The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1899-11-15

ence Of the gr,at eastern railways In
cheap transportation by rail is worth
,nor than the theories Of o, Il. q ~.
officials, or even ot that great railway
authority the oregontan,
American railway managers except
The oegonian) have proved 10 the
world cortland excepted that with
steel rails ANA steam. freight can be
moved far more cheaply than in any
artificial waterway ur river channel
Unfortunately tfor the producers of
Eastern Oregon and Washington this
fact is not as yet fully understood toy
the oregonian and the O, r. X y. Of
ficials) save by the few who are tamh- |
lar with recent progress in thu railway
field.
one min per ton per mile II cents per
ton from Portland to ASTORIA
The attempt (of the oregonian and
o, f, 4 n. oficialsl to revive water
transportation in place of rail trans
portation is doomed to only tempor-
airy success. In the end the law Of the
survival OF the fttest" will prevail and
IL will not BE- the steel railway from
Portland to Astoria, or from Seattle and
Tacoma to Astoria) that will be given
up. Hill and Mellen are substituting
the obsolete inland water route Of the
Sound. and Moher the Columbia river
obsolete inland water route. FOR the
steel rail route. Both are running coun-
ter to all the advance Of transportation
methods Of the rest OF the United |
States. Hill does 50 because his north
ern road is unfortunately cut of from
access to the coast. Mellen does so be-
cause his system has an aching void
from Pasco to Portland Mohler does
so because there is an aching void in
hat molar from Portland to Astoria.
ANY one OF these systems 1--WE say it
ldvisedly) would gladly make Astoria
he terminal if that system had not
uch an unfortunate gap between itself
md Astoria This broken up condition
If each system, as regards access to As
oria, is why each of them is fighting
lgainst the law OF railway progress.
Vow they are trying to break up the
4. & c. railway and use IL to MI the
lching void In truth it is a question
whether Hammonds ownership is help
ul to Astoria II ii prevents these sys-
ems from securing a through route to
he coast. Hill and Mellen, perhaps
lespairing of this, have been investing
leavily in Seattle terminals. The o. r.
; n. Company, without any deep wa
er terminals, is now fighting hard to
Orce an A. & c. receivership and Sc
ure control The situation of that
ompany, in view OF the deep water
nd deep draft terminals Of the other
Dads, is desperate, II cannot be en-
ured much longer. and the fight to
finish is now on. If the intention OF the
}. r. & n. Company is to fall IN line
,ith railway progress, and move its
criminals down to deep water at the {
oast, the people Of Astoria will wish
hat company all success.
Finally, If the 0. K. & y. Company
'ould retain its position in the export
rade, it must concentrate It's energies
por the question Of reducing the cost
Z handling freight at its terminals. It {
Gust have terminals Of great conven- :
ence at low cost. These II cannOt Sc
IRE in cramped and costly Portland.
t can secure them at the ample and
heap Astoria water fronts. As costs Of |
lain line transportation per tOn-mile
ecrease. terminal costs assume greater
alative importance. This law will a
ear very hard against the Great z
,orthern at Seattle and the Northern I
'acidc at Tacoma. The larger the
own, the more expensive the first cost,