The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-01-17
THE SEA WALL
GETS A LIFT
From q Well Known Shipmoster who
Has Sailed the World Over.
GET THE IMPROVEMENT FIRST
Pronts WIN Take Care of the Bonds ~
Well as the Oh Debts ~
th. CITY

'hUalln AWIhEl4At ~ hf''
Grown of India. knows something about
canals and scawalls
While spending yesterday In the city
the captain In conversaiion with An
AHtorian representative on Che subject
nf interior ship canals and Erawhils AT
shipping ports. said:
As 10 u ship canal from the sea-
board Ia the interior of any country.
can only site the instance Of the Man
chester ship canal. which. after the cS-
pcndturc ~ millions ~ pounds. aud
Ito advertisement u opening for busi-
ness. IL today IN AN incomplete state
and probably never viii be- able TO ne
comuniate sailing vessels. For one
thing. a ship cannot go up the canal
without disgnantling. For another.
the numberiess bridges interfere with
commerce and again. constant dredging
IN necessary TO keep the channel deep
enough for large ships.
Liverpool IL the seaport Of the world.
Her massive stone EeaWall gives her
precedence over any other harbor.
Tho seawnll cost millions of pounds.
but It's value has been returned many
times over In the increase ia shipping
at that port and thc Increased value Of
adjacent property
II have read with interest the agi-
tation here for seawail and my only
wonder Ia that YOU never built one
Year, ago. II you had there never
would have been an attempt made 10
Astoria and Portland. The experience
Of Liverpool will b. repeated here ~
you construct seawnll Dccp s-a yes.
sells would then not 20 TO Portland for
lOading when they can nrd solid docks
In q magnificent harbor only ten mites
frum sea al which they can tie up Inn
mriiateiy upon entry. discharge their
cargocs or halalst and take on their
loads Your railroad nov nearing COM
plctiou viii bring the wheat and flour
from the interior Go tide water and
predict that when this condition OF ar
fairs Is brought about here Astoria
will control large share OF the ship
ping now done a. San Francisco and
on the Sound. Ship masters would con-
alder Il blessing II they can ind
their loading ten miles from sea. al
little or now towage expense. You can
readily understand. also. that by the
reduction in time and towage necessary
for u ship to load in Portland or on
the Sound or In san Francisco. there
will b. "A corresponding reduction In
the rates ~ charters and marine In.
surance. This will have two effects.
The farmer viii g.t better price for
his wheat ana the ship owner n better
profit In his business, Added TO this
Astoria has the great ADVANTAGE now
offered by the opening of the Cascade
locks and the shipment TO tide water
at the cheapest possible rates OF the
wheat from the interior counties ON
the Upper Columbia by barge.
II should say that the city could not
possibly inausurpte movement more
conducive to It's future growth and ad-
vaneement, as well as It's immediate
prosperity than to build the seawall.
Never mind II you are a small town
now and have present heavy debt.
can't you see that the tremendous ben.
ofts and immense improvements in
values OF property by the building OF
the seawall will not only take care OF
the additional debt necessary to be as
sumed, but will In a comparatively few
years pay on the debts YOU now have.
Nothing can be made without risking
something. You must have a seawali
sooner or later. You are a shipping
town Increase your shipping facilities
and the shipping business will in
crease Itself, carrying with II prosperI-
ty TO all other lines OF business. Put
up good wall where you can place
ships and commerce viii so advance
and Increase that the oldest citizen will
not believe the evidence of his own
eyes"