Oregon union. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1897-1899, 1897-11-26
P0RTLANl!
LFEMS OF INTEREST FROM ORE.
CONS MEYR0POLIS.
Plenty OF Water and Some SNOW
Wheat Market and General
Business Activity.

A regula, rainy, Webfoot week, culmi.
mated in a two-inch dressing of wet snow
on Portland sidewalks Friday morning
Retail business suffered from the unusual
wind and wetness, but along the river
! front the activity was not very much
affected. A dozen iron sailing vessels
are tied up at various points just below
the four bridges which span the Viii
lamette, where ship and rail meet in
transporting grain to hungry ports in
Great Britain, Australia, Africa, Belgium
J South America, France, China, Japan,
PHILIPPINE Islands, Mexico or India,
countries now looking to the United
States for wheat and -four during the
shortage in the worlds supply. Some
OF these vessels come in laden with tea,
rice, hemp. etc. from the Orient, while
others reach here simply carrying dirt
or rock enough in their holds to steady
them In their voyage across the ocean.
THE RIVER BOATS
have their hands full while the streams
enable them to reach the heads of navi-
CATION, and passenger traffic must serious
ly interfere with the business of the
railroads, as the fares only average about
cents mile, and meals or lodging are
furnished at 25 cents. So those to whom
time is no object can have quite cheap
picnic in steamboat trip to and from
Portland if they are fortunate enough
to live within reach of the boats.
IN THE WET STREETS
gum coats, oilskin suits, umbrellas and
mackintoshes hold high carnival, and
the street cars are well patronized by
those who can afford to spend a few
nickels a day-and many ride for
few blocks who can't afford it.
LADY PEDESTRIANS
are numerous, even in the midst of
heavy showers, and though one hand is
busy in charge or an umbrella and the
other has tight grip on the dragging
skirt, the colored underskirt is left to
gather slush and wetness to mop the
ankles at it's own sweet will. Occasion
ally you gee lady whose dress hangs
five or six inches clear of the ground,
and these have no trouble in locomotion !;
bnt they defy fashion in their preference
for comfort and common sense.
Portland stood the rain and wind
storm Of Thursday very we'll. Reports of
the storms havoc aloLg the coast came
in, and the details OF trees falling across
railroads and of streams oyerhowing their
banks in parts of Western Washington
were about the only reminders, to the
average resident, that we had passed
through storm remarkable for its sever
ity, especially so early in the year. The
Willamette river, about 10 feet above low
water mark, looks muddy and turbid,
but still has some % feet to raise before
it can reach the high-water mark of
June Z, '94, the highest in the city's
history.
THE WHEAT MARKET
of the past week has not been very en-
couraging to those farmers who held off
when it was 50 cents, as the price has
been lowering from 73 to 76; though the
worlds supply has no great signs of being
heavily replenished by the harvests
south of the equator, where threshing
begins in January. The raise in price
of transportation has probably more to
do with the weakness of the markets
than the probability of any great surplus
before the northern harvests of next
August and September. Besides this, the
KLoNDIKE FEVER
should hold the price of wheat, flour,
oats, hay and dried fruits up to the
highest in years, as knowing ones pre-
fields of from 10000 to 250,000 persons,
beginning in March, '9S. These gold
seekers are coming from the uttermost
bounds of the earth, as well as from all
parts OF our own country, and will all
have to be fed from the farms of the
Pacific coast. Portland is organizing to
make it an inducement for prospectors to
fit out here as well as to embark at this
point by sea going and sea- worthy steam
ers which will leave every five days for
Skaguay, direct Portland merchants
have raised fund to send provisions to
the snow-bound Klondikers in January,
and Uncle Sam is expected to assist in
these by way of the passes.
The Yukon is not considered feasible for
winter travel.
The sensation at one of Portlands,
tbeaters the past week has been hvpno- |
tism. A professor had a young man
in bed for 4S hours, and apparently |
sound asleep He was in, furniture |
show window and great crowds blocked |
the sidewalk for two days gazing at the
scene. in.