The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-09-09
ENGINEERS TO MEET.
To Consider Advisabiiity of Further
Improving Yaquina Bay.
The question of further improve.

The question of further improve
ment of Yaquina Bay is up. One
of those meetings in which the
thing is talked about, but as a re-
suit of which nothing ever happens
is to occur at Newport in the town
hall next Tuesday, Several such
meetings have been held, and dur
ing that period that 1apses from one
to the other of them the woodwork
in the jetty continues to rot and fall
into the water Naturally enough
the holding of the meeting does not
arrest the decay and if the work
hereafter to be done at the mouth
of the harbor consists solely of what
is done at these assemblings, all
the pi1ing in the jetty will ultima.
fely drop into the sea.
The new meeting is ordered by
the war department. Captain
Langftt, in charge of the engineers
at Portland furnishes the TIMES
with the following copy of notice
of the meeting and suggests its
publication:
'.The Board of Engineer officers con-
vened by authority of the war depart
ment, to consider the improvement of
Yaquina Bay entrance, will meet in the
hall at Newport, Oregon, September IS,
1908, at II M. All persons interested
are requested to be present and to sub
INIT their views in writing as regards the
necessity and advisabllity of further
work at this locality.
1t is to be hoped that the pro-
posed meeting is not political flap
doodle, and that there is an honest
purpose behind it. There is no
doubt that movements with refer
ence to Yaquina at times in the past
have been made solely to bambooz-
lie the public. There is likewise no
doubt that the improvement of the
harbor entrance has occasioned vast
benefits in the past. The curious
thing is after millions have been
spent in the improvement and the
entrance vastly deepened, the har-
Dor continues to lie there, unused. |
When, with the new gold excite |
ment in Alaska, every form of
shipping hurried away to the |
north, the steamer service that had |
been in vogue always at Yaquina. |
was withdrawn. and it has never
been replaced. The northern ira.
Mc ceased in time to require all |
vessels on the coast and there is.
now, and has long been vessels
available, but still none frequent
Yaquina bay. Time was, when an
immense traffic passed in and out
through that harbor. The rolling
stock of the railroad was constant
1y taxed to its fullest capacity to
accommodate the offerings of freight
Since then. the traffic of the Will
lamette valley has immensely in
creased in volume, but for some
reason, on some unguessed and un-
guessable account, none of it seeks
outlet through the Yaquina bay.
A great amount Of it goes via an
route, over nlgh chain
of mountains, overland to Calf
ornia when it's cheaper and more
natural way were by short and easy
railway haul to Yaquina. and
thence by the shortest possible
deep water haul to San Francisco. :
Why the thing is so, is un-
fathomable. The one thing of
certainty in the matter is that it is
SO and nobody knows why.
The day that the line Of the va
luina railroad and ocean service to
San Francisco went into operation
reight rates dropped to $3 and
$3.50. These rates had been IS to !,
S6 per ton, The increased price
.or wheat was several cents per
oushel, and it all went straight in /
xT- r