TRANSPORTATION AND COMMERCE. The Pacific Ocean. the Columbia River. and Snake River pro vide three sides of the State with the advantages of water communication. Along the coast there are nine inlets which offer harbor facilities. \lost of the streams flowing into the Pacific are navi gable for short distances. Large ocean-going ves sels pass up the Columbia as far as Portland. Since the construction of a canal at Ca sea tie Locks. river steamers can go as far as The above which point the stream is again navigable. The Snake River is navigable beyond the point where it leaves the boundary. The Willamette, with the aid of eanals, is navigable to Eugene, 150 miles from Portland. The developed portions of the State are adequately supplied with rail roads, but the great arid region east of the Caq rades is wholly without railroad accommodations, save in the northeastern corner. Oregon shows a remarkably low mileage, there being but 1.71 miles of railroad for every 100 square miles of territory. The total mileage was 11131 in 1899, or 43.59 miles for every 10,000 inhabitants. The Union Pacific and the Southern Pacific lines own the greater portion. The former. following the course of the Columbia, crosses the extreme northern portion of the State from east to west. The latter, following the course' of the Willa• matte, crosses the western portion of the State from north to south. In the greater portion of eastern Oregon wagon roads are the only means of ennimunieation.
The State has United States customs districts and ports of entry: for southwestern Oregon. at Coos Bay, the hendqmarters of the coal and lnm ber trade in that section; for the Columbia River, at Astoria; and for the Willamette, at Portland. The commercial importance it the water route is second only to that of the Missis sippi. The commerce upon the Columbia and 11 illaniette rivers has assumed great magnitude, due to the regular lines of steamers connectimi with railways and canals around the falls. Smaller boats and rafting contribute largely to swell its volume.
Previous to 1868, the exports were mainly to the Sandwich Islands, Puget Sound, and San Francisco, and gold dust and ores formed three fourths of the shipments. Since then the exports have reached almost every part of the globe, and consist largely of wheat and timber products. The foreign commerce of the State from 1800 to 1000 fluctuated between $5,000,000 and $15,000, 000, about three-fourths being exports. The largest export countries were Great. Britain, China, and .1apan. The British East Indies and Japan supplied most of the imports. The State has a large interstate trade by rail and water, and a considerable portion of its products is distributed through San Francisco.