Facilities for Commerce 281 
lated by reason of lack of railroad transportation facilities. The 
city of Portland, the metropolis of the state, with a present popu- 
lation of more than 80,000 people and an annual trade of over 
$140,000,000, is the western terminus of five transcontinental 
railroads—the Southern Pacific, the Union Pacific in connection 
with the Oregon Short Line and the line of the Oregon Rail- 
, way and Navigation Company, the Northern Pacific, the Great 
Northern, and the Canadian Pacific; besides these, several state 
railroads center here. In addition to this, the city of Port- 
land is the head of ship navigation on the waters of the Colum- 
bia, located on the Willamette river 12 miles from its mouth, 
and to which ships of all nations, of whatever draught, steam 
and sail, come and go without interruption. The great warships 
of the navy, the Baltimore, the Chicago and the Monterey, have 
all been in her harbor within the past two years. But not only 
so, there are regular lines of first-class ocean steamers running 
weekly between San Francisco, California, and Yaquina bay, 
Oregon, connecting with the Oregon Pacific railroad, a first-class 
full-gauge road, now constructed and running regularly from 
Yaquina bay eastward across the entire Willamette valley, and 
which, I am credibly advised, will within the present year be 
extended to a transcontinental connection. Another line of 
steamers plies weekly between San Francisco and Coos bay, 
Oregon. A railroad is now under construction connecting As- 
toria, Oregon, with Portland and the great transcontinental lines 
of railroad. Other lines of railroad are being projected and 
built in Oregon, one connecting the valleys of the Willamette, 
Umpqua and Rogue rivers with the waters of Coos bay on the 
Pacific ocean. The interior cities and towns of eastern Oregon 
are rapidly being connected with branch lines. This has already 
been done as to Weston, Athena, Heppmer and other important 
points. 
Demand for the Nicaragua Canal. 
The people of Oregon, although blessed with innumerable 
blessings and endowed with commercial advantages not com- 
mon to states and people generally, nevertheless are in want of 
one thing. We want, our interests demand, and we must and 
will have at no distant day, a ship canal crossing the isthmus of 
Nicaragua. The interests not only of Oregon, but of the Pacific 
coast, of the whole nation, and of all the civilized nations of the 
