Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-28
THE TOWN Of ASTORIA
Short Account Of a Project
That Failed.
INsURING OF LIFE
NEARLY TWENTY MILLION POLL
CIEs IN FORCE.
How the Expenses Of Workingmen Are
Classed-A Curious Chinese
Custom.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.


Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
The people Of Portland have tried in vain
to interest the Astor family In the Lewis
and Clark exposition which Is to De neio
out there next summer. They have written
William Waldorf Aston In London and Johii
Jacob Astor in New York. and have sent
them all kinds of printed information, Dul
have not been able to get a reply. NOT is II
strange because the experience or the AS
tor family in that part of the country was
anything but pleasant and prohtaoie, anu
since 1918 they have had no interests there
but disagreeable recollections. and the name
Of the ancient town Of Astoria, winch
marks the spot where the original Johh
Jacob was betrayed and sold out and iost
a large sum of money. Some years ago.
along about 1898 or 1899, William WALDORF
Astor wrote an account of his great-grano-
fathers enterprise in Oregon for the ran
Mall Magazine, and asserted on the au.
thority of the family account book tna6 IL !.
cost the old gentleman more than $4,Ooo,oou
The only return he got was to have town
named after him. 1t was probably the
most expensive investment of the KIND on
record.
John Jacob Astor's Project.
Having been Interested in the subject by
President Jefferson and the glowing ac-
counts given by William Clark and Meri-
wether Lewis after their return from their
explorations, John Jacob Astor fitted out
two expeditions, one by land and one by
sea, for the purpose OF essaoilshmen. per.
manent headquarters for fur trading near
the mouth of the Columbia river, which mad
been discovered by Capt. Robert Gray OF
the brig Columbia in May, 1892. and called
in honor of his ship. The brig Tonquin, OF
cd New York Spntember
6, 1870 carrying thirty-three passengers
and twenty-one sailors. She was com
manded by Capt. Jonathan Thorn, u. 5. N
She went around the Horn, touched at the
Hawaiian Islands February %, 1911, and on
March %, 1911, dropped anchor In Bakers
bay at the mouth of the Columbia river.
On the 18th of April following Capt. Thorn
went up the river about a hundred miles,
selected what he considered favorable site,
landed twelve men, erected q small fort,
raised the stars and stripes on the dagpole
and named the place Astoria" in honor of
his employer. 1t was intended to send the
rest of the party out in different directions
to establish fur-trading posts, with Astoria
as headquarters. That spring Capt. Thorn
cruised up the coast as far as vancouver.
trading with the Indians, but he got into
trouble with them, and the entire party
were massacred, except lad named Lewis,
who blew up the ship, destroying a large
number of savages who were fndulging in
war dance around the bodies of their vic
tins on the deck, and himself.
British Make Trouble.
On the 18th of July David Thompson and
party of Englishmen who had been sent
out bw the Hudson Bay Company to antici-
pate the plans of the Americans, arrived at
Astoria and began to make trouble.
Astor's overland party of sixty men, under
William Price Hunt left st. Louis October
q, 1910, but did not reach Astoria until
February Is, 1872 There had been a lack
of discipline, and the party was scattered
all along the trail. Six only of the sixty
reached Astoria. Five returned to civiliza-
ton and the rest persisted. The British sent
out two more parties, one of them all the
way from Halifax on the sloop Raccoon,
and the other overland under the command
OF J. G. McTavish- The latter reached As
toria April II, 1913.
But month before the Raccoon arrived
October %, 1913. Astor's representatives
sold him out, furs and all, to the North
west Fur Company at small percentage
of the value Of his interests The American
flag was hauled down, and the little post
was turned over to the British, who held 1t
until 1875 when it was restored to the
United States under the treaty Of Client
Practically nothing was done at Astoria
until 1S47, when a custom house was es-
tabHshed there, and village soon grew I'M
around 1t. 1t is now a town of about 200
lnnaptants, with all modern conveniences
and large trade in packed salmon and
lumber. There are some iron works. a tin
can factory and several other industries.
and the people are quite proud Of their en-
terprise and their prospects.
Growth Of Life Insurance.
In the educational building at st. Louis
is very interesting and ingenious exhibit
made by Frederick L. Hoffman of New
Jersey. 1t illustrates by maps and dia-
grams, in most graphic manner, the de-
velopment of the life insurance business in
the United States, and even those who are
engaged In that profession and consider
themselves well Informed are forced to ad-
init their establishment at the magnitude
OF the interests so forcibly displayed by
Mr. Hoffman.
The first American life insurance COM
pany was organized in 1872, nine years
after the Louisiana purchase, and tifty
years later there were only seven COM
panies, with less than 10000 policies in
force. On January /, 1904, there were
eighty companies, doing either an ordinary
or an Industrial business or both, with as
sets exceeding $2,275. 600 GOO, and 1890, 600
policies in force, or nearly one for every
four men, women and children in the
United States.
The following statement will show the in
crease in ordinary life insurance, as Illus
trated by Mr. H0ffman's dia ora ms.