The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-04-01
THE END WORKING OFT.

The proposed Kennewiek extension of
the a. & c, r. R. has but one meaning.
1t foreshadOws an alliance between the
Astoria road and the Northern Pacific.
with Astoria as the deep water terminal
for the wheat and trans-continental
traffic of the latter. Such an outcome o;
the railrOad situation is inevitable and
has been expected. A down-grade branch
to the mouth Of the Columbia seems in
dispensable to the protection Of Northern
Pacific investments and interests.
Through control of the o. r. & N. the
Great Northern has had its parallenng
rival shut out OF Portland for some time,
and 1t must be but a little while when
that road viii be forced also to vacate
Puget sound. No alternative is left the
Northern Pacific but surrender as an
independent organization. or combination
with the Astoria road. Ii looks as II
the disruption of the northwestern rail-
road monopoly has at last come. and
that the policy Of the futsre viii be open
competition for the growing commerce
Of the Pacific coast with Europe and she
orient :.
No prophetic eye is required to discern
the tremendous importance to Astoria Of
this latest move on the railroad chess
board. With its seaport terminal at the
mouth OF the Columbia river. the new
Northern transcontinental line
win solve one OF the greatest commercial
and transportation problems of the nine
teenth century. The Astoria outlet will
make this transcontinental system the
strongest and most profitable in the
northwest. and the producers Of the great
Columbian basin will be in position to
wrest the commercial rights of their
location from their enemies on Puget
sound and the willamette The gigantic
conspiracy which has existed so long for
the elimination of the Astoria harbor as
the dominating factor in Pacific com
merce will be brought to a speedy and
ignominous termination That the op-
ponents OF this contamination are not |
dead to the conditions which viii soon
confront them is evidenced by an inter-
view with President ]. D. Farrell Of the
Pacific Coast Company. published in
last Wednesdays Post-Inteilingencer.
Among other things, President Farrell
said:
"If my company Is successful in nego-
tiations that are now in progress on the
Atlantic Coast, one If not two steamers
viii be secured and sent around the Horn
destined for Seattle. to be used in the
carrying trade between this city and
Honolulu. | cannot now give you the de-
tails Of the enterprise. Manifestly, 1t will
be impossible TO fix schedule Of sailing
dates, etc. until we have secured the
requisite steamers. You can say, how
ever. that 1t is believedS that trade be-
tween this city and the Hawaiian Islands
win increase from year to year and the
Pacific Coast Steamship Company wishes
to get its share Of that business. Facil-
tiles for the handling OF the new business
at Seattle win be supplied. An office
win be opened and maintained at Homo
lulu"
TO this interview, the Post-Intelligencer
Appends the following comment on the
purposes ana plans Of the moving spirit
n Mr. FarreIl's operations:
III IS not difficult to see IN the expan-
sfon Of the trade Of the Pacific Coast
Company, which owns the Pacific Coast
Steamship Company. the influence OF the
Great Northern railway. The interests
1f the Great Northern as far as Pacific
Irade goes are centered in Seattle. To
obtain q share IN the business between
Honolulu ana the east the Great North
lrn would naturally be interested inl