The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-24
SOME FACTS FOR THE ODD Eel.
LOWS To CONSIDER

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A dispatch in yesterdays oregonian.
dated Tacoma, says:
Few people. even those engaged
in the transportation business. have
any idea Of the enormous earn
ing capacity OF all classes of
boats engaged in the Cape Nome car
rying trade. To illustrate; The gross
earnings of the Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse. on a round trip, occupying over
50 days, is $4,000 to SS0,O0O the latter
sum where her holds are filed with
freight TO their capacity. and her cab
ins all taken up with three classes Of
passengers, first, second and steerage
The Kaiser represents an outlay Of
over Sl,OOo.oO0. and IL requires more
than 500 men to operate her, and when
she is under steam she consumes over
500 tons Of soal every "a hours. Eight
trips is an ordinary years work for a
boat Of this class, nine being the most
boat OF her character could possibly
make. as dockages and repairs occupy
the remaining period OF the year.
7 Compare these earnings with those OF
an old barge. costing when new not TO
exceed so, 600. in the Cape Nome trade,
and they sink into insignifcance. The
barge Skookum. which left a few days
ago under tow for Nome, carried 1000
tons. dead weight, and measurement
cargo. in addition to a large number
Of live cattle. horses, sheep. and hogs,
The freight money on this immense
cargo amounted to SlS4.O00 for a dis
tance Of less than one-third as great
as a ship Of the Kaiser's class would
have to cover. The steamship Oregon
is said to have had under her matches
enough freight at from $40 to $50 a ton
to bring $4,000. while on her decks
enough livestock and goods were stored
TO bring $4,000 more, and in her pas
senger accommodations she had 52S
people. averaging 500 a head. or
total of Sl47.6O0 for steaming voyage
Of about eight days. Then she will
easily pick up 300 passengers at 500
and $50 per head for the return trip,
thus bringing her gross earnings for A
round trip, requiring not to exceed 30
days, to about S1SO.OOO. Thus this
steamship will earn more than money
enough in a single round trip to pay
the entire cost of her purchase, repairs
and operation. leaving a large balance
to be divided among her owners. The
barge Skookum stands to net her own
ers over 100000, over and above all
expense, on a voyage not to exceed 30
days, and. if she gets there. will prob
ably sell for $4,000 more.
There are several hundred delegates
in attendance on the Odd Fellows con-
vention in this city. frcm various Sec
tions Of Oregon, whose especial atten-
ton the Astorian would like to invite
to the above item. What will these
representative citizens say to the prop
osition that all this great business, ag-
gregating millions of dollars in the
going and coming. would be done from
the mouth of the Columbia river if 1t
had not been for the jealousy Of
Portland. Do these interior delegates
know that the mouth Of the Columbia
river is the uttermost railroad extern
sion point on the American continent
into the Pacific ocean. and that Asto-
ria, within u miles of the open ocean,
is over 100 miles nearer the Cape Nome
mining country than any other port
on the Pacific coast? Do they know
that the excuse made by Portland for
not engaging in the Kondike business,
viz that Seattle had the advantage Of |
the nearer and safer "inside passage"
through which commerce could be sent |
cheaper and more expeditiously than |
from the mouth Of the Columbia river,
cuts no figure in the Cape Nome busi-
ness2 Do these delegates know that
the Columbia river at one time had |
all the Alaska business, as well as
regular lines Of vessels TO the Sandwich |
Islands, to Hong Kong, China, and
other Oriental ports, but that all this
business has been gradually surren-
dered to Tacoma and Seattle, simply |
because it became impossible to do 1t
from river point one hundred miles
inland, that is from Portland, and
that Portland preferred to throw her
influence in favor Of sending this COM
merce away from Oregon rather than
permit Astoria to do it? Do these in
terror delegates know that Portland
has been drag upon the progress Of
Oregon for ten years past, and that
1t is entirely due to Portland's selfish
spirit that the state Of Washington has
so enormously increased in trade, com
merce and population over Oregon? DO