8
THE OKSTSTGr OBEGOEIAV .ipESBAY. JA3sTJABY 1, 1985.
TO PASS THE CASCADES
Tl)e GoYernment Systerq of Canals
and. Locks at Tliis IPoint.
MOST IMPORTANT PUBLIC WORK ON THE COAST
Obstacles the "United States Enjrixieers Have Overcome Im
provement of tne I?ivcr Channel Belove- the Rapids
Early Promised Completion of tne "Worlc
I HE Columbia is In
some respects the
greatest river, of
North America. To
gether with its nav
Jgable tributaries it
affords a depth of
water that enables
bteamers to ply over
its course for possi
bly 2000 miles or
more, and in the ex
tent of country, rich
&& &X&4-&, sources of agricul
ture, mines and for
ests, to which this
noble stream affords
-jr-
an outlet to the sea the Columbia is sec
ond only to the Mississippi in the great
streams of the continent
It was in 18(6 that Lewis and Clarke
and their brave associates first followed
the Columbia river from its headwaters
in the Rocky mountains to tidewater at
the present site of Astoria. One of the
strongest arguments of the United States
in the claim of this country for all of that
territory west of the Rocky mountains
and south of the 49th parallel of latitude, I
in the dispute with England over the
northern boundary line, was the claim
that this territory properly belonged to
fie American republic, owing to its early
exploration by Lewis and Clarke. The
strength of the position of the Columbia
liver as an open highway to the sea was
f.lly recognized by both nations to the
c ontroversy, and it was the realization of
the importance of this stream to the gov-
ernment whose territory it crossed that
long prevented England from acknowl
edging the claims of the United States
icr the ownership of the rich territory now
included with the states of Oregon, "Wash
ington, Idaho and Western Montana.
"Where rolls the Oregon" is significant
of the deep interest taken in the wilder
ness of the Columbia river's glades, when
the untutored savage and the no less re
l ntless grizzly held undisputed sway over
a .iuntry that Is today the home of plenty
n 1 prosperity. The startling tales of the
wJJuess and ruggedness.of the territory
t rofcsed by the Columbia river told by the
rt turning members of the Lewis and
Clarke party filled the minds of the
People of the settled portions of the
t n'ted States with virions of a mythical
region that was Unconquerable with won
d r and surprise. The subsequent ac
counts of this same country sent out by
the Hudson's Bay Company and the com
ranj's emissaries, in which this same
-".ntry was described as a wild, rugged
c trk t, not fitted for the permanent
bode of man, attached to all of what was
k iwn as Oregon a romantic interest that
was not satisfied until the first immigra
tion, under the direction of Dr. Marcus
hitman, had found hapjy homes on the
r' h lands- of the "Willamette valley. Up
t5 112. when Dr. Whitman made his
memorable journey to 'Washington city
ior the express purpose of urging the
r atter of control of Oregon by the United
States, the people of this country had no
i urate informatlen of this vast tern
tcr and the possibilities for development
h-T. and It is to Dr. "Whitman 'that the
r ople of the United States look today as
tc one man who deserves the distinc
tion of liavtag saved for his country the
pc-sos4en of that part of North America
.utU of the 49th parallel of latitude and
w t-bl of the Rocky mountains.
"he present article is intended to de
r nbc the great work of constructing the
v a1 and locks around the obstructions
1 the Columbia river at the Cascades. No
ltel!igent appreciation of this Important
v.orK, however, could be obtained without
some knowledge of what the Columbia
r er is, and the advantages of an un
interrupted passage along its course for
t earners of moderate draft. No article
cf the scope of v. hat space will allow in
the present Issue cf The Oregonian can do
more- than touch in a cursory manner the
subject under discussion, but enough can
be told to enable the reader to form an
intelligible idea of what the Columbia
river te and the demands which have
long existed for its improvement.
THE A AST WATERSHED.
The Country Brained !y the Colum
bia, is till lis TriitutnricK.
It "" with the navigable pertien of the
C lumbta. river that the mala interest of
tl-c present article will center. The boad-v.-ters
of this stream cover a stretch of
tfT",rv exten'ltkg aong the western
slope i of the r. r mtains for a d's-
fn4!ti-ure?t
d&m:k&&&
fegg-W'i'tri.'m. um'i.iiWA'," MirTiwiWTg-Tarrafri., "--rm -rti-u m nm??tTTniai. i . .f i m.l .,ij..u.Aw.iiL-im:yT'FTii nuTi lTrHTT,',,p-r';,"l" 'fetfiL.j v..-?.-imvx.Hiihi!!: "j-'ranw irmr-. Tr,.'.v-Ltyr-nii IF- mm; 't.. JmTJ-:..a-MMl uhfm,. '-HlinrrnTli 77illf
tance of from 700 to 1000 miles. 'A reference
to any map will show the immense water
shed of this great stream. Far up in the
British Possessions, beyond the 50th de
gree of north latitude, are the charming
Arrow lakes, bodies of water of sufficient
depth t6 float the largest vessels. These
lakes are formed by the widening of the
Columbia Tiver along its main course. A
regular line of steamers plies on the Ar
row lakes. The transportation lines form
a connection with the line of the Canadian
Pacific, and they afford an outlet to a rich
section of country in British Columbia
and the territory of the United States, the
trade with which territory is principally
handled by Spokane. The tributaries of
the Columbia river in British Columbia
form a network of rivers which drain a
country of many hundreds of square miles
in extent. In Utah and Nevada, below the
40th degree of north latitude, are the trib
utaries of the Snake, a river which pours
Its waters Into the Columbia at Alns
worth. The headwaters of the Columbia
and Snake rivers rise in a belt of country
extending from the lOSth to the 122d de
gree of longitude, and from the 55th to a
line south of the 40th degree of latitude, a
watershed covering an area of thousands
of square miles in extent, and which has
an annual precipitation which forms with- J
in this belt one of the greatest rivers of
the continent.
The Columbia river at Astor'a. the sea
port at its mouth, is a wide and deep
estuary that affords safe anchorage dur
ing any stress of weather, and which is of
ample dimensions to accommodate many
times the tonnage which regularly fre- J
GEftERHIl VlHttf OF CflHIi, IlOOIIfiG WEST (DOWJSL
quents New York harbor. Inland from Its
mouth to the point where It receives the
waters of the Willamette river, a distance
of about 100 miles, the Columbia is nav
igable by the largest ocean-carrying ves
sels that visit the Pacific coast, and over
this course the heavy shipping which reg
ularly comes to Portland passes at all sea
sons of the year. Twelve miles south of
the point where the Willamette river
joins the Columbia, on the banks of the
former stream, is Portland, the metropolis
of the Northwest. For a distance of more
than 109 miles south of Portland, the Wil
lamette river courses through the rich
valley of the same name, and for this dis-
tance it is regularly navigated by light-
j draft steamers. The Willamette valley Is
i the oldest-settled part of Oregon, and it
is today the most thickly populated sec
tion of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
I A few miles above the mouth of the II-
lamette river, a bar extends across the
Columbia river, which rrcvents oeean-
WORKING ON BULKHEAD. JUNE 5, 189'. MAJOR POST, U. S. ENGINEERS, IN FOREGROUND.
carrying vessels of deep draft from as
cending above this point. This bar is of
sand, however, and can be removed at a
comparatively small expease when the
commerce over this part of the river's
course may demand It. The largest river
steamers, however, pass over these shoals
without difficulty. Fifty miles above the
mouth of the Willamette, the first ob
struction to free navigation in the Colum
bia is encountered. This obstruction is
caused by the rapfcis at the Cascades. At
this point the entire volume of the stream
passes through a narrow gorge, plunging
in its course of six miles through this de
file over huge rocks and sunken boulders
that give to the river the appearance of
the wildest of mountain torrents, only on
a m-ith lanrer scale. Forty-five miles east
of the Cascades the second ov5t'ml tion at i
the dalles is encountered. At the dalles
for a distance of 11 miles the river rushes
between precipitous walls of basaltic rode,
and at points along these rapids it is but
a stone's-throw from one bank of the
stream to the other. Above the dalles the
Columbia is navigable for steamers of
moderate draft to the little dalles, a dis
tance of 100 miles. For hundreds of miles
beyond the little dalles, at which point a
series of rapids furnish obstructions to
navigation, the river is navigable by
large steamers along most of its course,
and jfs far north as the point where the
Canadian Pacific railroad crosses the Co
lumbia this stream carries a sufficient
depth of water to float as large steamers
as regularly ply on the Mississippi.
THE S.VAKE.
The Open. Highways of the Colombia,
and. Snake Rivers.
T Ainsworth, about 14 miles
cast of The Dalles, the Co
lumbia is joined by the Snake,
a stream second in import
ance only to the great river
which pours its waters into
the sea at Astoria. The Co
lumbia and the Snake furnish
free navigation from The
Dalles to Lewiston, a dis
tance of nearly 200 miles. Far
south of Lewiston steamers of deep draft
ply regularly on the Snake, and even as
far as American Falls, where the Oregon
Short Line extension of the Union. Pacific
crosses this stream, the depth of water
is sufficient to float vessels of consider
able tonnage. With -the exception of the
obstructions to navigation at the Cas
cades and the dalles, the Columbia and
the Snake afford uninterrupted navigation
from the Pacific ocean to Lewiston, a
distance of nearly 400 miles. The removal
of these obstructions will enable steamers
to KEcend- the Columbia from its mouth
to Priest rapids, a distance of nearly -TO
miles. The great improvements wlwch
will afford passage for steamers around
the obstructions at the Cascades, and
which are now approaching completion,
Will be fully described in the present ar
ticle. Tne proposition to surmount the ob
stacles to passage around the obstruc
tions at the dalles by the construction of
a boat railway has now assumed tuch
shape that the commencement of active
work on this much-needed improvement
in the near future is practically assured.
The people of the vast territory for which
the Columbia is the great natural highway
for traffic confidently look forward to the
opening of this stream by the completion
of the great public works at the Cascades
andf the dalles, and with the early prom
ised completion of the canal and locks at
the Cascades they hope that the consum
mation of this important undertaking will
be immediately followed by the com
mencement of work In the construction of
the boat railway around the dalles.
For a distance of more than 200 miles
along Its course the Oregon Railway fr
Navigation Company has built a line of
j railroad, which with its numerous feeders
is today the most important transporta
tion system of the Northwest. From
Wallula to a point 20 miles east of Port
land this road closely follows the south
bank of the Columbia river. East cf
Wallula the ramifications of this system
reach the rich Walla Walla valley, and
the valleys of the Touchet and other
streams of Eastern Washington. An ex
tension of this same system crosses the
Snake at Rlparia, and runs up into the
Palouse country, the great wheat-producing
belt of the Pacific Northwest today.
Branches of the O. R. & N. cover all parts
i.OC tne X'aiouse country, x-niciiiaiiij mi ui
this territory covered by the lines of the
O. R. & N. Co. is directly tributary to the
Columbia and Snake rivers. At Umatilla,
a point on the Columbia and also on the
line of the O. R. & N. Co.'s road, 1ST miles
east of Portland, the Eastern extension
of this system of roads leads off to a con
nection with the Union Pacific system at
Huntington, a distance of 217 miles. This
eastern extension covers a section of
country fully as rich as the system of
roads east of Wallula, and In Its course
to Huntington it passes such important
points as Pendleton, La Grande and
Baker City, the banner cities of Eastern
Oregon.
An appreciation of the resources of that
part of Oregon and Washington and Ida
ho, crossed by the Columbia river, from
Lewiston on the Snake and the little
litis
dalles on the main stream to a point be
low the Cascades, from which uninter
rupted navigation Is afforded to the sea,
can be derived from the-single statement
that although the O. R. & N. Co.s line
of road down the Columbia from Wallula
to Portland is practically-without grades,
thus allowing a single locomotive to haul
a heavily loaded train over this entire dis
tance, yet this road with its magnificent
equipment of motive power and cars is
frequently blockaded during the busy
season by the products of the country
offered it for the haul to Portland. Be
fore the era of railroads In the Pacific
Northwest, the finest Tine of stern-wheel
passenger boats in the-world plied regu
larly on the waters of the Columbia and
Snake from Portland to Lewiston. The
returns from this traffic- handled by these
boats built up many great fortunes, and
these heavy profits, enabled the company
operating these boats to establish one of
the most valuable systems of river trans
portation in the United States. This line
of boats was established at a time when
the population of the territory drained
by the Columbia possibly did not exceed
one-fifth of what it is today, and the suc
cess of the establishment of this line, to
gether with the heavy traffic which now
regularly flows over the road of the O. R,
& N. Co. down the south bank of this
stream to Portland; furnishes irrefutable
arguments of the necessity of an open
river from Lewiston to the sea. without
'the aid of statistical information bearing
on this subject, which can easily be ob
tained from a study of the other articles
-published in this Issuer; .
CASCADE LOCKS4. AT CAXAL.
Early History of Tills Great Worlc
Firmt Appropriation.
HE proposition to build a
canal around the obstruc
tions in, the- Columbia river
at the -Cascades was first
proposed by Colonel Mlchler
in 1S75. The following year
the government made the
first appropriation of $90,000
for the commencement of
work on -this Important un
dertaking. The first plans
of the engineers contemplat
ed the construction of a tim
ber crib breakwater struc
ture, 7200 feet long, to ex
tend from the lower entrance
of the canal for a distance of 5000 feet.
The lift to the upper driver through the
canal was to be overcome, by two locks,
each 230 feet by 46 feet in size, and the
guard gates of each to be 54 feet high.
At the time this first appropriation was
made by congress, Major, now Colonel,
STERT) IRSOHH OF Lf PPE$ GtfflD-GflTE IJSL FOHEGiOU JiD.-Taken September 20, ISM.
Wilson, of the United States corps of en
gineers, was in charge of government
works here, with headquarters at Port
land. The subject of the construction of
the Cascade canal and locks was referred
to a board of government engineers in
1877. This board made a careful examina
tion of the shores of the Columbia, Wr.
at the Cascades, and after thorough re-'
search they selected, the Oregon side as
the best location for the construction of
the proposed canal. The board thus ap
proved the location proposed by Colonel
Wilson, but they recommended that the
size of the proposed locks be increased to
300 feet in length by 50 feet in width. This
board estimated the total cost of overcom
ing the obstructions at the Cascades to be
?-554.000.
In the same year changes in the plans
of the canal were made by Increasing the
width of the canal from 30 to 70 feet, on
the recommendation j-of Colonel Wilson.
The chief engineer made his recommenda
tion based on his opinion that the rapid
development of the rich country east of
the Cascade mountains would demand the
use of larger boats oh the river between
Lewiston and Portland than it was first
contemplated would pass through the ca
nal, a forecast that was fully realized
even before the completion of the O. R. &
N. Co.'s railroad to Portland in 1SS2.
In the fall of 1S7S Coloriel Wilson was
succeeded by Colonel Gillespie, and the
active work of constructing the canal at
the Cascades was begun In the same year.
The first contract was let to Messrs. Ball
& Piatt, of New York, who agreed to
make the excavations both for the locks
and for a certain par,t of the prism, and
also the constructed, part of the locks, for
$340,000, the amount of money in the hands
of the engineers available for this work.
In 1S79 the matter of the construction of
the contemplated improvements at the
Cascades was again referred to a board
of government engineers- The particular
points to be determined by this board
were whether the proposed breakwater
should first be built, or the obstructions in
the river below the rapids be first re
moved, and the settlement of the con
struction of this breakwater left to a
future decision. The engineers finally de
cided that it would be unwise to com
mence the construction of the masonry of
the locks until it could first be ascertained
just what amount of the reefs below the
proposed canal could be removed, and also
to get the exact measurements of the
depth of the river at Its lowest stage after
these obstructions had been removed. The
board considered the great difficulty of
improving the channel below the Cascades
by the construction of thefproposed break
water for the purpose of creating a chan
nel for high-water navigation between
this breakwater and the Oregon shore. The
board reverted to the fact in discussing
this matter that on one side of the chan
nel, along the Oregon shore, is a sliding
mountain, whl"h threatened at any time
to entirely fill this channel, and they rec-
ommended that no excavations be made
along this bank. Along the opposite shore
of the state of Washington was a channel
too narrow to be encroached upon. In 1SS0
the question of the construction of the
canal was again referred to a board of
engineers. This board was enabled to ex
amine into the subject of prosecuting this
work to better advantage than the previ
ous boards, owing to the additional knowl
edge of the Columbia at the Cascades
which had been revealed, and at this time
they formulated a plan which has since
WORKING ON UPPER
been carried out, with some modifications,
to a successful conclusion.
BELOW THE RAPIDS.
Improvements of the River Channel
jCor the Passage of Boats.
HE board of engineers, after a
most careful discussion of the
subject at issue, made the
following unanimous report.
They concluded that actual
construction work on the ca
nal ought to await the im
provement of the river chan
nel from the foot of the main
rapids to the lower steamboat
landing. The reasons from
which this conclusion was
deduced fully satisfied the
government of the practica
bility of the board's sugges
tion, and work on these proposed improve
ments was at once commenced.
The effect of removing the rocks, reefs
and other obstructions was to lower the
water surface of the river at its lower
stages, and the removal of the projecting
points above the low-water mark was to
increase the cross-section of discharge
and reduce the velocities of the flow at the
higher stages of the stream. The board
reported that the amount of this lowering
of the water surface could only be deter
mined practically, as it would be impossi
ble to calculate it with any degree of ac
curacy before the work was undertaken.
The date of the final completion of the
river work which would make the river
navigable at low and medium stages of
water, the board further reported, need
not be deferred by the Improvement of the
river or lower approach to the canal.
It was the opinion of the board that the
excavation of the canal prism might be
continued, the stone for the locks could be
Mm
'&m
VIEW SHOWING UPPER GUARD-GATE ABUTMENTS COMPLETED & FEET HIGH
CANAL WALLS, 23 FEET HIGH.
prepared, and timber for the gates pur- J
chased and seasoned. It would also be I
weil to accumulate otner materials, so max
when construction of the canal was act
ually commenced the work could go for
ward with the greatest possible dispatch.
The engineers were of the opinion that
river navigation at the main rapids would
be greatly improved by the removal of
reefs and projecting points, so that boats
could ascend to the main rapids, with pos
sibly some assistance, during low and me
dium stages of water. They reported,
however, that the extent and cost of these
contemplated improvements could not be
determined. They therefore recommended
that an expenditure of not to exceed 5100,
000 be made for improving this river chan
nel, and that this amount spent on the
river would dr'Tmir the practicability
of the proposed improvement, and the en
gineers would then be able to make a
close estimate of the extent and cost of
carrying these improvements to a success
ful consummation.
In order to insure navigation of the river
at the Cascades throughout the year, it
had been proposed to excavate a channel
next to the left bank and to build a break
water on the river side of this from the
root of the main rapids to Bradford's
Island chute, a distance of about 13,000
feet. The original plan was to build this
;vr-
BULKHEAD, JUNE I, ISO!,
breakwater of crib work, filled with stone.
Thi3 mode of construction Is not perma
nent, and if built at all the board reported
that it should be built of rubble masonry,
for the construction of which ther is an
abundance of suitable material in the im
mediate vicinity. The top of this break
water the board reported should be at
least two feet above the highest stage of
water that dashed against it, and it should
be stepped off to accommodate these vary
ing heights. This wall it was proposed
should rest almost entirely on an artificial
foundation of rip-rap and crib work. The
latter, for the sake of permanency, was
not to be carried up any higher than to a
point within one foot of the low-water
stage. It is clear, said the engineers, that
the construction of this artificial channel
with breakwater will be expensive, and it
will form an engineering problem difficult
of solution, and would require a long time
to carry the work to a successful comple
tion. It would, moreover, seriously dimin-
ish the cross-section of discharge of the
river, then already too small, and it would
require constant dredging to remove the
material which would be deposited in it
by the continued degradation of the adja
cent mountains, and, moreover, it could not
be enlarged at any time in the future. On
the other hand, reported the engineers, if
the system to accommodate the greatest
part of the most useful navigation (for all
stages of water up to 20 feet, at the foot
of the main rapids) be adopted, it would
be far less expensive to carry out, and the
channel of the river below the rapids
could be made ready for commerce within
a reasonable length of time if adequate
appropriations for this work were regular
ly made by congress. It, moreover, would
suffer little from the degradation of the
mountains adjacent, and could be readily
enlarged in the future by an improvement
of the river to diminish the velocity at the
lower approach.
THE GREAT LOCKS.
Enprinccriiipr Difficulties Encount
ered in. Con traction.
fgs? r aeterminingtneaimensionsot
ifil iho Inrks in the nrnnAcail
canal, the following historical
facts were duly considered
by the engineers on whom
devolved the responsibility of
making the plans for this
great work. The Louisville
c Portland canal was first
opened in 1S30. Its locks were
combined, three chambers be-
K&fcgjg" ing in one, each, of which had
SBSr a lift of 8 2-3 feet and a ca-
JJli;jl.jF UL XCUJLUV .LCVIl. 41 V.U3
thought by the projectors that these dl-
I
menstons would "meet the demands of nav
igation on these locks for all time to come.
In less than 12 years after the canal and
locks had been finished an enlargement
was demanded. Since that time new com
bined locks with two chambers and with
lifts respectively of 14 and 12 feet have
been built. The capacity of these locks
is 335xS0 feet. The three chambers of the
old locks have been converted into two
of the same dimensions and lift, and the
main or Indiana chute over the falls has
been considerably Improved. Tct with all
this enlargement, the officer who had
charge of this work and who was also a.
member of the board of engineers who
examined into the feasibility of the pro
posed Improvements at the Cascades,
stated that it was his belief that in con
sequence of the delays which occur in
passing the large number of accumulated
vessels, from a sudden rise in the river,
there would soon be another movement for
a still further enlargement of the canal
and lock capacity.
The old canal around the falls of the
St. Mary's river. Michigan, was opened to
commerce in 1S55 The locks were com
bined, two chambers, 530x70 feet, and each
of nine feet lift. It war, also thought by
the projectors of this Improvement that
these dimensions would suffice for all time
to come. At the time these works were
completed they were the largest canal
works in the world. Fifteen years later
congress made another appropriation for
the commencement of work on enlarging
these locks, and for the construction of an
enlarged lock, work which was nearing
completion at the time the Cascades im
proement was under discussion. This
new lock is 515xS0 feet, and it has a lift oC
18 feet. It itemed to the engineers that
the whole tendency In the construction of
ship canals around obstructions in the
navigable streams of this country was in
the direction of large lock chambers and
higher lifts.
Having these facts in view, the engin
eers reported that there should be a sin
gle lock at the foot of the Cascades canal
to accommodate the low-water system of
improvement. The capacity of this lock
should be 462x30 feet, of ample dimensions
to accommodate one towboat and three
barges. It should have a lift of about
21 feet. The clear gate openings should
be reduced to 70 feet in order to determine
the weight of the gates. It should be pro
vided with a guard gate at its head and
foot, so that it might readily be pumped
out in case of needed repairs, or of vessels
being wrecked within its walls. There
. iiuuuiu umu uk v ijuiuu attic ax me neau
' of the canal, the top of which should be
at Ieist two feet above the highest stage
of water. In case the high-water system
should hereafter be introduced, this guard
gate would form the upper gates of tho
lift and guard lock which must then be
constructed at the head cf the canal.
The prism of the canal, was recommend
ed by the engineers to be SO feet wide at
the bottom. The sides, it vas recommend
ed, should be carried up vertically to with
in one foot of the low-water mark hy
strong timber cribs filled with stone, and
thentoaheightof 11 feet by a dry stone wall.
Here there should be a berm at least 11
feet wide. Above this should be a pavpd
slope, one upon one leading up to the top
of the canal embankment, which should
be on a level with the top of the guaid
gate at the head of the canal.
The following is a summary of the rec
ommendations made by the board of en
gineers for the contemplated improve
ments at the Cascades:
Improvement of the river with a single
lock near the foot of the main rapids for
navigation up-to 20 feet above low-water:
gauge No. 2 and a guard gate at the head
of the canul to exclude high water; sec
ond, should it be found that tnis method
of improvement will not give the. desired
navigation up to the stage of 20 feet,
gauge No. 2, at an admissible C03t. The
next step would be the construction of a
lock behind Bradford's island and a dam
across the river from the island to tho
right bank. The board remarked in con
clusion that the construction of these
works would admit of an easy adaptation
to all-the-year-round navigation, should
it be required in the future. It would ne
cessitate the construction of a guard lock
at the upper end of the canal, which
would involve ,but an additional set of
gates.
It might be Interesting in this connec
tion to not that in the St. Mary's canal,
referred to above, the locks of 1833 are
now replaced fby a single lock, 800 feet
long and 100 feet wide with a lift of about
IS feet, and that this change alone was
made at a cost of $4,710,000. '
AVOKIC ACTUALLY COMMENCED.
Assiprnment of Captain C. F. Powell
to Take Charce In. 1SS1.
iff " October, 1SS1. Captain C: F.
glneering corps, was assigned as
superintending engineer in
charge of the work of tho !m.
c provements at the Cascades.
ant to Colcnel Gillespie, former
ly in charge of the work. Under
Captain Powell and his success
or, Major Jones, the work of con
struction was carried on with
large direct practical results.
Over 100,000 cubic yards of rock were re
moved from the river channel below the
locks, before 15S6. In 18SS, the project for
the construction, of this work was again
submitted to a board of engineers for
further consideration.
The most important matter brought to
the attention of this board was the one to
determine the low-water level below the
locks since the improvements made above'