article,
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
