The west shore., December 07, 1889, Page 391, Image 7

WEST P1I0UK.
pnge of this paper, the pile driver going first, then the
construction of the trestle work on which to lay the
railway track for the transportation of tho rock ami
matting. The wood work is expected to last only dur
ing the construction of the jetty. It will soon decay
and disappear, but the rocks and sand reef will remain
to confine the flow of tho river to tho desired channel.
The government has a valuable plant at tho mouth of
the Columbia and ordinary prudence demands that the
work be completed before that plant becomes useless.
An appropriation of $700,000 from the present session
of congress is asked by the engineers. A very distinct
benefit to the channel on tho bar is already shown, so
the work is no longer of tho nature of an experiment.
The next matter requiring tho attention of tho
government is tho improvement at tho cascades. Tho
river channel thero is very rocky and tho fall is so
great that no boat can stem the current. Occasion
ally during tho high water season steam boats descend
tho rapids, but it is always recognized as a haxardous
feat which only very unusual circumstances warrant
undertaking. The principal difficulty is at what is
known as tho upper cascade, that Wing tho upcrmoBt
and by far the most turbulent rapid in a stretch of
Bomo four and a half miles of rocky channel. The
project for overcoming the obstacle to continuous nav
igation presented by the cascades contemplates tho
improvement of the channel below the upper cascade
by tho removal of boulders from tho stream and jut
ting rocks from tho banks so as to givo a navigable
channel. Tho fall at tho upper cascade is to bo over
come by tho construction of a canal .1.0(H) feet in
length to cut ofT a pint of land around which tho
river Hows and falls in a broken, surging torrent. The
canal, in its present stage, forms tho subject of tho
illustration in the center of this paper, tho view being
taken from tho lower or western end. Tho removal of
rocks from the river channel has been accomplished so
now efforts may bo concentrated on the canal. A force
of 175 men is now engaged there, excavating and lay
ing masonry. About 1,000 f.vt of tho canal is practic
ally completed ; that is, tho excavation is done, the
masonry laid and tho rip-rap work finished for that
distance, though tho construction of locks has barely
been begun. Tho solid masonry extends from tho
bottom to a height of thirty feet and tho rip-raping to
a height of about 100 feet. The distance irtwoen tho
gates in tho canal will 1k 500 feet ami tho fall to be
overcomo is between fifteen and twenty-four feet, ac
cording to tho stage of tho river. Tho difference Ut
tween the extremes of high and low water is forty-five
feet at the foot of the canal and fifty-four feet at tho
head, so it will readily I seen that it is no small en
gineering job to build a canal that will work success
fully at different stages of water. The improvement
now in progress is calculated to render passage possi
ble at any stage up to twenty feet aliovo tho low water
mark. It is only during a few weeks, at most, In early
summer that tho water is above tho twenty-foot mark.
The work at tho cascade canal was begun by a pri
vate company but was not then prosecuted with vigor.
Tho lack of means prevented the treatment that would
have been desirable. Tho government took hold of
tho enterprise in 1S7K, and there have since been ex
pended in the work altout 1,500,1100, and it Is esti
mated that as much more will bo required to complete
tho enterprise. Tho dilatory methods of congress in
making appropriations may nmko a greater exjicmll
turo necessary More Iwmts can be linked around tho
upper cascade. (Iranite from Hpoknno Falls Is being
employed in constructing the locks. A system of wa
tor works has been constructed by which all tho water
necessary fur domestic or mechanical purosc Is sup
plied by gravity from a reservoir In tho mountains
near. A numWr of buildings for the accommodation
of men and stm-k are Included In tho government's
plant. Half a million dollars a year could Im profita
bly expended on tho enterprise, and if the amount
were furnished two or three years would sulllco for
rendering tho canal serviceable. Tho work Is now In
a condition that will admit of its Wing pushed to an
early completion if tho government will but provide
tho money.
Now that the canal at the cascades Is well under
way means are U'lng devised for circumventing tho
greater obstruction farther up tho river, without which
little benefit can be realised from the cascades canal.
At tho dalles tho Impediment to navigation is much
greater than at the cascades and requires Improve
ments of much greater magnitude. From IVlilo rapids,
alKve the city of The Dalles, for a distance of slmut
thirteen miles down the river, the channel has numer
ous rocks and currents too rapid for navigation, owing
to tho vast volume of water being forced Mwren rocky
walls of an averago distance apart of only '.'.V) feet.
For short distances lictween these obstructions the
stream is navigable, but the lniedimenl aro so near
together as to render advisable a general scheme for
avoiding them all In the same calculation. Kstlmates
for the construction of a canal to Hank Celilo rapids
and to blast tho channel Mow so ss to make it passa
ble for boats are that 1m.uI H,0O0,lX)O would lm nee
essary for the job. The extraordinary variations In the
height of the water ami tho unprecedented sle of
gates, etc., necessary for an enterprise of such huge
dimensions, bring Into the problem too many uncer
tain elements to make any accurate calculation of tho
work or its results ossihk -With the present system
of making appropriations in V"gu the work on such a
vast enterprise would La well nigh terM'tual and the