East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-09-24

the third project was approved in the
year l904 and adopted in 1905; that
work started at Three-Mile rapids
1905. one contract was let in 1905,
another last year, and that appropria-
uons totaling S125O,o have been
made up to April 2s, 1909, and the
project now stands on the recommen-
dation for sufficient appropriations
TO complete it and have the work so
on continuously until it is finished .
The Open River Transportation
Company continued with its service,
. invading even the Snake river coun-
try which had been neglected by
steamboats, since the seventies and
the DAYS of the o. $ y Company.
ager Of the then, o. r. & \. Co.,
came with a number of prominent
railroad men. The cooperation Of
the railroad in the construction Of
the portage railway is frequently spo-
ken of Malcolm A. , Moody Of The
Dalles attended. Hood River fur
nished large delegation.
on the return the steamer spencer
with 175 passengers made record
run from The Dalles to Portland, time
, five hours and eight minutes, an av-
erage speed of 20 knots an hour,
The portage railway was at first
under the control of a commission
consisting Of the governor, secretary
Of state and state treasurer. Then the
legislature Authorized a portage rail-
way commission. Joseph T. Peters,
L. Allen Lewis and W. J. Mariner
served continuously and efficiently
until at the last session Of the legis-
lature, they called attention to the
feet that the completion of the Cello
canal had rendered unnecessary both
their services and further use Of the
railway.
The portage railway was made to
serve a three fold purpose: First, to
demonstrate such volume Of inde-
pendent traffic as would keep not
always eager congress appropriating
for the Cello canal; second, to ex-
| ercise a regulative influence on rail-
road freight rates; third, to transfer
steamboat freight between The Dalles
and Cello. incidentally it served
valuably in transporting structural
material for the canal.
From any one of these viewpoints
the portage railway many times paic
for itself. Within it and the oper
river line of which / shall speal
presently, it is doubtful if we woulC
now be celebrating the completion o.
the Cello canal, the Panama cana
of the northwest"
Unquestionably the portage railwa!
saved consumers and shippers more
through reduction of freight rate'
than they ever realized or appreciat
ed. Cascades canal and locks wer'
opened in 1896. The railroad theI
charged I l-2 cents hundredweigh
to carry salt in carload lots to Th'
Dalles. and 81 1-2 cents a hundred
weight to Umatilla, 80 miles farther
The rate per hundredweight in les
than carload lots was Is cents t
The Dalles and 60 cents to Umatilla
The same disparity applied in tn
shipment of sugar, canned goods
loose wool and other commodities
After the portage road was opene
the rate on salt to Umatilla was re
duced from 81 12 cents to Fl cent
hundredweight, sugar from 81 cent
to S5 cents, canned goods from 3
cents to 35 cents, grain from is cent
} TO 13 Ia cents An active factor /
bringing about these reductions, SUP
plementing the portage railway, wa
the open river line of the Open Rive
Transportation company. The CON
pany was incorporated April 20, 1905
: In its incorporation you find tn
names Of the same little group tina
l had been carrying on the portage raj
way and Cello canal campaign
Henry Hahn, ]. A. Smith and A. Z
pevers were the incorporators. Tn
first directors were William j. MAI
5 iner. Arthur H. Devers, T. D. Honey
! man. L. Allen Lewis, ]. a. Smith, lie
e Friede. D. c. O'Reilly, Herman WI
= tenberg and W. H. Moore. The fir
, officers were L. Allen Lewis, pres
dent; Herman Wittenberg, vice pres
Ident. and Joseph n. Teal, secretai
: and treasurer.
n Frankly, all the records and con
= ments seem to show that the ope
T river line came into existence D.
T cause the campaigners realized it ";
: NOT enough to have a portage raj
! way. There had to be boats to Drlr
business 10 the portage railway
e that the reports on river commer'
d which went back to Washingte
l. might be favorable. Whenever 1 di
II cuss the matter with the organizer
# I find them speaking rather injure
lv Of their surprise at finding 1t n
cessary to go into the river transpo
) tation business in order to JUSTIFY i
/ lortage railway.
Not that there was then or at a.
time question or doubt Of the wsrra
| for the long striving to make the 7
lumbia free and open to all naYie
tion from the sea to its upperHh'
reaches in Idaho and British Colul
bja In a report Of the transport
non committee Of the Chamber
Commerce for 1906 (the commit'
consisting Of T. D. Honeyman, H.
Lewis, A. H. Deyers, Henry Hai
Edward Newbegin, s. NJ. Mears
J. n. Teal, counseD, find these p
agraphs: IL.
This committee is more eonVih'
than ever that if Portland is to b
great commercial seaport If the
terror is to receive the benefits
,easonabIa rates and to reach