The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-11-26
is ASTORIA OR PORTLAND
OREGONiS CHIEF PORT
The Columbia River BASINS Interest in This
Vital QueStiOn---A Plain Case
Plainly Stated.
,cOpynsia Reserved,

III
PORTLAND. Nov. H--EittOr Astorian: 4:
The true seaport problem between
Portland and Astoria 10 not merely the
relative cost OF carriage
The True between tho two places
Qussti u. By rail- and by river. Il
is a broader question,
namely. tho relative cost of carriage
between tho wheat fields and the
wheat market OF Liverpool or. rather.
when reduced to lie ultimate ereC,, or
last analysis. II Is simply the question
AZ 20 which seaport will add most value
70 our exports In tho producerH' hands.
The two questions are not tho same In
substance and effect. Tho last stated
question involves Infinite
Two Distinct " moro than the nrst
Questions named. Most people In
this basin. however. are
wont 10 discuss the problem on the
nrst named question. In fact the Ore
CONAN asserts. with triumphant yiRor.
that tsinoo towuge and nghterago have
been made free to- grain ships) IS cents
por ton viii cover the cost Of wheat ex-
ports by the river route between Port
land and Astoria. II. no doubt. referred
morely 10 ship expense. not including
interest on Investment. Il assumes thas
fact df II be suchl settles the seaport
problem IN favor Of Portland.
Such fact. though. would not settle
that problem. ! am Informed. through
an interview with Mr. c.
49,. n
ship Expense. wauenton paper sent
me by friend. that that
famous authority declares the train ex-
pense" between tho two cities. OF 5000
tons OF wheat already loaded on the
cars. would be only 800 or l-3 cents
per ton. &c. n that were the true ques-
tiou. Il would easily bo settled In favor
OF railway transportation 70 Astoria
There are. however other elements
that enter into tho final question OF the
value Of the port 70 the
Other producer. besides towage.
Elements. nghterage and pllotage
en- the river, there are
also domurrage and marine risks. long
delays and higher insurance. Of In
land river navigation. which figure
largely n uhe estimates OF keen
eyed commerce These items OF expense
are greater on the river u0o miles In
land) than on Puget sound uA miles
lnlandl: and far higher on etther OF
those ports. respectively. than 10 a port
within ten or hfteen miles from the high
seas.
But far and away beyond these items
OF estimate Is the other great element
OF ocean freights. These
Heavy ship as we'll as the inland nav
TonnAge. igation cost, enter into
the total cost OF getting
tho wheat TO market. And these freights
depend upon the size OF the ship botrom-.
Gravity" for land transportation and
heavy ship tonnage" for ocean carriage
are the two great controlling factors
IN settling seaport problems. OCEAN
ARE CHEAPER IN LARGE
SHIP BOTTOMS THAN IN SMALL
ONES.
THIS IL the chief element in the sea-
port problem as between Portland and
Astoria - an element
Tns Crucial wholly overlooked in our
Question. local discussions. The
largest ships OF ocean !
commerce can come into Astoria Bay !
QUICKLY AND SAFELY and get out |
lEaln In like manner. only the smaller |
hips can reach Portland wharves. An |
ZOO, 1000 or 1900 ton ship can come to |
astoria, while ships OF only half that |
onnage can so to Portland. This fact
makes the latter high charter port, and |
he former low charter port-the low
st charter port. II would make a dif- |
erence OF perhaps 80 per cent in the |
,cean charters between the two cities,
The steamers II the various Atlantic |
ines range from q TO ~ feet draught.
These include the Anchor |
some ship line. the Cunard line the
Tonnage. lnman line, White Star |
line and the Hamburg |
Inc, with tonnage ranging from SIPS
ons to $500 tons. And many new steam
rs have a tonnage, now, Of 1900 tons,
With a constant upward tendency as the
'rime feature OF competition. Many
arge grain vessels have 26 feet Of
Iraught.
OF course, with only u 229s channel at
,est ON the Columbia above Astoria,
these great ships of
Dear Char commerce cannot reach
ter Port. the wtharves of Portland,
which is thus condemned
o dear charters as port Of the third
lass In commerce. Why, 1t is due to this
act that wheat Is so low at Portland
he o. r. & N. steapers haul 1t to San
for foreign export at $500 per
ON past Astoria wharves. II Portland's
uturo depended upon its own seaport
upremaey 1t would soon dwindle. But,
apply, its future greatness depends, as
70 shall see, upon the fact that Astoria
lay Is naturally, by all odds, the cheap
st charter port on tho Pacific coast,
nth the central situation of the tonnage
cit Of the Pacific Northwest and of the
BRENT.
San Francisco charters will average
J shlIlings. Astoria charters would be
approximately as cheap,
Charters Puget sound charters,
Compared. where the largest ships
may come, average about
Is. 3D.; Portland charters average SSs.,
r over per cent higher The following
able OF Puget sound and Portland char
ers, takon from the Commercial News
S. FL October 49, 1885, wll show the im-
ortant difference in favor OF Puget !
ound;
Puget sound 60 United Ningdom-
4eyland Bros ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS sis Sd |
francis Fisher ............,.........3Ss .3Ss 6d |
rerdenand Fisher ..,,,..o......,!...S .S1s Sd |
larnarvon Bay ,.,...,...,,.,.,..a.S Sis Sd |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. sos Oh |
,,..,,........,.,...,,.. SIS 90 |
}lenelvin ,....,..,.......u,.,..., .S2s Cd |
iir Robert Fernie ..,.,.,.,..a,..,....S .SOs Cd !
.,.,,o toho ntNr D,,rak