The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-08-12
LETTER FROM TIE FAR WEST.


Mr.. +. I. HAWKS:
Dear Sir and Friend: In NJ,
last letter | promised to speak O.
the town and country.
The Dalles is situated on The
banks of the Columbia river, 81
miles by rail from Portland. There
is a daily steamer from The Dale:
to Portland. Six passenger train;
daily may be seen. There are
about 1900 or 5000 inhabitants in
the town, made up of almost all
nationalities. The Chinaman with
his que and the Indian with the
feather in his hat are familiar
sights to be seen, but, withal, the
people here are the most friendly.
hospitable and accommodating we
have ever met. There are about
eleven or twelve religious denomi-
nations here, namely: First, the
Baptists, and they are strictly
landmark Baptists, too. Some of
the prominent business men and
women of the town and surround
ing country, with Ed. w. B. Cliff
ton as leader, make a strong
church indeed. Then, there are
Methodists, Christians, Presby-
terians, United Brethren, Catholics,
Lutherans, Congregational S Il S,
Salvation Army, Holy Rollers,
Christian Science and another sect
calling themsel yes Gospel Mission
ers. There may be others, but we
do not know them. There are
some very fine buildings here; the
building material is principally
brick and stone. The business
houses are too numerous to men,
ton. This can be truly called the
land of business enterprises and of
beautiful and artistic homes. But,
listen! There are 90 saloons here.
There is a large city hospital
which is necessary adjunct to the
saloons. There are not a great many
kinds of manufacturing carried on
here. There is a wool securing
mill, box factory, The DalIes
Lumber Co., salmon cannery, two
-four mills, one with a capacity of |
700 barrels daily, and the plant is
being enlarged and will, when
completed, have a capacity of / 400
barrels daily. The warehouse is
the most enormous thing of the
kind have ever seen; it is about
quarter to half mile long and has
a capacity of 100000 bushels. The
power plant at White River Falls
is capable of generating l, 500 horse
power, of which less than half is
now used to operate the company's
mill here at The Dalles, furnishing
power to the Diamond mill, also
1t The Dalles, and for lighting.
This will be increased to 5000
horse power, providing for all re
luirements of the future. The
Falls, at which the power plant is
coated, is 30 miles distant from
The Dalles. The city's supply of
water is brought from Mt. Hood,
30 miles distant. First, it is caught
q a large reservoir at the foot of
he government timber claim from
here it is carried through iume
o within five miles of town to an
,ther reservoir and from there is
'arried to town by pipes. The
Oalles is surrounded by the finest
wheat and fruit country anywhere
Utmost in the u. S. Would you
believe it if / should tell you that
90 potatoes makes sack9 They
lon't measure potatoes or anything
Use by bushels, but by sacks. /
lnow you won't believe this, but
tbs true nevertheless, three straw
berries will fill pint cup. Fruit,
n short, is all one could desire.
Please don't get the idea that this
s level country, for it is any,
hing else but level, being at the {
oothill of the Cascade mountains. 5
The farmers run headers over hill t
ides that we, in the east, would
ot drive an empty wagon over. T
IS for stock, there is some very |
ne stock here. At The Dallas a Z