Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1915-10-15
YAOuINA HARBoR

sYA0UINA HAIR BoR. !. Y. S,l
AID URGED
Wallis Nash, Of Nashville, says
in last Sundays Oregonian:
was unable t1 be present at
the recent meeting at Newport
which adopted resolutions to
press farward earnestly Con-
gressional action TO resume and
carry to completion the long
suspended Improvement Of the
Yaquina Harbor.
Cooperation Of the harbor
districts Of Newport and Toledo
and the support Of the most inn
portant timber interests were
pledged.
Judging from the extended re-
port Of that meeting in The Ore
gonian and also from the ac-
counts in the local press, the in
tended appeal to Congress failed
to include what appears to me to
be more than an important
really determining argument
in favor Of the resumption and
completion of the project.
When the Oregon Pacific
Railroad fell into a receivers
hands in March, 1893, as l re-
member the date, all but final
steps had been taken by Con-
gress to complete the work.
Conditions we've that the ex-
penditure of about $3.50, 900 dur
ing the period between 1882 and
1898 had created SO much of the
breakwaters on both sides of the
entrance as to confine the inflow
and outflow of tidewater to the
middle harbor entrance. The
illusive channels on the north
and south had been permanently
closed. Those breakwaters had
been carried SO far out to sea as
to increase the depth at average
low water on the bar from about
IL feet to somewhat more than
II feet.
Steam vessels of between 1000
and 1900 tons capacity were then
plying regularly to San Fran
cisco. Twenty. four hundred
tons of wheat had been carried
over the bar from willamette
Valley points during the first
year. A reduction equal to s
cents bushel on the Southern
Pacific rates to San Francisco
had been effected, which reduc-
ton had a governing effect on
the transportation charges by all
routes. !.
Under these circumstances a
strong appeal was made to Con-
gress to provide enough money
In the rivers and narbors bill of
that year to extend the break
waters, and thereby the harbor
entrance. at YaQuina to the
outer reef.
Ample and satisfactory, sur
veys by the United States en-
gineers satisfied the Congress
sional committee that this ex-
tension might be expected to
provide an entrance. which
would be kept clear by the daily
tides along the coast.
1t was then stated that the in
ner area Of tidal waters inside
the bay exceeded 26 square
miles. The average rise Of tide
on the bar was 7.6 feet. The
securing force of that immense
volume of tidewater was a mat
ter of engineering calculation.
The upshot was that the COM
pletion of the project as indica-
ted was adopted by Congress.
The estimated amount Of
$934, ,000-as l remember-was
included in the bill, to be provid-
ed by a continuing contract. and
advertisements for bids were
authorized.
II that proposition was salts
factory to Congress under condi-
tions of 1892. when the entire
amount was to be found by the
Nation, how much stronger is
the appeal of 1915?
' Now probably one-half of the.
required sum may be expected
from the local harbor districts,
and the interests which control
about 5000, 900. 900 feet Of tim
ber tributary to the harbor.
Then the ownership Of that
colossal quantity Of some Of the
finest timber on the Pacific
Coast still remained In the Ma
tion, and was therefore but an
undeveloped mine. Now we see
the succeeding private owners
cheerfully acceding to the re-
quest that they will add their
quota to the contributions of the
local harbor districts, and pro-
portionately relieve the United
States Government from provid-