The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-04-26
IGNORANCE ABOUT YAeulNA BAY


It is stated that the Senate will in
crease the House appropriation from
$40, 900 to $4,000 for Coos Bay and
S26, 900 TO $4,000 for siuslaw.
The most important harbor for the
willamette valley, Yaquna bay, isshut
out of the appropriations as usual.
We do not object to liberal appropri-
ations for Coos bay and Siuslaw har-
bors. but all Western Oregon protests
against abandoning Yaquina.
After shutting all commerce out of
Yaquna bay, the only harbor that has
railroad into the Willamette valley,
they maintain life saving station
there.
That enables the politicians to keep
few appointments TO keep the peo.
pie In line, while water competition is
shut out-Capital Journal.
It would be a most excellent idea for
the editor of the Capital Journal to
come down TO Coos bay and look
around him once, just for the sake of
getting his eyes open for proper view
of Yaquina, so that the next time he
goes down there for an outing he can
size that position up for what 1t is
worth.
Coos bay Is a harbor with "a feet of
water on the bar. Ten million Of dol
lars would not put a 2i-foot channel
into Yaquina, and If it would there
would be no harbor there after all.
Why. the General Wright has to keep
line to the dock to turn around at
Newport, without getting ashore on
the other side of the "harbor"
That Yaquina bay is the only harbor
to which the Willamette valley has a
railroad is the Willamette valleys
misfortune, not the fault of Congress
or the United States engineers. The
government has already spent quite a
lot Of money at Yaqulna, building jet
ties to scour a channel through sew
eral miles of solid rocks and jagged
reef Even were a deep channel blast
ed through the rocks there is not tidal
area enough inside the bay to furnish
securing force 10 keep II clear OF sand.
No amount of money could make
Yaqulna n deep water harbor that
would be of material benefit TO the
Willamette valley, and the entrance is
already far better than the Yaquina
country has any use for.
They have nothing TO ship. There is
nothing there but burned hills; no
timber; no bottom lands no marshes.
at least none I'm sight from the rail-
road, which trayerses the whole sec
tion, or from the slough, which they
call the bay"
II is a nice summer resort Thou
sands of people flock there from the
valley during the hot weather, and
that Is all that keeps Yaqulna or its
railroad on the map.
And that Is the place which the odi'
tor of the journal wants Uncle Sam
To squander money on.
Let him come down To Coos Bay
this summer. Il will be a revelation
to him. We will show him more sea
going vessels landing at Marshheld In
one week than he can see at YaQuina
In FIVE years-and all loading with
products of this immediate section.
We viii show him four or five small
steamers the size of the only one on
Yaquina bay and all busy the year
round. We will show him gasoline
launches tin his head swims, instead
OF the lone Ole Oleson and his row.
boat on YaQuina bay,
We will show him sawmills and
coal mines and creameries, and ship
yards and canneries, and tannery, all
In active operation. We will show
him car shops. an iron foundry and a
railroad carrying the products of the
county We will show him electric
lights and water works and, we hope,
ice works. We will show him the
handsomest young mayor in oregon
and the best looking postmaster"
Above ia reproduced merely TO com
bat dense popular ignorance on the
subject, and remove some obstacles
inthe chanel of the Coast Mail editors
mental operations about YaQuina Bay.
We have no rocks 20 throw at the
depth OF water on the Coos bar, and
no reflections to hurl at their wonder
ful harbor facilities which are not in
ferior 10 the yapping mouth OF the
Columbia itself,
The only kick ever heard about
Coos bay is that there is too much
water on the outside; that vessels turn
summersaults crossing the bar and
80 much hot air generated ON the in.
side that vessels are barhound with
fog for several DAYS.
The government did spend two mil
lions on constructing ietties at VA
Quina bay, The engineers were gen
fuses OF the intellectual calibre OF al
mudcat or the congressman and sen
ators who got those appropriations
deserve prosecutions for grand lar.
ceny, or else that expenditure should
not be abandoned and let so TO ruins.
What respect can the people have
for the war department officials or
the men they send 10 Washington it,
two millions is sQuandered ON mere
mud craek that can na,,a, ha u,saa a