The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

28 mA RR fllUN CE COASTING TRADE OF PACIFIC COAST.* Considering the fact that all the com- mercial development of the Pacific coast has been accomplished within the space of further fact that the coast line which is supplied with Ameri- can products extends more than 1,500 miles each way from the Golden Gate at San Francisco, the' coast- wise traffic has made excellent growth. Prior to 1854 it was comparatively noth- ing, 'but about that time the influx of gold seekers was so great that the half a century and the Ro I Ey portions and it has grown steadily ever since, so that at pres- ent it is a very important factor in marketing the products of the state. The coasting trade of Puget Sound which to- day stands second to San Francisco in the number of vessels employed and the extent of business was insignificant prior to 1870, but in the following ten years a steady and prosperous growth was made and thus was laid the foundation of the great traffic of the present. In coasting trade as in all other commercial and maritime affairs on the Pacific coast, San Francisco obtained a prece- dence and prestige which it has always retained and doubtless always will. maintain. In round numbers the annual value of the coasting trade which enters and departs through the Golden Gate, may now be safely stated at a little over $8,000,- 000. The traffic embraces within its service more than 270 vessels fully one-third of them being steam craft. These vessels ply down the coast as far as Magdalena bay and to the north as far as St. Michaels and the business has proved profitable to all engaged in it. During 1903 the arrivals ag- gregated 1,606,744 registered tons of which 1,423,330 were steam and 273,414 sail tonnage. During the same year the departures amounted to 1,811,243 registered tons of which industrial development of the many natural resources. of California and Oregon com- menced and the products of the farm, the lumber mill and the tannery sought means of transportation to the centers of population. Smal] coasting vessels were built at 'San Francisco, Benicia, Eureka, «Monterey, atid < Coos © Bay. They did a good business from the start and by the close of 1858 over fifty such craft made: regular trips up and down the coast with San Francisco as them hier port: his. was the origin of the coasting traf- fic on the Pacific coast. It is practically impossible to compare this development with any other portion of the con- tinent, for no other state or section of the country bordering on. the coast STEAMER MELVILLE DOLLAR IN THE PACIFIC COAST LUMBER TRADE. 1,434,509 were steam and 376,644 sail. The first six months of the present year show a slight increase over the corre- sponding period was settled so largely in such a short space of tine. It is suf- fieent © to. say, y however, that a within the first i ten years the : coastwise trade of the' Pacific coast made as large a devel- opment as did the. Atlantic trade. within the first cen- tury Of 1 tos growth. About 1860 the OQOre- LOW e074 se trade com- of Tast«" year. i onse fe a roe twenty-seven steamers rang- ing from 500 to 7,000": tons en- gaged in this traffic exclusive of the' large paesseng en steamers. regu- larly plying be- tween San Francisco and coast ports and fifty-four steam craft of less than 500 tons. Tn addition there are «be- menced to as- sume good pro- *By E. Scott, Secretary San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. STEAMER ROBERT DOLLAR; A FAIR TYPE OF PACIFIC COAST TRADER tween fifteen and twenty