The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-08-14
THAT STEAMER LINE,


Hundreds of inquiries are hcnE made
concernng the proposed steamer ll"r hc-
tween Astoria and Alaska County otn.
cials and business men daily rcccivc lot.
tcrs and personal inquiries as to when
II Is to hc inaugura,ed, when stock In the
mc win be for sale. Whom the FIRST
steamer will start what the rates OF
freight and passage will hc, what ports
will be made, how many boats will I've
in the line. and many other similar
questions, Even the farmers IN the Ne
halem are onctng to suhscribc stock
10 such 4 protect Knowing that Il
will bc profitable investment II the
enterprise Is conduotcd On business prIn.
clples, Fishermen, who are going 70
Alaska In the spriuy, ha>N requested that
they hc included IN such a schcmc, and
viii givc their work during the winter
;or the sake ~ grtting greatly reduced
rates to Alaska,
Il has been suggested that during the
winter fishermen and others who want
stock pu, IN thcir time huIljtng good.
Slzcd kno'kcd down river stcamvr-thcir
time. work and any material furnished
to cuutlr them 70 SO much stock IN the
conccrn and rvdutvd rates " Ir,ight and
passage TO Alaska. \ large steamer
should I've chartered to ply regularly he
tween Astoria and St Mlchaels and ON
the tirst trip tn, river steamer In Soc
,ions could be transported 20 the Yukon
and launched Tor regular service there
That such an enterprise would pay large
returns is yNtrtan
\ man who knows how to handle goo,ls
and Is not asleep said yesterday that
what was wanted acrc WIS two or three
live men. possessed of little OF the
Seattle spirit. who would get their hcads
together and do somCthlpg instead ~
waiting until u year from next christ
mas Tor the report or an investigating
committee, when. by the time they
learned that thyrr is such a place as
Alaska and that g, is hcins rapidly pco-
Piled and that goods of all kinds lrr
bringing large prices. some other town
would have all the trade corr7llcd and
there would bc no prout In another
steamer line. II Astoria" hc said.
is content 20 remain all its days
fishing station ON a par with Sk1mokaWa.
Cathlame,. or Pnlar Rock. a mere as-
gregation OF China wash houses. nsh oil
factories and a few packing houses. then
let It continue to pursue backwoods
schoolboy policy OF sitting on IN, banks
OF the mighty Columbia. at the greatest
Natural hurbor ou the Pacific coast.
and watch the procession OF prosperity
Instituted by Seattle. Tacoma ana Por,
land. pass by. In the face OF rising
tide OF national peace and plenty and
with unlimited timber reserves within
I stones throw Of the harbor. and with
the greatest wheat crop the Northwest
ever saw; added to the fact that within
a FEW months the railroad will De COM
pleted and the iron horse that has trny-
rlcl across th,- continent will blow RS
breath upon Astoria's docks Il Is simple
suicide and death to every hope and
project to quietly sit down. fold our
hands and wait for the other fellow TO DO
something that will sell our town lots"
The inquiring cwpU residents anal
others have one and an been Old that
when Astoria's Alaska steamer unc is
put in operation the millennium viii prob.
ably have arrived ana there will De no
need Of gold mines, steamer lines or
railroads.