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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 1915)
f i t THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 8. 1915. CONCRETE BRIDGES ATTRACTIVE FEATURE OF COLUMBIA HIGHWAY z """ w"""liJ1MI" " J" '" ' 2 :S r' s I I -''?!J!T?r'TnirnlfYTTr' 'T"?!?1 J , . $fwt ava If . ; HI. wf ... w "r - w- I 5 -zp4"''' "'n'f "-j"',ti ;; 1 "" " '"" ' ' 1 " "x- S; ii . 1 hJ9- Iff- V;V: ilj i ' " ' m Am' ms& wwnni 1 . ri .. .. jju - . ! f2r- CJi. ;V Itk"' - v j HI r , - , VL' -' - A 1 v ' Jrt&' r -. 1 ti vs 'lllr- ffl feet Post ' 8 s Wl'-y?''! f V I'll i t 1 7 VS"t ftV-f , r ? x&0r " - J9 11 3,0 J6.904 K H-l iiy -( ' V-V -111 it jflriM JrfF 7ti 7 li Nine Spans and Two Via ducts in Multnomah Coun , ty Section of New Road, (C 3jf" -5- 3( i - Bridge Latourelle McCord creek . . Woffett creek .. Shepperd s Dell Bridal Veil . .. . Multnomah . . .. Tanner creek . . Oneonta Horsetail . . . . . Viaduct Mult. Kails (east). Mult. Kalis (west) Total $121,700 AN attractive feature of the Co lumbia river highway in Mult nomah county, is its reinforced concrete bridges and viaducts. They are individual in character, no two being alike, and each one fits Into its surroundings like a mosaic. In their design' there is an economical combination of strength, and beauty. Their total cost approaches $122,000. 1o many the most striking one is that which spans Moffett creek be tween Warrendaie and Bonneville. This bridge is the longest three hinged areb in the world. The nearest ap proach to it is a bridge at Budapest. The Morfett creek bridge is 170 feet lon1 with a rise of 17 feet rn the cen ter. The Budapest bridge is 165 feet In length. From the center of the arch of the Moffett creek bridge it is SO feet to Concrete bridges and viaducts along the Columbia river highway between Portland and the Hood River county line. Top, left to right Multnomah Falls bridge; Benson foot-bridge at Multnomah Falls; Tanner Creek bridge, near Bonneville; section of concrete viaduct near Multnomah falls; concrete viaduct at Eagle CTeek point. Below, left to right Latourelle bridge; bridge at Shepperd's Dell; section of Moffett Creek bridge; bridge at Horsetail falls. the surface of the water below, and at the abutments it is 63 feet. The hinges which are concealed and waterproofed, weigh 16 tons. Simplicity is the chief mark of the design. The only ornamentation is a wreath in the center surrounding a shield on which is engravtd the capi tal letter M and the figures 1915. The M stands for Multnomah. In this re spect it resembles the famous Napo leon bridge across the Seine at Paris which is ornamented with the letter N. The cost of the Moffett creek bridge was approximately $16,000. Another arch bridge on the highway is the one at Shepperd's rell. This bridge is 135 feet above the stream and the arch is 100 feet in length. The total Jength of the bridge from end to end is 150 feet. The bridge has an original feature in the reinforcing of the spandrils. These are reinforced in such a way to make them act as girders and they are capable of sustaining the bending mo ment over half the span. The coat of the bridge was $10,600. The Latourelle Kalis bridge is an original type designed by H. K. Bill r.er, although some of its principals are borrowed from a French expert. T A WEIRD LEGACY OF NATURE-MARBLE CAVES OF SOUTHERN OREGON. ' ,,. . . -:Brr , a I - - ,. Wm mSAh, Zihs .1 c -Tl vwft Liu ' .,? Kir ut.. -4 . n v i v WmH'AMW ' hv nil A if-.- $ l Mhiltr i Ni.;-;::tr t $v A 4vr fl Mdl 13 541 Subterranean Wonderland in Josephine County Is Awe Inspiring" to the Visitor, ; ry jr. u. It . was Joaquin Miller, the poet of jlhe Sierras, who gave to the Joseptiine county caves near Grants Pass the title of ?The Marble Caves of Oregon." If Oregon had fewer scenic attractions these,, wonderful caves would have be come" famous long ago. ,.With our sky kislng peaks. Mount Hood, Mount Jef ferson, the Three Sisters and Mount Mclaughlin; with our rugged and pic turesque coast line; with the ma Jtstlce gradeur of the Columbia rivers tth the indescribable beauty and mys tery, of Crater lake, it is no wonder that the .marble caves of Oregon have not Come into their own as they would in a state, less richly dowered with na ture's masterpieces. ' Possibly the Indians and the early day trappers may have known of these caves but not till Elijah Davidson in 1S74 followed a wounded bear into the caves did the knowledge of . the caves become generally known. Six years later Homer and Earnest Harkneas took up a claim at the mouth of the caves but as the land was at that time unsurveyed they let" their claim lapse. A few years ago the government made tbe caves a national monument and the services' of a government guide are now available without charge. Frank Smith, an old-time resident of Grants 'Pass,' has a camp nine miles' from the caves, where one can. board and lodge 'while visiting f the . caves,:; M. I. On dycke. formerly of5Portland but now a resident of Grants Pass, In describing a. tecent. visit to the caves, says:.? -. "There s are - two entrances - to - the The principal characteristic of the structure is its lightness. It Is 312 feet long and 97 feet high to the grade of the roadway. The concrete above ground amounts to only 560 cubic yards making probably the lightest concrete bridge, relative to its di mensions, in the United States. Not withstanding its lightness the factor of safety is as high as that of any bridge on the highway and above standard requirements. The central portion of the bridge consists of three 80 foot arch Fpans, The cost of the bridge was $26,925. The Bridal Veil bridge is what is called a skew girder, 110 feet in length. It crosses just above the falls at an elevation of 210 feet. Its cost was $5095. The viaduct west ,of Multnomah Falls is 400 feet in length and the one cast of the. falls is 860 feet. The height of the viaducts are fixed by the slope of the mountains and Its relation to the railway track, one side of the concrete floor slab of the viruluctn rests on a' 16 Inch square reit forced concrete column the core of which In hooped with steel. These columns aru spaced 20 feet apart parallel with tho railway and 12 feet from the center of the track. They are from JO to 20 feet In height according to location. The other side of the concrete slab rests on a substantial footing dug Jnto the steep slope above, the foot of tha column being connected with the upper footing by & .-diagonal strut of rein forced concrete. The construction Is of an original type and was made necessary owing to the looseness of the ground. ' , - To have cut away the toe' of the mountain sufficient to get width for the road bed-tr even to have attempted the construction of retaining walls meant disaster for the whole mountain for. hundreds of feet above would have slid down. The cost of the west via duct was $10,513. that of the east one was $2.',520. 4 The bridge across the Multnomah Falls stream is an arch with a clear span of 40 feet- The total length, in 67 feet. Its cost was $4127. The bridge at Ontonta Is a girder bridge resting on 10 columns. Tho length of the bridge Is 80 feet and its cost was $3218. Horsetail Falls stream is spanned by a girder bridge 60 feet In length. The cost of this bridge was $1819. - The foot bridge over the lower Mult nomah Falls was the gift of S. Ben son. The Bpan of the arch is 45 feet and the total length Is 53 feet, Tho width is seven feet and the height above the creek bed Is 105 feet, - The McCord creek bridge near War rendaie is a girder 360 feet in length. Its average height above the bottom of the creek is 60 feet. The contract price for this bridge was $16,904. The bridge near Bonneville across Tanner creek is an elliptical girder with a span of 60 feet. The contract price was $3979. The width -of tho roadway on ail' the" bridge' is 17 feet. i . Photograph by J. P. Bocae. Above at the left, is seen a party setting out to visit the Josephine county caves, three interior views of which also are shown; weird sub- : terranean caverns where stalactites and stalagmites, in grotesque shapes, abound. '., ; "Ton- are now "at the threshold of ridors and chambers, cut out .of marble! by the action of water Charged with carbonic acid. Unlike the Mammoth cave of Kentucky thev , are , not only mammoth but a theatre of beauty,. be ing great marble mountain honey combed - with . passages and chambers caves"." oirie almost at the bed -of the canyon and : another about - 300. feet ntgner. Tne lower entrance . Is the larger and is the outlet of a sparkling stream of -water, which, coming from the internal ; darkness, leaps - and nlunrM dawn 'a. rrrA outoii. Th entranceof ' this - cavern is from 10 to J Is mounted "to "a" narrow shelf 12 or 15 Xe-fX above' the stream" and then a de vious passage of some distance through ciacks -and fissures, narrow, crooked. wit sharp turns, sometimes opening x "nibo'j of considerable size, and on each -side . narrow passages, lead to - .tie darkness. The - Iirsc 50 feet -wide to 75 feet high. A.. ladder 1 room the - visitor -enters . Is known as 1 the upper, opening. 'Old Nick's -Bedroom. Next comes what has: recently been named 'Para dise Lost.'. After something like a Ifalf mile . of wanderings the visitor ascends sharply over broken fragments and daylight appears thro i eh a small opening, and-the visitor finds himself in a good sized-s entrance just: inside decorated in a most fantastic fashion with architecture in crystals and prisms beyond description. This moun tain is a labyrinth of chambers from a few feet in size to others of great dimensions and all decorated in end less profusion and beauty. "The trip through this wonderful palace comes now to where stalactites and stalagmites first appear and you enter 'Adam's Tomb,' gray and sombor, strength, rather than beauty, depicted in its adornment. At the edge of this chamber is a dark and forbidding hole which is known as "Jacob's Well' and clambering into it there is a sheer descent of some 50 feet from which vou enter a chamber irregular In out line about 100 feet long, from 10 to 60 feet wide and from 15 to 50 feet high. The decorations in this room, are superb, being strong and regular of design and unlike any of the other rooms. From here a corridor is trav ersed for several hundred feet, irregu lar, swelling and contracting, but at every turn and angle the visitor will utter exclamations of surprise at the eccentricities displayed in the archi tecture, which have been growing In endless night for millions of years. The names given to the different chambers are suggested by the wonderful Idio syncrasies of formation displayed, 'The Sharkhead,' 'Bridal Chamber.' 'King's Hall.' 'Niagara Falls,' 'Queen's Cham ber,' etc., etc. A Musical Trail. "Leaving this string of chambers the visitor comes to 'Windy Passage,' where one must look out for his light as a strong current of air passes through here. From this passage you come to the 'Theatrical Stage.' To de scribe this one must have a very artistic vocabulary, for it is something wonderful with gorgeous curtains and draperies, fluted columns and marble pedestals, one floes not nave to ne a prima donna or a virtuoso to sing here for any old kind of a voice will ound musical..-. With a piece of metal one can run the scale on the marble ped estals. One of the guides who visits this underground palace can play Home Sweet Home on these pedestals and the notes are as clear as from the bars of a xylophone. Poet's BTaaie Honored. ' '"From here you enter what recently has been .named Joaquin- Millers' Room In honor tjf the famous poet. This room is decorated profusely with stalactites and stalagmites. Thev are long slender tubes, clear as glass, not larger than pioestems, and so frag ile that ereat care is required in hand ling them. A broad table projects from the wall three or four feet above the floor, about 20 feet long and five or -six feet wide. From this table is a drapery, long and delicate, snow white and" glistening. ' reaching from the table to the floor. Beneath this table is a museum of beatrty. There is alto a marble basin, lined with -delicate frost-like, crystals and filled with water, so clear you wonld not know it waft' there unless you put your hand in it. Beyond this little crystal lake the tubes, pedestals and statuettes, continue as far as your light will per mit your vision to penetrate. Here the Plutonic -designer has taxed com plexity and confusion in his decora tions, and by giving the Imagination a little play, an infinite variety of arti cles will be brought to your vision. In' other parts of this chamber are stalactites from the ton, wedded to Btalagmrtes-from the bottom, forming nillarn from the ceiling to the floor. If the caves are ever lighted by elec tricity, colored ngnin snouiu ne pui In this chamber with switches to nrooerlv - manipulate - tnetn m order to bring out Its - true and wonderfuW beauty, tne errect oem; tar Devona any stage setting ever conceived by man. A red light would bring Dante's Infe-mn before the eve with all its weird effulgence, unearthly, spectural delusions., every : pendent would seem tipped with fire, and the brilliancy throughout the entire chamber would appear beyond description, .while one might expect "Old Nick" himself to appear. ii . ' The Ghost Chamber Is Immense. "From here through another of those gorgeous corridors the. visitor- enters what is known as the "Ciiost Cham ber," so called because the first glance within with a lifht revtals a number of weird white flsrures, which turn out to be massive pillars of stalactite and stalagmite rrown together. The exact size of this chamber Is not known, but it is estimated to be -some 35tf feet long. 150 feet wide, and 100 feet high. This is an Immense cavern and forms into compartments, the largest of which is known as the President's room, a great and lofty chamber, and the finest of the whole series. There is- also the 'Drawing Room' with Its regular scalloped floor giving the sd- pearance of a rich carpet and a hall way with a partly frescoed ceiling where crystal flowers of weird and fantastic design have been developed. At the farther end of this great cav ern a stream has cut a channel four or five feet deep. Place, Seldom Visit 4. "At the end of this tcreut room Is a ladder resting, against the marbl wall, at the top of which is a narrow passage inelintne- uowardLat an angle of 30 to 40 degree, which vou trav erse for about 100 feet. This is a chamber that Is seldom visited on ac count of the hard climb, tut the most wonderful apectacle in the whole laby rinth Is here to be seen. A circular' chamber, not more than 25 feet in di ameter, and estimated to,, be. 200 fett high. Kvery foot of the wall Is deco--aterf with clusters of crystallzed car bonates, resemblin,:. more than any thing else great snow white swans, two or three feet across the shoulderM, wings drooping, every feather distinct, standing out as though In , upward flight." The time is not far distant when Oregon's marble caves wlljt be the Mecca for, increased throngs of sightseers. To Make Observations of the Enemy Is To Become Target for Marksmen's Skill French Soldier Relates How He Peeked at "The Bosches" From a Haystack While the Bullets Rained, Around Him. From the diary of Jean Gigot, a French soldier in the trenches, aa re corded by Walter 8. Hiatt. ' In the Trenches.--We were occupy ing trenches west of Rhelms, in a cor ner of the great Champagne ' plain of which it Is the center. .The Germans at this point .were perhaps 200 yards from us'. ' ' "' -, ." "One afternoon, we heard a rumbling noise along" the road behind them, and of course we, wanted .to know: what was going , on. It seemed to indicate a heav movement of troop,!Jtut we could not . tell. , My , adjutant ordered me to climb the top of a haystack and take a look over the plain. ... :. He might as well have told me to take a rifle and blow out my brains, so sure was I to hi killed by the Ger man sharpshooters. Still the Job had to be done, even at the cost of several lives. So I crept; out in the white day light , and began crawling ' carefully through the trampled grapevines, over bits of broken wine , bottles ": where soldiers had feasted hiontha before while the fighting was yet in the open, and actually" reached that haystack Un seen, when up Jumped a whole bunch of rabbits, fccafed by me out of their hiding place. Of course, they ran to ward the German .linea - and attracted attention, which gave evidence that somebody -was crawling near that tack. . - . - Then the bullets began to" whistle around the bay. I was safe so long as I ' lay hidden. - But. I climbed to the top and peeked out -over the plain aa I had been ordered, 'despite the fact that, a whole company of sharpshoot ers were spattering, away -at me. I slipped down again quickly" while the Bosch fire was still directed at the top of the stack -and got some 50 feet away before 1 was discovered." The bullets rained about tne, I was getting away with valuable information and I must be stopped. A mitrailleuse swept my trail, cut down the vines about me. As I. crawled ny clothes and facewere spattered with dirt. Wine bottles were smashed about me. An I got closer to my trench our troops began to return the fire of the Germans to give them a "what-for" so hotly that their fire slowly died away and I came back at last in safety. . , . I reported that the noiso which might have seemed a movement of troops wa n merely a few wagon trains coming aii't going with food and ammunition sup plies. But as the noiHe kept up a lieu tenant later In the afternoon was sent Out-to lake a more experienced obser vation, lie reached -the-haystack, but he never came: back. P0STW0MEN IN GERMANY -. Berlin,', Aug. 7. So many German mail carriers have been, called to th colors .that the service suffers seri ously. In many districts the delivery of letters ; and parcels is delayed for days. ' To remedy this condition Xti postal authorities have decided to em ploy women, wherever this is possible. Several hundred postwornen have bcerf appointed In different cities, and in the rural districts the mail will short ly be entirely In female hands. RUBBER BAN STOPS AUTOS V Chrlstianla, Aug." 7. Rubber has be corate so scarce in Norway that private and public automobile traffic is seri ously hampered, and a great -number of motor cars have had to be taken oft' the roads until some arrangement cr.n be made for securing tires from abroad.'- The Royal Automobile .club and-the foreign office are trying X't obtain England's permission to pur chase limited quantities of manufac tured rubber in London. . '
