
But you cannot afford to be always
waiting on someone else, The moment |
that the main line contract is let to |
Goble, a number Of us have on the way
half dozen different enterprises which
will be commenced at once; but first
and foremost you people want to start
in for a dry dock. Manufactures and
other Improvements win follow"
Mr. Gosslin said that while in Mon
tana he met a number of people who
owned timber lands In the Nehalem |
and who proposed to develop them as
soon as matters were in proper shape
here,