Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/682

 and was seeking employment. He had been taught by his father to set type at the age of twelve, and hence had five years experience. He had applied at the printing office at Oregon City and at The Times office in Portland without success. The job of bartender had been offered him, but this was not to his taste. Finally, he called at the Oregonian office one morning and asked for work. Mr. Dryer was rather brusque in his manner and said "What can you do?" "Set type," was the reply. "Well see what you can do with that," said Mr. Dryer, handing him a composing stick and a piece of reprint copy, and directing him to a case. The article was soon set and proof taken. Mr. Dryer was surprised to find it correct and at once regarded the youth with favor. He said "Have you any money?" "No," was the reply. Tossing the boy a $5 coin he was bidden to call again. This he did and Mr. Dryer soon found him a most industrious workman—always on hand, and willing to work early and late. Before many months elapsed this young man was advanced to the position of foreman. Soon after that he overhauled the subscription books and began introducing more careful business methods. Thus it was that Henry L. Pittock became connected with The Oregonian.

On November 8, 1856, he and Elisha Treat Gunn, an accomplished printer who came from Connecticut and had worked on the paper a number of years, were admitted to partnership by Mr. Dryer. This continued until November 20, 1858, when Pittock and Gunn withdrew. On November 24, i860, Mr. Dryer transferred his interest to Mr. Pittock, but retained editorial control until January 12, 1861. This is how it came to pass that Henry L. Pittock became owner of The Oregonian. In recognition of Dryer's services in assisting to carry Oregon for the republican ticket in i860, on which he was one of the electors, Lincoln appointed him commissioner to the Sandwich islands, whither he went in 1861. A few years later he returned to Portland and spent the remainder of his life to the year of his death in 1879, the principal part of this time holding the office of justice of the peace.

Upon becoming sole owner of The Oregonian Mr. Pittock saw that in order to make his business successful, he must start a daily, although there were two in the field already. Accordingly, the necessary new material was secured, and the Morning Oregonian was first issued February 4, 1861, four pages, each page being eleven and one-half by eighteen and one-fourth inches, four columns each. It is needless to recount the further history of this enterprise at this time.

Since Mr. Dryer, the principal editors of the paper have been as follows: Simeon Francis, long the owner of the State Journal, of Springfield, Illinois, who came as a result of a letter written by D. W. Craig, with the expectation of establishing a paper himself, but finding the field well occupied, he set type and did faithful editorial work on the Oregonian until 1861, when he was appointed paymaster in the United States army by President Lincoln, for many years a warm personal friend; Henry Miller; Amory Holbrook, who was appointed United States district attorney by President Taylor, an able lawyer and a polished and vigorous writer; John F. Damon, Samuel A. Clarke, H. W. Scott, W. Lair Hill, and again H. W. Scott. Mr. Scott's first editorial engagement began May 15, 1865, although he became an editorial contributor several months before. In 1872 he was appointed collector of customs. In 1877 he bought an interest in the paper, and became editor in chief, which position he retained to the day of his death, August 7, 1910. Here ends Mr. Himes' account of the press of Oregon.

The following history of the Oregonian was prepared by its late editor, Harvey W. Scott, entitled "Fifty Years Ago," and printed in the daily Oregonian for December 4, 1900:

"Fifty years ago today the first number of the Oregonian appeared. The population of Oregon by the census of that year was 13,294. The territory that