13
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, OCTOBER 30, 1910.
To. the Taxpayers of ftSie City ef. Pot
and,
Oregon
Is it not time for ycm to stop and consider what is being
done to you by the non-taxpayers in the community t
At the meeting held at the instigation of M. Q. Munly at
the Commercial Club, called to denounce the Tort of Portland
Commission, because they dared to take any exception to his
pet hobby, the Broadway Bridge, when a committee was or
dered to arrange a mass meeting at which to denoance not
only the Tort of Portland Commission, bat all of those who
would be dubbed a "tight-wad" and a "fit subject for Hol
man'a cheap funerals."
The Oregbnian says: "Several men foes of the Broad
way bridge are damaging the city, impairing its credit and
exasperating the public all this within technical license of
the law. In early days, when justice had to be meted out in
a hurry, characters that annoyed the community were sternly
dealt with by stroi men, who took the public welfare into
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A Section of the Detroit River Tunnel, Showing- the Wooden Sheathing on Sides, Also the Temporary Bulk
heads in Place, Beady for Launching.
are opposing this unnecessary and extra obstruction in the
river, I suggested that the committee be named from the tax
payers, bnt this was ruled out of order, as it did not suit the
Tiews of Boss Munly, and his lieutenant, IL J. Parkinson,
the labor agitator, both of whom explained that it i at a
taxpayers meeting, bnt a meeting of the Toting dtiseaa.
Think of that, yoo suffering taxpayers of this city and county!
Ton are not to hare any say in the management and conduct
of these matters. Your duty is to pay the bills and hold your
tongue. That has been the system of Boss Munly from the
very beginning. Leaving it to the to ting citiaens means lear
ing it to the mob. They will vote for every scheme that means
the spending of other people's money.
At his celebrated packed meeting, in Albina, at which he
had gathered every rote-hunter and vote-getter, Boss Manly
openly declared that anyone who dared to oppose their wishes
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Launching Tubes.
their own hands, sometimes called an emergency committee.
How long and in how many ways will this community suffer
iuclf to be bedeviled and harassed by the Prank Kiernanst"
Talk about free speech in this country. "Why, the streets
of Portland, Sixth and "Washington and other streets,, are
nightly held by socialist and anarchist preachers, in order to
maintain a principle of free speech. This whole Broadway
Bridge matter from its very inception has been dragooned and
bludgeoned through by Boss Munly and his friends.
This country went to war to uphold the principle
of "no taxation without representation," but in this city the
principle is being reversed. Boss Munly and Labor Agitator
Parkinson and their ilk want all the representation without
taxation.
TVho are Judge M. O. Munly and IT. J. Parkinson T What have
they done for this community that should entitle them to all
the sayt What industry, if any, have they founded t What
great improvement have they brought about t Who have they
1 located here that were of aid and assistance in the upbuilding
of the City of Portland T They are lampooning and denounc
ing everybody who fails to fall in with their views; stirring
up dissension and strife in this fair city; defaming, slandering
and villifying men whose lives are a credit to the city; and
setting one locality against the other if their views are not
promptly taken up. Doea M. G. Munly 's name appear on the
tax rolls of this city and county; and IT. J. Parkinson, the
labor agitator, who stood up and complained so bitterly about
the extent of territory that the Port of Portland had a right
to levy taxes onf It remained for this gentleman to utter a
long, loud and bitter complaint, and yet the tax rolls do not
disclose his name as a taxpayer in this city or county. There
were not any taxpayers complaining at that meeting.
I am not an apologist for the Port of Portland Commis
sion, composed of. Messrs. W. D. Wheelwright, Charles P.
Adams, C. F.' Swigert, J. C. Ainsworth, P. L. Willis, Captain
Archie Pease and John DriscolL They are all well-known and
reputable citizens of long standing in this community, and are
amply able to defend-themselves. Just contrast their work
towards the upbuilding of Portland, and the standing of these
gentlemen with that of M. G. Munly and H. J. Parkinson. I
have opposed the Broadway Bridge, and have been attacked
by Boss Munly and his right-hand man, H. J. Parkinson, and
desire to say that I have opposed the Broadway Bridge or
any other bridge north of the Steel Bridge for the following
reasons:
First The Broadway Bridge election was obtained by Boss
Munly through a misapprehension and misstatement of the
facts in connection with the new proposed railroad bridge; he
giving it out as a fact that there would, not be a wide upper
deck on the new Steel Bridge; and this at a time when the
Madison-Street Bridge was out of commission, entailing an
unusual congestion of traffic on the other bridges. .
Second I have and will maintain that only taxpayers who
have to foot these bills are the ones to determine what they
want, where they want it, and how much they want to spend
for it.
Third I am firmly convinced, after havirig inspected the
tubes at Detroit built for the Michigan Central Railroad under
the Detroit Kiver to Windsor, Canada, that it is the proper
thing for this city, as our river is narrow and every particle
of it will be needed for commerce in the great city that we are
building here. The Willamette River must be the gateway and
outlet for the enormous country east and south of us. Wa
should do everything to deepen, widen and make available
every particle of the harbor that we have. Not only is Detroit
putting tubes under the river, but Chicago is now putting in
tubes for street railway and railroad purposes at La Salle
street, and many other cities in the Union now have subways
and tubes. Sydney, New South Wales, has appointed a Royal
Commission of naval and military officers who report against
putting a bridge across their bay, and are proceeding to put
tubes under the bay. Think of that. We are going to bridge
our little river; and those people, in order to avoid obstructing
navigation, are going to put tubes under their bay.
Their report attached herewith has spurred San Francisco
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Tubes Partly Sunk.
. the engineering skill of their eompany, concrete tubes could be
put under the river that would last forever, giving greater
facilities for crossing the river, and not interfere with naviga
tion. This, I am most heartily in favor of, and I do not see
any occasion for burdening the taxpayers to erect a bridge
1300 feet below the new Steel bridge, costing the taxpayer
two millions of dollars, or nearly as much as the present four
bridges have cost the people.
There is no necessity nor occasion to build the Broadway
bridge, particularly at this time, when the river is taken up.
With the completion of the Madison-street bridge and the
erection of the new Steel bridge, to be followed with the taking
down and removing of the old Steel bridge, no more bridges
should be put across. the river where the turning basin is
needed. I am in favor of buying twenty feet on the south
side of the Burnside-street approaches, also the Morrison
street, and make the bridges the full width, giving easy access
to and fro. The new Steel bridge being thirteen feet wider
than Washington street, will afford more service than the
present two bridges, and will be ample for a long time to
come. In the meantime we should prepare to build tubes under
the river, as modern cities are doing.
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Section of Completed Tunnels.
to putting tubes under the bay from San Francisco to Oakland,
and yet we, after twenty years' taxing to deepen and widen
the river, are now proposing to cover the harbor portion with
othe and unnecessary bridges.
Mr. Theo. E. Knowlton, of the Detroit River Tunnel Com- .
pany, whom I took up and down both sides of, and on the river,
stated that, with our lumber on the river bank, and with the
sand and gravel in the river itself, a tube or set of tubes could
be built very eheap here. They simply put a dredging machine
in the river and scow along side with a mixing plant, and with
Taxpayers of the City of Portland consider the amount of
taxes being piled up, largely by the non-4axpaying voter. You
must organize if yon want to protect your interests in this
city. They vote the measures through; you pay the bills. If
the bills become too enormous, they can flit and move from
the city, while the taxpayers havevto stay here and foot tha
bills. It is time for you to organize in some way to have a
public service commission of taxpayers to take these matters
in hand for the welfare of the city.
CHARLES K. HENRY. J
TUNNELS UNDER THE BAY
RECOMMENDED FOR SYDNEY
Problem of Traffic Across Port Jackson Similar, on a Smaller Scale, 1
to That of San Francisco Harbor.
(Merchants Association Review, San Francisco, August, 1910.)
Of moeh tntrt to 8n Francisco ! report summarised In
Enclnrlns of a royal commission appointed to devla
means of retting the traffic acroaa Port Jack eon. the harbor of
Sydney. N. S. W. Conditions there very nearly parallel those on
our own bar. except In retard to distance, which are a-reater
here: and the following statement of the problem. In general
terms, reads very much as though It were a description of soma
of Kan Francisco's own difficulties:
"The City of Sydney la situated en the south side of the
great land-locked harbor known as Port Jackson, and on tha
north side there Is a lre and rapidly developing- suburban
district. The population of this district Is Increasing; at the
rate of per cent per annum, and Is estimated to reach I0T.009
by 117. The rapid transit traffic of the district. Including
street railways and suburban railways. Increased (t per cent
In the period from 101 to 10T, and ag-greg-ated lt.4S7.000
passengers In 1)07.
AV9TR4.LJAX FERRT TRAFFIC.
"All passenger communication between tha city and tha
northern suburbs Is effected by five lines of steam ferryboats,
operated by the Sydney Ferries Company, tha total annual
traffic ef which Is estimated at 13.000.000 passengers. In addl.
tlon there are two ferries for vehicular traffic, which carry
together about 430.000 vehicles annually.
The largest of tb ferryboats are double-deck steamers,
carrying from 1250 to 1350 passengers, and having; seating
accommodation for about 1000. The service is said to be good,
but the enormous growth of the trafflo Indicates the need of
some better system of communication. Tha ferry company
considers It can deal with the Increasing traffic by putting on
larger boats and running a more frequent service. On the
ether hand this would Increase congestion of traffic In tha
harbcr and the difficulty (and danger) of navigation, especially
In view of the steady Increase In the shipping trafflo of the
port of Sydney. Occasional dense fogs are experienced In the
harbor. Another difficulty Is that the ferry lines converge at
one point on the city aide, diverging to different points on the
suburban side.
"Special tunnel designs were prepared at the request of the
commission by Mr. H. H. Dare. Assoc M. Inst. C. E.. and Mr. W.
Hutchinson. IX. Inst. C. E. The former proposed a high-level
tunnel consisting of tubes sunk In sections In a trench dredged
In the bed of the harbor, on the system adopted for the Michi
gan Central Ry. tunnel (now practically completed) for crossing
the Detroit River at Detroit. The latter proposed a deep tunnel
driven by the shield system, and lined with castlron. having
the crown about 4 feet below low water. The bridge project is
not regarded by the commission with favor. The naval and
military authorities who gave evidence before the commission
considered that a tunnel would be preferable to a bridge.
TX'MXCLS PROMISE THE BEST SERVICE.
The commission's report discusses the tunnel question in
Its relation to tha accommodation of railway, atreet railway and
highway traffic The commission arrives at tha conclusion that
aubways or tunnels provide the best and most economical
method of establishing communication. Their reasons may be
summarised as follows: (1) Subways will not obstruct the
harbor in any way. while any practicable bridge must have a
pier In the harbor; (3) the combined capital cost of the neces
sary subways for all classes of trafflo would be considerably
less than that of a suitable bridge; (3) tunnels for railway,
street railway and highway traffic could be "undertaken and
completed separately and Independently, while with the bridge
the whole structure must be completed before any of the re
spective services would be available; (4) tunnels would be con
venient and comfortable, and would enable railway and street
railway passengers to reach the different parts of the city
more easily than by bridge: (S) the railway and street railway
systems could be connected .'nore satisfactorily tor thorough
traffic by tunnels than by bridge: ) Increased accommodation,
when required, could be provided more economically by addi
tional tunnels than by bridge."
WHAT THET WOULD COIT.
For a double-track railway tunnel two miles long, the com
mission's estimate of cost Is $3,765,000. Including $400,000 for a
station. This is at the. rate of $330 per foot.
The estimated oost of a street railway , tunnel J H miles long
Is f3.700.000 or $330 per foot.
The estimated coat of the proposed highway tunnel. 1 1-8
miles long. Is $2,510,000, or $360 per foot.
It Is proposed that the tops of all these tunnels shall be forty
feet below low-water mark,' the work being done on the Detroit
River pattern. In the shape of tubes sunk In sections.
The transbay suburban traffic of San Francisco is far
heavier than that of Sydney, comparing, for 1905, in the ratio of
35 to 13. The populations about the bay are larger. The fogs
are worse, and the dangers to navigation greater. Mere length
of bore Is not much of an obstacle In tunnel construction, espe
cially In the case of a sunken tube, which could be supported on
piling foundations.
CHICAGO'S LA SALLE STREET
TUBES TO BE PLACED NEXT MONTH
Twin Tunnel, Each Section of Which Is 18 Feet in Di
ameter, Will Be Floated to Position Under River.
CONCRETE IS USED
Portion of Subway System for Surface and Elevated
Lines Will Relieve Congestion Upon Bridges.
(Christian Science Monitor, Chicago.)
CHICAGO The giant twin steel and concrete tubes that are
to form the water link of the streetcar tunnel under the
Chicago River at La Salle street, are expected to be put in
place and qujetly resting in their cradle under the bed of the
river by the middle of October.
These tubes, which are approximately 18 feet in diameter
each, are being constructed of steel and concrete in a drydock
on Goose Island, about 1H miles north of La Salle street In the
north branch of the river. 'When they are finished the ends
will be bulk-headed to about one-third of the top and the
water will be let into the dock. The bulkheads will keep the
water out of the tubes and they will float with a little less
than half above the water. Then they will be floated down
the river to La Salle street. The bulkheads will be knocked
out, the water will rush In and the tubes will sink quickly to
the bottom. It Is not expected that navigation will be impeded
for more than half a day by the entire work.
' A big steam dredge has been at work for several weeks
scooping out a great trench across the bed of the river. A steel
cradle will be put In place In the bottom of this trench, and
Into this the tubes will be guided. The tubes will be con
nected wlth. the land tunnel at each end, and the water will
then be pumped out.
When completed the tunnel will be used by a number of the
surface streetcar lines to relieve the congestion caused by so
many lines using the State, Clark and Wells-street bridges to
and from the north and south divisions of the city. The
tunnel Is also to form a part of the subway system used by
surface and elevated lines, to be built by the city. It will be
low enough to permit the passage through the river of boats
drawing 25 feet.