Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1889)
WEST SHORK. m PUGET SOUND UNIVERSITY. THE Puget Sound University was chartered in March, 1888, under the auspices of the Method ist Episcopal church, with the object of found ing and maintaining an institution of higher classical, scientific and theological learning in the re gion of Puget sound. For somo tinio tho question of location was unsettled, several of the eligible cities of the Bound being under consideration, but nt lust a most desirable site being offered in Taconia and the other advantages of that rapidly-growing city being so great, the managers decided to locate tho university there. Work is now in progress on the main college building, which is completed to the first story, and which will cost a total of $00,000. This beautiful and substan tial structure has a solid foundation of stono, and tho superstructure is of brick with stono trimmings, and is C3 x 200 feet in sizo and four stories high with a pyramidal tower above the high, arched entrance. On the last pago is given an engraving of Huh handsome edifice. Tho corner stone was laid on tho sixteenth of September by Bishop Thomas Bowman, of Saint Louis, assisted by the presiding elder of the Puget sound conference. The site- is a most charming and healthful one, being on the crest of tho hill overlook ing the city and bay and commanding an entrancing view of the sound, tho Cascade mountains and tho great, white peak of Mount Tacoma. It is exacted that tho building will be completed in time for tho school term beginning in Septemlter, 1H!H). ARTIFICIAL GLACIERS FOR IRRIGATION. A MOST novel, and to a degree practicable, plan of H storing up water in winter for use in summer is suggested by Hon, William X. Ilyers, founded on an intimate knowledge of mountain streams and climatic conditions in tho mountains. Moot of tho longer streams that How out from the crest of tho snowy range rise at, or aW, the uT line of timber growth. They dew-end by a step grade through tho upper belt of timlrr, and a number of them converge toward the center of ft hanin which I the gathering pint for a large stream. This basin is generally a swampy meadow or a thicket of willows, filled with beaver dams. Sometimes it is partially covered with spruce tree. In any ease it is wet, and nearly or quite level. Tho water flow through it very slowly, and a relatively largo quantity is always in store thero. At the foot of tho basin a sharer descent begins, and a large, well-defined stream is firmed It may, farther on, pass through other basins and low itself in successive swainj or beaver jsmds. In ordinary seasons these high regions are early covered with snow. In many places it comes before the ground is froien at all. I t bridges over tho chan nels of the small streams and each succeeding storm covers them deeper. Consequently they llow all win ter under the snow. When tho small streams have united and formed the largo one, it is too wide for the fulling snow to bridge over, but tho fr ty night soon cover it with ice, leaving plenty of room beneath for tho winter llow of water. Snow soon spreads a blan ket over the Ice and the stream Is safely housed from its source at timber lino all the way down tho moun tain slope to tho point where changing temperature brings alternate freezing and thawing for many months. Ice once formed remains lee until tho next summer. Tho plan is to oMruet these small streams at, or just alMtve, their first Alpine basin. It can lie very easily done. When tho snow has covered over tho little rivulet and the weather ha Ix-como freezing cold, break through tho covering at a favorable point, pack the channel full of snow and compel the water to llow over your snow dam into the open air. The compact body of water that hitherto flowed In Itn confined and covered channel now spread out like a fan, In a thin sheet. It saturates the snow, the frccxlng air quickly changes it to ice, and In a little while a hillock Is grow ing up liko tho dump at the tail of a ground sluice. And this hillock, or thousand of them, mny lx kept growing all winter. To carry out thl plan would require an able, trusty man for each given space. It may lo tho basin, or a mimlier of basins, at the head of a considerable stream. He must make bis winter homo thero. More winter sets in ho will have surveyed the ground and marked out his route. ' It will bo nearly on a level along the mountain side and will resemble a trapper's trait for yetting ft lino of traps. He will mark it well by blax- , tree or planting pole. At the crossing of each little stream he will determine tho exact place to interrupt it llow and mark it by high Kle. Ho must watch the work, and esecially after each considerable fall (lf snow ho should go over hi entire circuit. A man nhould take care of fifteen or twenty mile, or from fifty to UN) stream. This jipmi-m might lw applied lower dwn tho stream, where It Is larger, and Instead of building a iiumW of little glacier, construct a grand one. Sucees depend Uhii bringing the water out to tho air, distributing It In a thin sheet over a com paratively largo surface, so It will frcejo quickly, and keeping the How all the tinio on tho surface. To save it all, the pr.NT must lie high enough on the moun tain to have steady freeing weather. One man at loo a month fr six month In the year will stire up more water against the next Irrigating season than ran 1 stored In a .'AXX reservoir.
