The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-11-16
HOLDS KEY TO THE SITUATION
San Francisco and the Cramps Would Join Astoria and
Portland Combined to Down seattleS
Increasing Prestige.

Better ,hln the r,llroad," This was
sho assertion made yesterday by one OF
Aaiorla's business men IN regard 20 the
limo OF steamers to be run by the crimpo
Of Phliad-lphia. between San Francisco
and Alaska. That is why ,hc chamber
of commerce and The Astoria Progressive
Commercial Association arc justified In
an attempt TO have the Cramps make
this a port oi call but We canno, accom-
pliah /, alons,-Porlland and san fran
cisco musr hep IN M scheme."
There Is an opportunity here TO form a
triple alliance that viii out rivM the cell
rbri,cd fHpartiic agreement back In the
eighties between the Union Paclnc, the
chineo and Northwestern and thy Chi-
cage Milwaukee, and 81 Paul railways
Of which r Pvinlng. now Humngton's
sau Francisco stryc, car magnate. was
the chief executive ofnccr
During the past few days the western
world has watched with bat,d breath the
growing nghi between san Francisco and
Seattle for supremacy in the tremendous
Alaskan trafilc that viii ,akc place next
spring. and from al appcarane continue
Indefinitely. SEATTLE leads all ports or
departure az the present. Tor the land OF
gold, How did she get yhc prcsugey
while Portland, Astoria and san Fran
cisco were asleep she advertised. She
advertised nigh; and day. She sent the
nrst newspaper men north. The first AS
sociatcd Press reports OF the rlehts in
the frozen zone were given TO the worli
through Seattle by Seattle men Her
merchants Immediately trimmed tneir
sails, Constant telegOphlc matter was
sent TO the east Klondike editions OF
the homo papers were issued and sent
cast Emissar4cs were dispatched to car
ry the news TO the Atlantic thas Seattle
could outfit the world and had special
steamer lines TO carry the people north.
II mattered not that some OF the tubs
had to be taken from the toneyard and
have their holes pluggcd Everything
went. a stream OF people and gold be-
gun to flow into Seattle. and she had the
edge on the game
Portland and San Francisco finally
awakened TO the fact thH they wer,
losing rich thing and put on few good
but small steamers. That did not stem
the tide. but developed little local trade.
New San Francisco. with her tremend-
Gus wealth. has jumped into 'the ring
with both feep and will work without
gloves. Where Seattle can spend 81, San
Francisco Will throw thousands to the
has gold mines of her own
In the determination TO capture even at
this late day, the trade of Alaska, She
will possess every advantage save THAI
alone Of being first ITO enter the race.
The great shipbullders of Philadelphia.
the Cramps were caEcd upon, because
San Franciscos almost as great Union
Iron Works was not equal TO the emerg-
ency, and half a dozen Atlantic grey
hounds were contracted to run between
San Francisco and Alaska. stopping on
the Sound to take the transcontlncntal
business terminating there. San Fran
cisco alone cannot furnish all the busi-
ness necessary to support such line OF
steamers, although she Is the terminus
OF four transeontinentac roads. Perforce
they must stop at Seattle because big
business Is already there. having conr
parativeiy poor shipping facilities
Now where does the triple alliance
come In? There is San Francisco 100
miles TO the south OF Astoria, on the
coast, and here IS Astoria at the mouth
Of the great Columbia river, possessing
the finest harbor in the world, and over