Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/453

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the emporium, it is believed that many disasters and difificuUies which overtook this business might have been avoided.

The shipment of treasure, or the actual transportation of money for this year was $2,651,43178.

As another sign of increase and advance toward commercial supremacy was the change noticeable at this time, by which the country merchants and the job- bers and dealers in small towns began to look to Portland as the base of their supplies.

During 1877 loud calls were heard from the people of Portland for direct railroad communication with the east, and strenuous exertions were made for the building of a road from Portland via The Dalles to Salt Lake. Much of this eagerness for independent rail lines was developed by the fact that in California many emigrants starting overland for Oregon, were turned back by the represen- tations of agents of the California emigration boards, and the Oregonians found their growth in population much retarded thereby.

The total value of exports from the Columbia river in 1876 was estimated at $11,825,087; in 1877, at $16,086,897. Seventy-eight ships and barks were engaged in carrying to foreign ports 2,341,210 centals of wheat, worth $4,954,475. Upon five vessels there were shipped 59,389 barrels of flour, worth $355>690.

The following table shows exports to San Francisco for 1876:

Wheat, centals 504,836

Flour, barrels 1 13732

Oats, centals 146,050

Barley, centals 5,6o8

Middlings, sacks, 2,834

Bran, sacks I9,4i8

Shorts, sacks 2,569

Apples, boxes 73,282

Dried fruit, packages 3,206

Potatoes, sacks 37,o8i

Hay, bales 863

Salmon, half barrels 723

Wool, bales i5,759

Flax seed, sacks 12,792

Hides, 37,090

Beef, (canned), cases 15,612

Butter, pkgs 2,064

Bacon, pkgs 1,030

Lard, cases 307

Hams, pkgs 263

Pork, barrels 372

Hop, bales 2,006

Cheese, pkgs 729

Salmon, cases 246,892

Salmon, barrels '^JZ

During the year 1878, however, there were lively times between Portland and San Francisco on account of the competition between several steamship com- panies for the trade. In opposition to the Oregon Steamship Company, the old Pacific mail steamers of large size, the Orizaba and the John L. Stephens were run. Also the Great Republic, the largest vessel ever afloat in our waters, carried things with a high hand, sometimes transported as many as a thousand passengers at a single trip.

In 1879 the total number of steam crafts on the Willamette district, (Port- land) was 60, with a tonnage of 27,597. O^ these the G. W. Eld