The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-06-10
4 REMARKABLE DEMONSTRATION

The Liverpool Journal Of Commerce for
May q, one os the Astorian's regular
exchanges, and which reached us in req
ular course Of nssA yesterday, is notable
sor containing a column editorial on the
remarkable growth OF trade and shipping
in ;he United States. The article is OF
especial and striking value just now in
the discussion on the seaport problem Of
the Northwest. 1t discusses at length
the tendency Of modern commerce to
deeper draft vessels. and brings out
strongly the indispensability Of deep wa
ter harbors for the accommodation Of
these vessels. by showing the astonishing
decline in ocean freights due to the ems
ployment Of the larger tonnage carriers.
The purport Of the Journals article is
thai no seaport can hope 10 compete for
the ocean carriage trade with harbor
depth Of less than Is to 80 feet. Coming
from a foreign standpoint. without bias
as to any domestic strife or local conten-
ton. and being the utterance Of one OF
the highest maritime authorities in the
world, the Journals article. II properly
distributed and read in Portland would
convert the thinking people of that city
to the Astoria proposition. 1t possesses.
too, wonderful Importance to the pro-
duoers Of the Inland Empire, in its bear.
ing on the mystery of the present low
price Of Northwest wheat 1t Is scarcely
credible. but the Journal shows that
beginning with 1855, when the tendency to
larger vessels first began TO be mani.
tested in the shipping word, ocean
frelghts between New York and the
United Kingdom have declined from $40
10 $40 per ton on flour, from ss.S2 10
sl.s2 on wheat, and from SEQ to 50 on
provisions. Let the producers Of the
Northwest figure out the gain to them
Of a corresponding reduction in the
wheat rates between this coast and Llv.
erpool or on -four to the Orient, and
they will begin 10 grasp the meaning OF
the Astoria proposition and its vital
relation to their welfare Ships Of the
largest tonnage may enter Astoria har
Dor without difficulty but It is only un-
der the rarest conditions that any vessel
drawing to exceed IS to % feet Of water
can ascend or descend the 100 mile chan.
mel between the sea and Portland. To
avoid any question as TO the correct. |
ness Of these statements from the Jour
nal. we quote that part Of the article
exactly as follows:
In 1871 the draft Of the largest vessels
20 and from New York was q |
feet; in 1888 II was q feet; the draft has
now increased TO a ruling depth Of %
feet. with vessels occasionally drawing
9Oik feet. and some are building which
will draw 80 feet. and possibly "a feet.
In the same period freights have fallen
from $40 to $40 per ton on -four; from
sss2 90 1872 on wheat, and from $3.50 10
3 on provisions. The importance Of
deepening and widening the channel was
into prominent notice, and as
his work falls within the province OF
he general government, representations
we're made to congress on the subject.
Surveys and estimates were made by
ne engineer corps, and their report was
submitted, recommending that a channel
s feet deep and 1900 feet wide should be
that the east channel should
% selected, and that ultimately the chan
nel should be deepened to 40 feet. Other
improvements suggested are that the
present Bay Ridge and Red Hook chan.
lel along the Brooklyn shore. from the
Narrows to Governors Island. be wild
med and deepened so as to AFFORD passage
or the deepest draft vessels from the c
Sarrows into East River 1t is pretty q
'vident from this that the authorities at q
New York are fully alive to the import ! C