568 



ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1916. 



reality a seaport, a fact that has been of inestimable value in the 

 development of the enormous trade in grain and flour that has 

 sprung up largely with the Orient and made Portland one of the 

 first grain-exporting cities of the country. The upper Columbia, 

 together with the Snake River, for many years formed the only 

 means of connection between the interior and Portland. In 1888 a 

 line of railroad was opened along the south bank of the river and 

 later, about 1910, a second line down the north bank connecting 

 Spokane with Portland and Seattle was put in operation. These 

 rail lines have reduced the importance of the river as a grain car- 

 rier; but the rule of bringing seagoing ships as far inland as possible 

 will always maintain Portland as the main seaport of the Columbia 

 and insure, if not increase, the value of a deep channel from Port- 

 land to the sea. The first project for this channel was to provide a 

 20-foot depth from Portland to Astoria at the mouth. This was 

 adopted in 1877 and was easily secured, with dikes and training walls, 

 assisted by dredging. In 1891 the proposed depth was increased 

 to 25 feet, and about $1,300,000 in all was spent in completing this 

 project. In 1902 a systematic program of dredging on a still larger 

 scale was adopted and $2,639,000 was spent, in all, on this channel 

 up to 1913. In 1912 the project was again extended to provide for 

 a depth of 30 feet at low water and a width of 300 feet from Port- 

 land to the head of the estuary at the ocean, and thence 26 feet over 

 the bar in the sea. The estimated cost was $3,770,000. The extensive 

 jetty work at the sea entrance has now resulted in a depth of 27 

 feet at low water on the bar, and, with a 7.5-foot tide, a draft of 27 

 feet can be taken to sea by observing the tides. The river channel 

 near Portland will be provided with three dredges, a new 30-inch 

 suction dredge having just been completed by the city of Portland. 

 Two large suction dredges (24-inch) are now being built for the 

 Government, and on completion there will be six large suction 

 dredges at work on the river channels between Portland and the 

 sea. This method is mainly relied on to secure and maintain the 

 proposed depth of 30 feet, but contracting dikes are used at localities 

 wherever they are found useful. Already 22 per cent of the work has 

 been done. Commerce on this part of the Columbia River has 

 increased steadily of recent years and in 1912 amounted to 6,840,659 

 tons, valued at $85,961,745. The main items are grain, lumber, coal, 

 and dairy products. The commerce within recent years is as follows, 

 by five-year periods: 



Tons. 



1890 1, 416, 311 



1895 1, 347, 155 



1900 1, 489, 708 



Tons. 



1905 3, 259, 958 



1910 7, 834, 278 



1912 6, 840, 659 



