Seattle Fights for the China Trade
Local business leaders scramble to ensure Puget Sound, not Portland, becomes the primary terminus for a new trans-Pacific steamship line.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At the meeting of the executive committee of the Shippers' Association at the Chamber of Commerce yesterday, the time was mostly taken up discussing the proposed new line of China steamers, which the Portland people claim will be put on between that city and China by the Great Northern railroad and the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company, beginning on May 1. Most of the members who spoke on the subject were of the opinion that prompt action should be taken and President Hill and other officials shown that Puget Sound is by far the most advantageous and desirable terminus for such a line. The secretary was notified to correspond with Mr. Hill and others on the subject at once and inquire whether the line is to be established between Portland and China and whether his road has any connection with it.
“Puget Sound is by far the most advantageous and desirable terminus for such a line.”
This 1896 struggle over shipping routes highlights Seattle's long-standing obsession with securing its status as the primary gateway for Pacific trade. The city's aggressive lobbying against Portland mirrors the modern-day competition between West Coast ports for dominance in global logistics.
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