Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-09-18
pAoUsNA HAlB0R.
Report Of the Meeting at Newport
and Arguments Presented.

ana EK1 1\S%Rk
The Board of United State
Engineers, consisting of Colone
iIIeuer of San Francisco, Maio
ILangftt Of Portland, and MAJ ,.
Mills of Seattle, met at New
port, on Tuesday, September I S
III accordance with notice pre-
viously given to INK e ,tigate the
advisability of continuing The
Improvement of the entrance te
Yaquina Bay and to hear and re
ceive arguments submitted IL
writing regarding the necessity
of further work, says the Ore
gonia1. The Board was accom-
panied by many representative
business men from Albany and
Corvallis, interested in opening
this harbor to deeper draft sea-
going vessels than present depth
of water will permit to enter with
safety.
The public meeting took place
at II o'clock. Colonel Heuer
stated the object of the Board
meeting and inviting those in
terested to present statements in
support of The necessity of carry
ing on the improvement of va
.quina harbor.
Hon. J.. K, Weatherford read
and submitted a report from the
Alec Club Of Albany, which was
a strong and most convincing
argument of the inestimab1e
value the improvement of this
harbor would be to Linn county
and Benton, Lane, Marion, Polk,
Crook and Lincoln counties,
which are contiguous to the line
of the Corvallis & Eastern Rail
road aud directly tributary to
Yaquina Bay, and upon the
deepening OF that harbor de-
pended so much the development
OF their natural and unlimited
resources.
Statements concerning re-
sources Of these counties had
been presented to the former
Board of Engineers from years
400 which was not deemed nec-
es5ary to again enum crate, as
they are yet available III the
hands of the department. Mr..
Weatherford also called atten-
tion of the Board to the vast ter
ritory Of Southeastern Oregon as
yet wholly without transporta-
ton facilities, and4 assured them
that with the opening of Yaqui-
na harbor the c. & E. R. R.
would pef1etrate that section.
He also invited attention to
the immense lumber resources of
Lincoln county, and that there
was approximately estimated as
1900, coo, 900 feet board meas
ure in sight west of Corvallis.
A letter was read by Major
Langhtt; which the Board had
received from G. A. Westgate OF
Albany, one of the largest wheat
buyers and shippers in the state,
in which were recited the great
benefits received in the past by
the farmers Of the Willamette
Valley during the days of the
old Oregon Pacific Company
competition when the vessels were
carrying grain from Yaquina
Bay and the great advantages
that would again be afforded
when vessels of a larger tonnage
could again with the deepening
of the harbor successfully COM
pete for a shareof the carrying
trade.
Mr., Leese OF Corvallis, pre-
sented a statement from the
mayor of Corvallis III behalf of
harbor improvements. Speak
ing for himself he said he was
owner of many millions of feet
of lumber. He contemplated
building mills to cut, but was
waiting the improvement OF va
quina larbor. He had orders
from abroad but was unable to
fill them as vessels drawing more
water than they could safely
enter this port were required.
Judge J. ]. Whitney of Albany,
Hon. B. F. Jones of Lincoln
county and Judge Palmer Of
Linn county, presented to the
Board substantial arguments in
support of continuing the i'm
prevements of the harbor.
Senator Fulton was present
and spoke briefly on the subject,
p1edging himself to do every