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'