The Washington herald., 1908-05-24
By FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

Correspondence Of The Washington Herald,
Portland, Greg. May 1.-THE people Of
this fair Rose City are enthusiastic stu
dents Of geography. The stranger soon
finds that while the conversation may be-
gin with the weather or the roses. IT al
ways ends In geography down hill
10 Portland from everywhere" The popu-
lation OF Portland is % per cent purely
American, which is said 10 be a higAer
proportion than any other American city
can show Another significant popularity
Is that II Is maintained almost entirely by
local capital. there being only three build
ings among the larger commercial struc-
lures OF the entire city that were not built
by home money. While these and other
distinctive points are always brought out
during the process Of innoculating the
stranger with admiration for this ambi-
tlous metropolis, the little lecture on geog-
raphy is always the argumentative ace OF
trumps-no matter where you come from,
it's down hill all the way TO Portland"
Not long ago a parson from Baltimore
was taking n little jaunt through the
West, and dropped of AT Portland 70 look
over the town. or course. he had not
been there but a few hours until he en-
countered the usual monologue on geogra-
ply. His attention was called 10 the fact
that, owing 10 the lay OF the land, every
thing that breaks It's moorings in these
parts naturally rolls right down hill into
the lap Of Portland. The reverend gentle
man took kindly TO the idea: In fact. he
.,fa 20, 81
pointed out that Portland's typographical
position was almost Identical with that OF
New York. He made such a strong case
In showing the similarity that It seemed
the only way the people Of the Western
city could escape becoming a second
Gotham would be 20 change the face of
Nature. This clever bit Of municipal palm
reading made such a hit In Portland that
the Chamber Of Commerce gave the par
son prize Of 4 thousand dollars He
said. in part.
Portland is remarkably like New York
in several particulars. Il lies on the
shores OF the Willamette River. Just
above its confluence with the Columbia.
The great tongue OF land between the
Willamette and the Columbia, running
down 20 a point at their intersection is
strikingly Ike Manhattan Island. On the
west bank of'the Willamette. represent
ing Brooklyn, now stands the business
center OF Portland. Across the river. on
this second Manhattan. is East Portland,
spreading every day outward and down
ward. until II will finally reach the CO.
lumbia, and face the city OF Vancouver,
now resting on the northern side OF that
river in the same relative position which
Jersey City sustains 20 New York
Portland is already a notable port. She
is the only fresh-water port on the Pa
cihc. and fresh water IS a strong ad-
vantage to a port. as the water itself
cleans the vessels from barnacles and
other foulness, thereby saving much time.
labor, and expense. The government is
now building jetties down the Columbia,
and making other improvements which
viii give Portland a clean waterway of
forty feet out to the Pacific. The Co
lumbia and Willamette are both navigable
already far above Portland. and thus she
has one OF the natural advantages which
have made New York supreme-namely,
a fine waterway both in and out
But Portland has also the other great
advantage which New York has enjoyed
a most favorable typographical situation.
Slxty-five years ago New York began its
great change into a big city. At that
time Albany was flourishlng. railroad
was planned TO go down the Hudson from
Albany, but the papers, thinking that
New York was 10 always be simply a
gang plank to Albany. ridiculed the UNDER
taking as foolish. The railroad was built
however. and its terminus has now be-
come the greatest city IN the United
States. Why? Simply because It mad a
fine port and was a natural gateway that
was down grade from everywhere.
Commerce In our country breaks away
from the great dividing wall-the Rocky
Mountains-and flows east and west along
the lines of least resistance. Apart from
the Mississippi Valley in the east. Il
moves prevailingly along the line OF the
Great Lakes. through the Mohawk Val
ley, TO the valley OF the Hudson, and
down that river to New York Hence
the New York OF to-day. The traffic
could not go TO Boston without cross
ing the Catskills. nor could it go 10
philadelphia without expensive grades.
so It went TO New York. along the line
of least resistance. Now Portland has
precisely this same advantage-it is down
hill from everywhere.
Take a typographical map OF North
America and draw line from lower Cali
fonia to Mount st. Elias in Alaska, and
you will find that your line follows a
natural depression between mountain
ranges. about a hundred miles back from
the coast in Oregon. Now draw another
line at right angles east and west, fol-
lowing the course Of the Columbia River
--the only navigable stream that breaks
through the inland mountain walls. This
line viii also follow a natural depression