The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-24
NY FREDERIC j. HAsk1N.

i
Iaresenthusiastic students OF geography.
1.-THE stranger soon finds that while the
conversation may begin with the wealth
er or the roses, 1t always ends IN
from everywhere" The population Of
Portland is "a per cent. purely Ameri-
can, which Is said to be higher pro-
lportion than any other American city
can show. Another Significant pecu-
llarity is that 1t is maintained almost
entirely by local capital, there being
only three buildings among the larger
commercial structures OF the entire
lefty that were not built by homo
money. While these and other dis
tinctive points are always brought out
during the process OF inoculating the
stranger with admiration for this am
bilious metropolis. the little lecture
on geography Is always the argpmen-
tatlve ace OF trumps-no matter where
you come from 'at's down hill all the
way to Portland"
Not long ago a parson from Baltl-
more was taking little Jaunt through
1.-THE West, and dropped off at Portland
to look over the town. OF course, he
had not been there but a few hours un-
til he encountered the usual monologue
on geography. His attention was CALI
led to the fact that owing to the lay
of the land everything that breaks its
moortngs in these parts naturally rolls
right down hill into the lap OF Port
1
kindly to the idea: in fact. he wrote
a piece for the paper in which he point
ed out that Portland's Typographical
position was almost Identical with thSt
Of New York He made such a strong
case In showing the similarity that 1t
seemed the only way the people OF the
Western city could escape becoming a
second Gotham would be to change the
face OF nature. This clever bit OF
municipal palm-reading made such a.
ha ho r,t,a ps
Commerce gave the parson prize OF
a thousand dollars. He said in part:
portland Is remarkably like New
York in several particulars. It lies on
Just above its confluence with the Co.
tlumbia. The great tongue of land be-
tween the Willamette and the Colum :
lbia,l running down to point at their
intersection. is strikingly ike Man
haitian Island. On the west bank OF
the Willamette, representing Brook
lyn. now stands the business centre
lof Portland. Across the river. on this
second Manhattan. is East Portland.
spreading every day outward and
the Columbia and face the city of van
/ couver. now resting on the northern
i side f'4that river In the same rela-
, I've position position which Jersey City aus-
.,Portland Is already a notable port
She is the only fresh water port on
the Pacific, and fresh water Is a strong
a ae,t nias to "a port, as the water IT.
eles and other foulneas. thereby here Sas saw
i Ing much time, labor and expense
d dne g9Tsr9mnns s now building jetties
u imnroy tne Gelumb NIB; - and making other
land clean waterway OF forty feet
out to the Pacific The Columbia and
M WI ! Il etc are both navigable al
she has ono OF the natural advantares
(which has made New York supreme
namely. fine waterway, both In and
But Portland has also the other
great advantage which New York has
Ienjoyed-a most favorable Topographic
h pork !, be began Its great change into q
f rig Ga sIin. AT that time Albany was
to go down the Hudson from Albany
but the papers. thinking that New
bank was to e always BE- simply
built. however, and its terminus has
now become the greatest city in The
u ! h States. Why7 Simply because
everywhere. = ~
! "Commsrce in our country breaks
away aba ,o from the great dividing wall
ststance Apart from the Mississ,nn
alley In the east. 1t moves prevailing
X along the line Of the Great Lakes
.hrough the Mohawk Valley to the val.
Icy OF the Hudson and down that rive,
to New York. Hence the New Yorh
Of to-day. The traffic could not 20 e
Boston without crossing the Catskils
nor could It go to Philadelphia with.
out expensive grades, so 1t went tc
New York along the line OF least re.
si y; Now Portland has precisely
this same advantage-it is down hi
from everywhere.
Take a Typographical map OF North
5 America and draw line from lower
California to Mt. St. Elias. in Alaska
and you will find that your line fol.
miles back from the coast in oregon i,
) Now draw another line at right angles
east ca - ana r,a, west following the course
gable stream that breaks through the
inland mountain walls. This line viii
also Follow a natural depression witt
!, q = 8 gradual + 9 descent from near Lewiston
Now Portland is situated lust at tn,
point where your north and south anc
east and vest lines cross each other
tionship to her Immense supporting
I territory.
THE country tributary to Portland
Is the hnal consideration which guar
dHlteSt s SlltT lutuT6 supremacy. i&S'In1s
!, TERRITORY embraces all OF Oregon, Idaho
! a part Of Northern California, East
Tern Washington. and western Montana
I Its size may ba better understood whe,
Il We say that It equals.in area the com
bined States of Maine New Hampshire
. Vermont. Rhode Island, Connecticut
Massachusetts, New York, Iowa, IN
diana Ian AN and I, South IT Garoina Even tbs
being, rapidly developed BY Irrigation
and its future riches and greatness
, can scarcely be Imagined" 4,
If that parson ever gets tired o
\ preaching he will make a fine rea
estate agent. But he had 8, good sub
ject to exploit, The State Of oregor
!, lis in Japan; yet 1t has only 100000 In
: Inhabitants. The territory known a.
the Columbia River Basin has tn!
natural wealth to support 26,000,00C
4 people. but UP to this time the census
Il takers have been unable to report i h,
J first million Of population. Fully hal
) OF this prospective empire Is capabl'
!. OF cultivation for. wheat, fruit ant
!, other crops, 1T ts said that this baslr
: must be depended upon to supply mos
|, OF, the wheat for all the population o
) the Paciho Coast between Alaska ant
u patagonia.