business; also the steamer "Maria" of the Independent Line, but she was seized by the government on a technical charge, and in March, 1S65, the Oregon Steam Navigation Company got control of her. Another contestant was Captain Van Bergen, who secured the mail contracts between Portland and The Dalles. He controlled the People's Line of Steamers.[1]
As an illustration of the large vol me of business done at this time, the following figures were taken from the books at The Dalles for 1862:
Colonel Wright March 27 $ 2,625.00
Colonel Wright March 28 2,446.00
Colonel Wright March 31 1,570.00
Tenino April 9 1,405.00
Okanogan April 11 3,540.00
Okanogan April 15 1,622.30
Okanogan April 18 1,020.00
Tenino April 22 3,232.00
Okanogan April 25 3,630.00
Tenino April 27 3,289.00
Tenino April 29 2,595.00
Tenino May 5 6,780.00
Okanogan May 11 2,145.00
Tenino May 13 10,945.00
Okanogan May 17 2,265.00
Okanogan May 26 6,615.00
These are for tickets sold at The Dalles for up-trips only. Down stream the traffic was not so great, but from $1,000.00 to $4,000.00 each trip, and the freight was enormous. One up-trip on the Tenino in May produced over $18,000.00 for freight, fares, meals and berths. The extras and the bar privilege produced a monthly income of $1,200.00.
The treasure shipments that passed through Portland were in part as follows: June 25. 1861, the steamer "Sierra Nevada" left for San Francisco with a treasure shipment of $228,000.00. July 3rd, the steamer "Brother Jonathan" left with $50,000.00 in treasure. July 14th, the steamer "Sierra Nevada," with $110,000.00 in treasure. August 12th, $20.000.00; August 24th, $195,558.00; September 12th, $130,-
- ↑ Lewis and Dryden.
