Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/383



Following is a statement of freight charges by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, taken from their schedule of rates that went into effect April i, 1877:

RATES OF FREIGHT PER TON MEASUREMENT,

Portland to The Dalles, 121 miles $10.00

Portland to Umatilla, 217 miles 20.00

Portland to Wallula, 240 miles 25.00

Portland to Palouse, 317 miles 32.00

Portland to Penewawa and Almota, 348 miles 37-50

Portland to Lewiston, 401 miles 40.00

Fast freight, $2.50 per ton extra to The Dalles.

Fast freight, $5.00 per ton extra to all points above The Dalles.

PASSENGER CHARGES.

Portland to The Dalles $ 5.00

Portland to Umatilla 10.00

Portland to Penewawa and Almota 18.00

Portland to Lewiston 20.00

All bills payable in United States gold coin. That is to say, it cost to ship a ton of freight from Portland, Oregon to Umatilla, 217 miles, via Columbia river, $20 in gold coin, or nine and one- fourth cents per ton per mile. From Port- land to Lewiston, Idaho, 401 miles, $40 per ton, or ten cents per ton per mile. Compare this with the cost of transporting a ton of freight by water from Chi- cago to New York, less than one cent, or nine and three-fifth mills per ton per mile. The Missouri river from St. Louis to Fort Benton, 3,200 miles, $2^ per ton, or $1 per 100 miles, or one cent per ton per mile. Also the Missouri river is one of the most dangerous and difficult streams to navigate on the continent; filled with eddies, quicksands, and constantly changing channels — ^yet freight on this dangerous river was carried for about one-tenth the price that ruled the upper Columbia. Thus, the cost of moving a ton of freight up the Columbia was ten times greater than moving a ton along any principal watercourse on the continent. Also that which constituted a ton by weight on routes between Chicago and New York, and from St. Louis to Fort Benton on the Missouri river, and on most other of the water transportation routes in this country, constituted on the Columbia, under their system of measurement of freight, an average of more than one-third more ; in many instances, depending on the char- acter of the freight, one-half, three-quarters, tvv'ice as much, and sometimes three times as much. For instance, an article measuring a ton, but not ac- tually weighing over two hundred pounds, would cost on the Columbia and Snake rivers from Portland to Lewiston, 400 miles, $40, or at the enormous rate of $400 per ton, according to weight, or $1 per ton per mile. From sta- tistics compiled by W. J. McAlphin, state engineer of New York, about 1868, the average cost of transportation by railroad was thirteen mills per ton per mile. From a table of freight charges on the Willamette river, published No- vember I, 1866, we learn that the average charge on this river was 175 mills per ton per mile.

The following is a copy of a circular issued showing the rules of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, adopted April 22, 1878, and published by them, illustrative of the absolute and exclusive power which they exercised over the commerce of the Columbia river.

(i) This company will not take the freight to carry to any point upon the Columbia or Snake rivers above Celilo, except upon an agreement that it shall have the entire water carriage of the same to its place of final destination so far as the company's lines extend. The company, before receiving such f