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(Office of Light House Engineer)
THIRTEENTH DISTRICT

PORTLAND, OREGON May 6 (1872)

Chairman Light House Board,
Washington, D.C.

SIR:

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of April 2nd asking my opinion of the advisability of having reserved for the Lighthouse purposes Lots 3 and 4 of Section 8 Township 11. S. Range 11 W. Willamette Meridian Oregon. It will be seen by the sketch sent herewith that the lots include the town of Newport, for the benefit of which the light house was built. If there were no town near, then lot 4 would be of advantage or at least the right of way, and right to lands, on it, to prevent extortion. But now it is of no benefit. Any thing for the Yaquina Lighthouse would be shipped to Newport by the ordinary conveyance, and from the town to the lighthouse a road has been built.

While the land is worthless for Lighthouse purposes, it includes the entire town of Newport, and reserving it for government purposes would ruin the town, as it would not pay to move all the buildings a half mile to get off the Reservation. In my judgement the Reservation is ample, and even if it were not the case

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