The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-07-06
Letters From the People

neWlck. JUST DelHS UySId-iVSi ~
materially is none of my business to
criticize this knock that Pratt is
handing to the waterfront improve
ments, but do consider it little of
my affairs when he expresses his
ideas so strong as to wish steamboats,
practically in Ballihack. Steamboat
ing has been my vocation for many
years and I didn't start to learn the
business on berth of feathers. 1t
was on the decks of a railroad-owned
boats and at $35 per month, hours un-
limited, and have distinct remem-
brance of obeying an order to lift a
stage plank which put my back in linn
bo; and hadn't been in the foul bunk
room provided for deck hands fifteen
minutes until the official of the COM
pany advised me that my pay stopped
with disability. So on return to home
port left the vessel and lay helpless
in bed for two weeks and no inquiry
from representative of the company.
Well, was supporting wife and
paying rent and you can imagine how
much money there was in the family
treasury. But didn't quit the steam
boats. So soon as I could handle a
truck with half a ton weight on it l
was busy collecting $35 per to pay the
debts incurred while laid up.
Later I got better steamboat job
and like it fine, and being on the pre-
misses, j. e., steamboating on the Co
lumbia and Snake rivers for some fiji
teen years, have absorbed consid-
cradle information and from my point
. of view don't see that the steamboats,
of the Columbia and Snake should
quit plying these streams. Pratt adj
mits that the steamboat has done in
early days for the country what the
: railroads are doing today, but he don't
look beyond the length of his nose ano
; see that the boats will compel the de-
velopment of power which the rail
roads will use and should use for the
comfort of the travelling public.
4 Also the cheapness entailed IL
= freight handling, not to mention hom'
comforts that will be derived from tn,
using of this power. 1t is not like de
veloping power on some of those east
: ern creeks where coal is for the dig
: cling or rainfall for the asking; blu
= here power to pump water on the ari'
lands and electricity to heat the hom
where coal is so expensive and n
), doubt when our highways are com
= plete the storage battery will sub
It stitute the rising-in-price gasoline.
% Where then shall we charge thes
storage batteries but in our own bac
yards, hooked on to wire that lead
e from the Columbia or Snake. An
r while we are at it, make standar
l. sized battery and have few station
on our highways so an exhausted bat
terry can be exchanged for a full
70 charged one and let the license issue
II to car include the juice. Why not
le Nuff power in old Columbia to run e,
rs cry car in the wild and woolly we.
A. all to once. But, say! Maybe Pra-
can see beyond the length of his nos
- and wants the steamboat off SOS a
u these improvements won't be mac
Or and gasoline will get so dig-gone
high that we uns may be pleased |
take steam-car ride or degenera
to the slow-plodding Jerry and Ned.
STEWART v. WINSTON
ne
e. To the Editor of the Courier Reporte
n Kennewick, Washington
il My Dear Sir:
am in receipt of the marked col
of the Courier Reporter containil
Sc an article headed "LaFollette's An
n wer," and desire to thank you f