The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-04-27
THE RAILROAD
PROBLEM TODAY
What viii Astoria DO With Her New
Road When Completed?
HER OBJECT IS COMMERCE
khat II Needed 90 attain liy--L nittd Effort
10 Take Advantage Of the Great
Facilities AZ Hand
HER OBJECT IS COMMERCE

There Is no city ro large but what
II can grVw There is no city but what
keeps on growing or dies out Astoria
has been growing for n hundred years.
The time has now come for her 10 grow
more rapidly.
How ls this b be- accomplished. II the
ofircpoascI question. and aa Asorlan
representative IN Investigating tho mat
ter learned through conversation with
leading merohans that 1t was by union
OF ail forces IN the community alone
that success could be- expected. Profcs-
sional ms-n. mechanics and clerks all
asSrcod IN the proposition In union
there lE strength. The axiom needs no
dcmonst ration.
What is the object Of Astoria's
growth? 4 commercial and shipping
center that shall eclipse anything on
thc Tacinc coast. The attainment Of
that obJcc, dosv not depend upon the
development Of the natural resources
Immediately surrounding Astoria As
toria wants Cla,s,p county's timber
sawed into export lumber. and Clatsop
salmon packed In cans Tor distribution
through the world, and sugar bcvts rails
81 and fax grown and spun: but these
are secondary considerations In the de-.
vvlopmsnt Of this great port u the c.
lumbia It's growth viii depend upon
how much ot the products Of thc entire
states Of Oregon, Washington. Idaho
and Montana It can handle Tor eNpor,
from It's wharyes and how much Of the
products Of china. Japan and the HH-
wal!an Islands It can import for dlsiri-
button throughout the United States
The trade bstWocn the United states
and the Orient Is only In is infancy.
and will reach dimensions li,tle dream.
cd OF The products OF this Northwest
are only beginning TO be- exported.
What is necessary TO be done To have
this vast traffic pass through this port
and make u second New York or Liv-
crpool? The answer is plain and simple
secure transportation facilities. Seat
tie, Tacoma and Vancouver. Il c.. all
have growing traffic and good inland
and transcontincntal transportation
systems, How can Astoria compete
with avenues OF trade already estab-
llshed?
First. without going into lengthy and
detailed arguments, II may be simply
stated that the greatest engineer OF
this country, Archibald A, Schenck,
chief engineer Of the New York Central
y Hudson River railway, says she has
by all odds the greatest. safest and best
harbor on the Pacific coast. Here the
fleets Of the world can be accommodated
In fresh water only ten miles from the
ocean. and where no teredo ever de-
s,roy the pilng of docks and wharves.
In tht second place. with Il railroad
to Astoria, to draw to this
port traffic now seeking other ports, Il
must he shown that traffic can be ham
died cheaper and more quickly than by
other routes, The same eminent en-
gineer, and every other one who has
examined the situation. says that the
Columbia river route from the far In
terror TO the sea, having practically n
stretch of 600 miles ON n water level,
Is capable Of handling many more cars
to the train, at a consequently much
less cost for moving them. than any
other route TO the coast, while the line
from Astoria to Chicago and the East
via Spokane will be shorter. have less
grades and curves than any OF the
routes, at the same time she will have
of tapping all the transcon-
tlnental lines with equal facility, which
no other port can do. Every one knows
that ships can be handled cheaper in
Astoria than in any other port on the
coast. The tow from sea is less than
ten miles, and ships can sail in to the
docks If they do not want to tow,
Unite then. in an effort to quickly
secure the advantage OF the edge on the
game possessed by Astoria, Hammond
financed the railroad in the hardest
times the country ever saw. and ac-
complished what others failed to do in
good times. and what Astorians had
been hoping and waiting for many
years. Today while times are still
hard, he Is rapidly building the most
substantial piece Of railroad on the Pa
cifc. seventy-six pound steel rails, the
heaviest pilings, greatest number Of ties