Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1914-09-25
Newport

We have had a week of equi-
noctial storm, after three
months of exceedingly dry
weather. This is unusual for
Oregon. The roads got so dry
and dusty that it was disagree
able to travel them. The rain
has put out the fires, cleared
up the atmosphere and has
pleasant. The ocean is rough
and the waves run high and
beat upon the shores. At Agate
Beach the great swells are un-
dermining the rest and read
ing room. The storm was un-
usually severe off shore the day
the Francis H. Leggett went
down. The people of Newport
were shocked when they
learned Of the awful disaster.
Some seven years ago the Leg
gett came to Yaquina for a car
go of lumber from the Curtis
mills at the Front of the c. &
E.. She took out a million feet
and drew seventeen feet of
water. She passed out over
the bar in perfect safety with
out a pilot. This was a test of
the depth of water on the bar
for doing a lumber business
The test was entirely satisfac-
tory. A few years after this
some miscreant published in
the Oregonian a statement that
at low tide the bar had only 8
feet of water. This is not true
for 1t always ran from twelve to
fifteen feet at mean low tide.
When the steamers willamette
and Yaquina used to pass in
and out over this bar carrying
600 or8O0 tons of freight there
was then no question about the
depth and safety of the bar with
vessels drawing 16 to 1S feet of
water. During the time these
vessels ran thousands of bush
els of wheat and oats and other
products of the Willamette val
ley were shipped out this way
The difference in freight on a
bushel of wheat shipped this
way instead of Portland was G
cents. 1t is said that this
amount alone saved to the
farmers of Western Oregon
would in few years pay for the
improvements on the Yaquina
harbor. This necessary i'm
provement of the harbor has
been kept back by unfair means
by jealousy on the part of other
sections Of the state. In due
time this place will come to its
own.
The Sunday excursion train
brought in about seventy-five
persons. The day was fine and
the storm had stirred up the
ocean enough to make it inter-
esting. Those who are here in
the Fall Of the year after the
northwest winds have stopped
and the first rains have come.
say 1t is the most pleasant part
OF the season. 1t is also a good
time to troll for salmon and to
catch other fish and dig clans.
Mr.. and Mrs. Ches Morrison
OF Elk City were visitors at
Newport Sunday, having come
in on the excursion train.
DR.. c. II. Newth of Philomath
came in Sunday to see Mrs. ].
III. Blair, who has been an in
valid for many years.
Mrs. r. A. Abbey came down
from Elk City to make arrange
ments to put her daughter Ella
in the public schools.
The hop pickers are returning
from the hop fields looking wei
and feeling fine. though they
had a week Of bad, rainy wealth
or. The most of them made
some money and had a nice out
ing and feel well paid for their
outing.
The gasoline schooner Patsy
Capt. Harry Vahlbusch, master
came in early Monday morning
with four victims of the Francis
III. Leggett. The bodies were
picked up Sunday among the
wreckage Is miles from where
the Leggett went down. The
bodies are now at the Copeland
undertaking parlors with only
one of them, G. A. Calrwell, be-
ing identified. The other three
bodies will be embalmed and
kept for identification.