The Portland daily press., 1897-07-02
PORTLAND.
Vice Council Keating's Report to the En-
xIish Government.

v Ice council h0atlnB hcPoAs w sAAo -1AA-
xIish Government.
Mr.. Vice-Consul Heating reports to his
government as follows:
In view of the fact that no report has
been made for several years past, it is
difficult to compare the commerce of the
year lust ended with that of previous
years. 1t is, however, generally conceded
that the year 1895 closed at this port with
a brighter outlook than even the most
hopeful anticipated.
The population of Portland according
to the last report of the City Auditor, was
4,156. The city has tax valuation of
Ell, $50, $40. There are 662 manufacturing
establishments, including locomotive and
car works, rolling mills, tanneries, boot
and shoe manufactures, machine shops,
and foundries, and various other branch-
es of manufacturing industries, employ
ing more than 5000 persons, to whom are
annually paid e632. 13O Portland has a
capacious harbor, easy of access at all
seasons of the year, and situated as it is
railroad route, and about 10 hours nearer
Europe than any other Atlantic port, it
would seem that the city possessed all the
advantages requisite to make it the
pioneer distributing port for the west.
During the winter season of 1896 the num-
Der of ocean steamshipszzwas increased.
There are now two lines to Liverpool
(both calling at Halifax, N. 81, one line
direct to London, one to Bristol, and one
to Glasgow. This improved service has
enabled the exports to increase during the
month of December, 1896, to e525, 1853,
from e196, 7O4 in December, 1895, gain
of e32s, 649. During the past year new
grain elevator has been erected at cost
Of about:.e20, 900. 1t has a capacity of
800. 900 bushels of grain. The principal
exports to the United Kingdom are live
stock. corn, flour, apples, meat products
and wheat. The amount exported to De-
cember 1, 1896, showed an increase of
1895. The value of exports to the British
West Indies was e21 ,O49, an increase of
93, $50 over 1895. The number Of cattle
shipped has greatly increased during the
past year. Additional facilities are now
afforded by the completion, at cost of
60 ,000 of new stockyards at Deering
which furnish accommodation for $500
head of cattle. In the harbor new
lighthouse has been erected. Congress, by
an Act of June 8, 1896, adopted project
for dredging the harbour of Portland to a
depth of 80 feet at mean low tide, the en-
tire area of the hal Dor north of line
drawn from point $50 feet at the inner
end, to a point 800 feet at the outer end,
north of the harbor line on the southerly
side of the harbor, and also provided for
the completion of the improvement of
Back Cove. At the latter locality, where
originally the channel had depth of
about s to 10 feet at low tide for about
half its length. project was in progress
for dredging a channel 800 feet wide, and
10 feet deep at low tide, for distance of
about 5000 feet.
At the close of the United States fiscal
year for 1896, this channel had been
half its length, and to width of about
215 feet for the remainder, all to depth
of IL feet at mean low tide.
Before the improvement of the harbor
was begun, the greatest depth at mean
low tide across the bar, between the mid
die ground and Stamford Ledge, was 16
feet, while the depth on the middle
ground itself was only from to 10 feet.
The depth in the inner. harbor along
the wharves was in places no more than
feet. The expenditures have resulted in
removing the entire area of the middle
ground up to the Harbor Commissioners
line giving wide and commodious en-
trance go feet deep at mean low tide; also
in giving depth of 16 feet at mean low
tide within the inner harbor, along the
wharves, and up to the Harbor Com
misioners' line, with breakwater to pro-
tect the anchorage.
The fish brought to this port largely
consists of bake, cod, haddock, pollock,
herring, smelts, sword-fsh, CLAIMS, ale
wives. and Holsters.
Lobster fishing in Maine forms an i'm
portant industry, and the Commissioner
of Sea and Shore Fisheries, in his report
for 1895, presents the following interest
ing statement under this particular head {:
Number of men employed, 2,708
Number of lobster cars, 2431
Value of lobster cars, "a, 306
Number Of lobster boats, 1858
Value of lobster boats, e438, 366
Number Of Holsters taken, 1895, SIS
Value of Holsters taken, 9l53, O55
Number of pots. 172, 1865
Value of pots, EDS, 1856
Estimated number of pots used
during the year, 3O2, 513
IT, icfy Of