The Billings gazette., 1899-04-21

has naturally centered here, utilizing
the water power, but there is room fol
scores Of others. There are now il
operation four or five large paper mills
which make excellent paper from Ore
gon lumber and water, a blanket manu-.
factory, numerous sawmills, flour mills.
etc. Many of the people working at
Oregon City live i'll Portland, the two
towns being connected by an electric
railway which runs cars every forty
minutes.
We were much pleased OH Thursday
evening to receive call from Fl. T..
Wilson, who formerly worked on The
Gazette in Billings, operating our
Thorne type.setting machine. He is
now operating Mergenthaler on the
Evening Telegram of Portland. the
afternoon edition Of the Oregonian. Mr..
Wilson was the fastest Thorne operator
in the United States, and we are glad
to say bids fair to make swift one on
the Mergenthaler also. Since leaving
Billings. in '97, he has worked Oh
Thorne machines at Boise, Idaho,
Pendleton, Ore, and other places, and
has been in Portland three or four
months. He says he has not seen the
sun to exceed six times during the win.
ter and that he will never be satisfied
until he is again working in Billings.
Speaking of the Oregonian, am cop-
strained to believe that it almost runs
Portland, if not The entire state of Ore.
gon. It owns the finest building in the
city. ve1itable palace, eleven stories
high, located on one of the best corners
in the business district; it controls the
state politically, which it has made
reliably republican through its able ed.
itorials, and deserves the proud dis
tinction it enjoys of being one of the
very best edited papers III the United
States.
Friday morning we left by rail for
the sea shore, distant IS miles, and as
we write the roar of the breakers of the
Pacific is in our ears. Seaside is the
name Of the town, which is Portland s
summer resort. It contains several
good hotels, open in the summer season
only. but Mrs. Carlisle, a clever and
Portland lady who owns
Hall, kindly took us in for a
few days, although her place is not
open for business yet. She is good |
and if any of The Gazette
leaders ever come this way I would ad-
wise them to stop with her if they 20 to |
he seashore. The beach here is fine
or four miles long and
1alf mile wide at low tide. The swell
S heavy, too, and the breakers, even
when the sea is calm, are three OF four
eet high when they first strike the
leach. 1t is little too cool for bath.
ng, but we got our feet wet in the Pa.
'ific and have spent three days taking
n the fresh and invigorating salt
Freezes. They make fellow feel like
| new man. too. Clams-the razor.
Jack variety-are very plentiful Oh this
beach and we caught basektful at low
ide in short time. They are cooked
y the natives III every way imaginable
md are as tender as oysters.
We are in the heart of the salmon
country, too To get here we came
through Astoria, right at the mouth of
he Columbia river. 1t is a city of
'bout IL, 900 population and is wholly
by the salmon industry.
Within twenty miles of the city are
taught most all the salmon that are
lsed in the United States, besides many
hat are exported. Large canneries
inc the wharves in every direction and
xtend up the river for twelve or fifteen
niles. The fishing season opened yes
erday and the mouth OF the river,
which is four or five miles wide, was
White with the sails of the fishing
macks. The salmon are caught in
eins. which are handled by two men,
Who sometimes clear as much as 1000
ach during the four months season.
We will stop in Astoria this evening
nd go through the canneries. The
usiness portion of the town is built
light over the river, Oh piles. Tomor-
ow we return to Portland by boat, up
he Columbia from Astoria, right
hrough the big lumber country of Ore.
OH. Tuesday we go by boat to The
'alles, further up the Columbia, tax
lg. in the famous cascades Of that
ream and some of the finest scenery in ,
he world. 1t takes two days to make
MS trip, when we will return again to I
ortland and leave for Seattle. where
70 expect to try our sea legs by cross.
lg the Sound and straits to Victoria, :
. G.. We have found the Oregon web .
)oters to be clever and extremely
ccommodating people and hope they
ill prove to be as agreeable on Puget
ound. We have stuffed ourselves with
almon, clans and all varieties of fresh
nd saltwater fish and hope it may have