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Commercial
Growth and Development During Recent Years
The purely domestic commerce in the
Willamette Valley was conducted with the
old-time energy, employing forty steamers,
with an aggregate tonnage of thirteen
thousand, seven hundred and ninety-one, and
twenty-one sailing vessels of various
descriptions aggregating two thousand and
thirteen tons. The Oregon and California
Railway was now in active operation and the
Oregon Central had tapped the agricultural
portion of Washington county.
In 1873 there appears a great rise in
exports. For the fiscal year ending in
September the following showing is made: To
foreign ports there were employed three
steamers, the California, George S.
Wright and Gussie Telfair, and
thirty-five sailing vessels, for the most
part ships or barks of large capacity from
England. The exports of wheat to foreign
ports was 640,262 centals, valued at
$1,055,264; flour, 37,284 barrels, at
$158,895, making a total of $1,284,149.
Foreign entrances aggregated a tonnage of
nineteen thousand, one hundred and
forty-three, and of clearances twenty-three
thousand, four hundred and sixty-seven. Of
American vessels in foreign trade the
entrances were ten thousand, three hundred
and two tons, and clearances nineteen
thousand, four hundred and forty-four. The
imports reached a value of $514,343, and
exports about $1,600,000. This was all trade
with foreign countries.
The following table exhibits the trade with
California for that year:
Flour, quarter sacks
405,672
Apples, dried, packages
2,533
Oats, centals
117,117,012
Butter, packages
1,640
Wheat, centals
337,391
Beef, barrels
112
Salmon, barrels
1,361
Bacon, packages
409
Salmon, half barrels
3,459
Lard, packages
6
Salmon, packages
110, 563
Hams, packages
18
Apples, ripe, boxes
14,644
These all aggregated a value of $2,500,000.
The aggregate of vessels entering on account
of coast wise traffic was 112,100 tons; of
clearances, 79,694 tons. The difference
notice-able in the entries and clearances is
explained for the most part by the fact that
ships loading at Portland frequently dropped
below at Astoria to complete their cargo.
From the above it will be seen that the
total exports both to foreign ports and
domestic was about $4,100,000 in value. It
will also be noticed that this includes
nothing of treasure which figured so largely
in early shipments; as by this period the
business of the country had so far advanced
as to be conducted, so far as concerned
money, by means of money orders, checks and
bills of exchange, so as to obviate the
necessity of the transfer of money in a
body.
Enlargement
The commerce from this time down to the
present has flowed on with steadily
increasing volume, and the details need not
be so extensively given here as in the
preceding pages. It may be noticed that with
the coming of Ben Holladay in Oregon, as a
railroad prince and capitalist, there was a
general increase of energy, and much greater
rapidity. in despatch and shipments than
before. Things took on a livelier air, and
assumed more the tone and style of
California business. Dash, vim and even
recklessness was affected to a greater
degree in all business circles, and
especially in commercial ventures. The
transference of the headquarters of
Holladay's ocean steamers from San Francisco
to Portland, made also a great difference in
the growth of the city and in swelling the
streams of trade leading hither.
For 1871 the foreign trade rises to the
value of $692,297. There were cleared for
foreign ports of foreign vessels, five ships
aggregating three thousand seven hundred
tons, and two barks of two thousand six
hundred tons. The American vessels were
twenty-nine steamers and six barks and one
schooner, of sixteen thousand tons. The
coastwise arrivals aggregated eighty-six
thousand four hundred and sixteen tons.
Imports for this year from foreign countries
reached a value of $517,633.
For 1872 the entrances from foreign ports,
comprised of American steamers eighteen, and
American barks eight, with a tonnage of
eleven thousand nine hundred and forty-six.
Of foreign vessels, twelve barks and two
schooners, nine thousand one hundred and
forty. This made the total tonnage for the
year, one hundred and thirty-one thousand
and thirty-five.
The following exhibits
the imports:
The following exhibits
the exports:
From England, value of
$350,980
To England value of
$04, 744
British Columbia,
31,294
British Columbia,
107,508
Sandwich Islands,
171,332
Ireland,
187,549
Hongkong,
115,338
Sandwich Islands,
8,824
All other,
59,831
Hongkong,
33,995
Total
728,825
Total
642,620
During these years one notices with interest
the steady increase in shipment of wheat to
the United Kingdom-showing that Portland, as
the commercial city of Oregon, was rapidly
building up a great foreign trade. In 1871
this was but 99,463 centals, valued at
$257,276; while in 1872 the shipments rose
to 209,337 centals, valued at $511,166.
Flour shipped to California was 192,500
quarter sacks. The total export of wheat was
twenty-three thousand eighty-two tons, and
of flour fourteen thousand five, hundred and
fifty-eight tons. Although these figures
show a large increase in quantity shipped,
the prices realized during this season were
so low as to impair somewhat the advantage
thus derived.
In the district of the Willamette there were
registered this year forty steamers, with an
aggregate tonnage of thirteen thousand seven
hundred and ninety-one tons, and twenty-one
sailing vessels of various kinds, two
thousand and thirteen tons. This large
number of craft on the rivers shows a well
sustained inland trade, and that the
transportation lines were active in bringing
to the sea-board the interior products.
In 1873 Portland experienced the great fire
by which about a million and a half dollars
worth or property were destroyed. This great
loss, calling for its repair, all the money
that might be raised upon real securities,
necessarily withdrew from trade and commerce
large sums which would otherwise have been
applied to their enlargement. Confidence was
for a time somewhat shaken, and the year was
less productive than was expected at the
beginning; nevertheless, the volume of
foreign trade continued to steadily increase
as before. For the fiscal year ending in
September we find three steamers plying to
foreign ports, in British Columbia. These
were the California, the George S.
Wright and the Gussie Tellfair.
The latter of these was looked upon with
some interest as the first iron steamship in
our waters; and even more as having in her
younger and wilder days been a Rebel
blockade runner. Besides the steamers there
were thirty-five sailing vessels, mostly
owned in Great Britain. The total export of
wheat amounted to 640,262 centals, valued at
$1,055,264; flour, 37,284 barrels, at
$158,895; making a total value of wheat and
flour export to the United Kingdom,
$1,284,149.
The total shipments to California for this
year are shown by the following table:
Flour, quarter sacks
405,672
Apples (ripe), boxes
14,644
Oats, centals
117, 012
Apples (dried), packages
2,533
Wheat, centals
337,391
Butter, packages
1,640
Salmon, bbls
4,361
Beef, bbls
112
Salmon, half bbls
3,459
Bacon, packages
Salmon, packages
110, 563
Lard, packages
The total valuation of the above is set down
as $2,500, 000.
Coastwise entrances aggregated 112,100 tons;
clearances, 79,694 tons. Foreign entrances,
19,143 tons; clearances, 23,467 tons. The
tonnage of American vessels in foreign trade
was-entered, 10,302; cleared, 19,444. The
imports reached $514, 343, and the exports
about $1,600,000 to foreign countries.
Following this year a new impetus to the
production of grain was given in the upper
Willamette Valley by the opening of the
Willamette river to the head of navigation
by means of a canal and locks at Oregon
City. Steamers were thereby enabled to carry
grain from points even as far as Eugene City
to Portland without breaking bulk. So soon
as the autumn rains-usually in
October-swelled the volume of the river,
these light crafts beg-an to remove the
crops that the farmers hauled from
considerable distances to shipping points on
the river, and continued the traffic until
late in the summer succeeding. The actual
proportion of grain thus moved was not so
large, but, on account of the competition
thus afforded, rates of rail transportation
were materially reduced.
The Portland merchants also, both in order
to enable vessels of large draft to
conveniently load at their wharves, and also
to finish their lading beyond a degree of
safety for passage down the Willamette
river, constructed a number of immense
barges to accompany the ships to Astoria,
with the residue of their cargoes, or to
leave it in store at that port as might be
needed. This proved, however, to be only
necessary as a temporary expedient, since
the deepening of the channel between
Portland and the ocean renders unnecessary
all such expedients. New attention was
directed to the safety and facility of
passing in and out the Columbia river, and
attention was called to the fact that out of
more than one thousand arrivals and
departures at the bar during the four years
preceding but one loss was experienced, and
this was due to the fright of the captain,
chiefly, who abandoned his ship, to be
rescued afterward by a party of sailors.
Much railroad agitation was carried on in
these years, and all were eager for direct
communication with the East.
A good authority at the time thus speaks of
the commercial condition: " In summing up
our year's condition, we can say that if it
has not been all that the most sanguine
expected, it has, nevertheless, proved the
incorrectness of what grumblers predicted
for it. The sweeping disaster of the great
fires of the two preceding years seriously
effected many of the sufferers, and the
effects of the heavy losses have not yet in
some instances been overcome; but,
notwithstanding these calamities, and a few
reverses in trade circles, there have been
no failures of large firms or of business
suspensions of consequence. The sound
commercial basis which underlies our leading
houses, their wholesome system of trade, and
their positive cautiousness against
speculation all combine to provide against
disaster and to inspire confidence."
"From a table compiled this year to show the
exports of wheat from 1868 to the middle of
1874, we find a total value of $11,105, 850.
"
"The bulk of the wheat was exported to the
United Kingdom, and also a round aggregate
of flour-but the largest proportion of the
latter was sent to San Francisco, to New
York, to ports in the Pacific, and to China
and Japan."
It is reported for this year that nearly two
hundred ships were employed in the export
trade; but this evidently includes all coast
wise craft of every description.
For the year 1875 we find a somewhat low
condition-or at least not so flattering as
might be expected. From Walling's directory
we clip the following: "During the past
year, Portland, in common with every other
section of the Union, has felt the effect of
the stagnation which has had such disastrous
effects upon the commercial prosperity of
the entire country; but remote as we are
from the great centers of commerce, we have
been comparatively free from the disastrous
consequences which have left their impress
upon the business marts of the eastern
slope."
As is usually the case in periods of
business depression, merchants and others
began industriously to invent means of
expanding their trade; and soon a hopeful
condition of affairs was attained. Work on
the West Side railroad, which had been
stopped at St. Joe, on the Yamhill River was
resumed, and the region thus tapped, was
brought into more intimate relations with
Portland.
The number of American vessels entering.
this year aggregated 100,602 tons; the
foreign, 16,304 tons.
The value of exports is shown by the
following table:
To England
$ 799,818
00
British Columbia
136,600
00
Hongkong
41,448
00
Sandwich Islands
549,480
00
Australia
9,720
00
Uruguay
58,743
00
Total
1,623,313
00
Imports from these countries in foreign
vessels were valued at $283,499; in American
vessels, $163,359; total, $446,858.
The wheat sent to England during this year
was 513,481 bushels; to Ireland, 548,986
bushels; flour, 48,110 barrels.
