The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1909-02-25
SAYS ASTlRRS PLUCK
IS ADMIRABLE
INTERESTING ARTICLE ON
RIVER MATTER By THE
TACOMA LEDGER.

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| Tacoma Ledger In The controver.
w between Portland and Astoria 4.
70 what should be the character b
Columbia river improvements, nu-
mcrous significant statements about
the depth of THE river are finding
their way to the public. The As.
toria chamber of commerce thinks
the government should deepen The
water over the bar and up the river
few miles, in order that big ships
may reach Astoria John H. Whytc,
secretary Of the Astoria chamber, as-
serts that the failure Of commerce
lon the Columbia river to grow as
fast as Commerce on Puget Sound il
due To the selfish policy Of Portland.
Horse sense shows us," says Mr.
Whyte, @that We must provide fol-
big ships to enter the Columbia for
AZ least mile or two. Ii would not
be expensive TO provide for these
big ships to come into the river, al
least for few miles, and thus We
would regain the hundreds of miI-l
lions Of dollars Of trade lost to The
Sound
Astoria Is. Of course, seeking low
rateson wheat from Oregon, Eastern
Washington and Idaho. MI. Whyte
attended . meeting Of the Farmers
union at Spokane recently and made
4 speech about present conditions on
the Columbia His speech doubtless
had something to do with the adop-
tion Of a resolution asking for wheat
rates to Astoria as low as rates to
Puget Sound. When Portland heard
Of what Mr.. Whyte was aup tor
there was wall on the Willamette.
Portland attempted to prove from
his speech to the farmers that he Il
entitled to membership on sight in
the Ananias club. Mr.. Whyte said ii
Spokane that big modern ships could
not enter the Columbia. Such an as-
sertion coming from resident of a
city on the Columbia hurt the pride
Of Portland
But Mr.. Whyte opens the report Of
the chief Of engineers, United States
army, to the secretary of war, mage
$40, to show that the Columbia chan
mel is 22 feet deep at low tide at ev- |
cry point but one. and at that point
the channel is 20 feet deep at low
tide, He finds on page 824 Of the re-
port that the depth across the bar is
from "a l-2 to Is IL feet. He asserts
that the Dieke Rickmers. with a gross
.onnage of 4,4l5 and net Of 2820,
and few other vessels of similar
size that reached Portland recently |
were worked on the highest tides"
After observing the tendency to build |
larger vessels and citing the 81 III
loot draft of the Olympia, now being
built, Mr.. Whyte takes the following |
fling at Portland: when this lat
ter ship is able to reach Portland
your great, great grandchildren will |
have been a thousand years transplant
led. Yet we could receive the Olym-
oia into the port Of Astoria one year
from this fall" |
He thinks the Columbia is losing
:rade because il can not accommodate
he largest ships. A table Of imports
md exports Of the Columbia river
md Puget Sound from 1880 to 1905
inclusive, is made up by Mr.. Whyte
If data prepared by Oscar P. Austin,
,hief of the bureau Of statistics Of
he department Of commerce and la
,or. II shows that the value Of Col
lmbia river exports increased from
'40o7,3s3 in 1880 to $l7,663,o3l in
9oS, while the value Of Puget Sound
'xports increased from $36l, ,449 in
$50 to $44032,767 in 1908 Imports
# the Columbia river were: $3,7s8,-
52in 1908, and Of Puget Sound $22,-
1884 Columbia River commerce
las had growth, though not as
arge as Puget Sound,
SO Astoria asks for the deepening
{ the water at the Columbia bar that
hat big ships may come up at least
far as Astoria Says Mr., Whyte;
The bar at the mouth Of the Colurn I
ia is actually FIVE feet shallower than
was thirteen years ago, IN 1895"
Fe cites page 1923 Of the United States
ngineers' report for 1908 to sustain !
is assertion. To Puget Sound the
is highly amusing, AS
,ria is to be admired for her pluck s
standing up against the more pop