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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1882)
January, 1882. THE WEST SHORE. 17 INCREASE OF DEPTH TO SOUTHWARD. 4th. At two miles to seaward from point Adnms, west, is found fac ami one-half fathoms. At two miles to seaward from Grimes' house, west, is found eleven fathoms. At two miles to seaward from Tilla mook Head, west, is found thirty fath. oms. At five miles to seaward from mid way hetween Tillamook and False Til lamook Head, west, twenty fathoms. At two miles to seaward from False Tillamook Head, west, is found thirty two fathoms. We notice that the average ratio of increase of depth to the mile off shore on southern sheet is found to be five fath oms or thirty feet. The average ratio of increase of the depth to the mile oflf shore on the north ern sheet is found to be three and five c'ghths fathoms, or about twenty-two feet. The silt, borne out by the river cur rent, has been deposited as an average on the ocean floor northwest, eight feet deeper than on the ocean floor south ward of the channels. Commander Coffin adds: 5th. "Outside of four or six miles are coast currents parallel to the shore line, to the southward in summer, and north ward in winter, whose velocities are very dependent on local winds, which, when strong, often reverse the current. "Inside of five to six milcs,thc currents seem to be governed by the outflow and inflow of the Colsmbia (south of Cape Disappointment)." 6ih. "The distance outside the bar at which discolored water may be seen, varies with circumstances. Good signs to the navigator are the strong tide rips met with off the bar, and to the north ward and southward of it sometimes as far as ten or fifteen miles, but rarely more than five or six miles to seaward of the bar." These official tables are not only val liable to navigators, but also to all per sons, who wish to estimate the currents and deposit of sands at the mouth of the Columbia. Standing on the steamer deck in No vemler, 1SS0, in line with Tillamook Head and Cape Disappointment, while crowing the bar, it teemed plain that the Columbia had pushed and held both its channels out to the very front of the shore line, and then poured its vast flood of waters with their floating silt, upon the broader ocean currents to be borne ay. The tsW" quoted show this to e the fact. Every year adds a large ncremcnt to these currents of discolored water, whose contents must be sifted through the sea waters upon their ocean lcad. The sea and river flow, which meet and form the bar of the band and silt will never be less, but they must be more, as the soils of the valleys and hills are stirred by the plough, and miner's shovels, an J the plash of steamer paddles, breaking down river banks. Doubtless the Columbia will continue to plough its channel out plumb to the coast line. 1'ROHI.KM. Can the Columbia cut away the shelf or south point of the middle sands and ts silt seaward far enough to be borne off by the ocean current. Alike pro cess has been going on, resulting in re pcatcd bars, sand spits and islands, un til a deep channel has, as we have seen, been made to the sea line. The more sluggish Yukon of Alaska, spreads its mouths through a delta of seventy miles in width, and allows its best chan nd to wind through this broad alluvi urn, hardly more than six to ten feet lecp. The Columbia's more rapid flow car rics its channel thirty feet deep out to the sub-marine spits and banks which form the bar. The problem of cutting a deep chan nel through the middle sands south of the breakers, cannot be solved by divid ing its force into two or or three chan nels. Its natural trend has prciacd Sand sland and the middle sandsto the north ward. Its re-curve or awing, trends across the south spit or shelf of the middle sands, at new southern or cen tral channel.dccp enough for our largest merchant ships. PERMANENCE. Such a channel will no doubt contin ue, if its southern bank or wall is held firm. The process of piling and rip rapping on Clatsop spit, at suggested by Col. Gillespie, seems to le the true and wise method to secure the southern wall of the Columbia ship channel. The northern wall will he held firm by the rocky base of Cape Disappointment. DIVISION OF THE WORK. It it plain from the experience of years, that the United State govern ment will not push three or four im provements vigorously, vii., the lockt at the C""S''mj r"mAvlj rvVs In Snake river channel ; dredging channels in the lower Willamette and Columbia, and dredging the bar at the mouth and piling Clatsop spit. Appropriations are toon spent and all the work stops often when mot needed and most easily done. Portland proposes to share the ex pense in part. Why not share the work? Why not enlist boats and men of the (). It. & N. Co., and buy dredgers and scraper that can be got, and push the dredging and scraping of river hart as an individual or company can and will push its own enterprises until they are done? Why not ask Congress to grant a large appropriation and use it to im prove the mouth or the Columbia, at advised by. U. S. engineer!? Why di vide petitions and be conquered, instead of uniting them to win success? The delays of the ocean fleet in 1881, will be repeated in 1881-3, com" mercial city fails to apply its money and business force, first,-to clear out the river bars itself, and second, to ask Congress to appropriate a large turn and spend it to help the ingress and egress of ships at the mouth of the Co lumbia. The proposed purchase of two pow erful tugs assures more safety and ajieed to merchant ships, but steamers want the bar denied, and the central channel deepened and protected on itt left bank. Lvery thousand dollars spent there will assure large addition to our direct foreign commerce. ITS RKt.ATIVK VALUE. Capt. Maginn, when president of the New York board of pilots, was instruc ted to report his opinion as to the mer its of the entrance to the Columbia river compared with the entrance to New York. He says 1 "The bar in the Columbia is about half a mile across, while that of New ork is three quar ters of a mile. The channel of the bar at the mouth of the Columbia It about 6,000 fett, and thoalt gradually, while the channel of the bar at Sandy J look is about 600 feet and thoalt rapldlv. The channel across the bar it straight at the Columbia; that at New York U crooked. In accessibility to the sea, the Columbia river it the hot, as it it immediately at tea, and ship can get out of the tea into the harbor at once, and also get out ut once into the high tea. "The winda at the mouth of the Co lumbia, are marked, rrgnlar and sternly, while the winda at New Yofk are en lirely variable, and cannot be calculated upon by the marine, for any time. I The mouth of the Columbia it free 1 Irom ice and great heat."
