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About The Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 19??-1984 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1936)
Uhe Hermiston Heraln VOLUME XXX HERMISTON, UMATILLA COUNTY, NUMBER 32 FATE OF uwe,” DAM r a HANDS WASHINGTON BOARD DAILIES GIVE SPACE TO RIVER MAPS AND STORIES OREGON, OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPEB APRIL 2. 1936 Board of Engineers at Washington to Consider Merits of Plan to Extend Navigation of Columbia; Annual Savings of Millions Seen for Producers in Inland Empire Area 350 e 3 3 300 $3 4:2 "4 CHANNEL IMPROVEMENT ABOVE UMATILLA THOUGHT USELESS Channel Improvement Above Uma- • tilla Brought Into Dam Hearing at Washington. WALLULA GATEWAY CLUB MAP OF UMATILLA RAPIDS PROJECT AND TRIBUTARY AREA Discussion ot the Umatilla dam has never been on more tongues than right now. In slang phrase it is "hot”. Interest has spread not only among local people but is warm over the Pacific Northwest, and lately more particularly in Portland, The Dalles and Hood River. Sunday, March 15th, the Portland Oregonian gave almost a full page to a map and cuts, and an article strongly setting out the reasons why the dam should be built at this time. Since that day the same metropolitan pa per in the Oregon metropolis has contained other articles, and other newspapers have followed with news and comments. A hearing on the Robins report in Washington before the U. S. Ar my board was held March 16th, and the army board will make a report in the near future. This hearing was attended by senators and mem bers of Congress from three north west states, and new arguments were submitted to the consideration of the army board. A full report of the hearing has not yet been re ceived from Washington. Except for a new movement that appears to have the earmarks of interference with the immediate construction of the dam, things are going fine for favorable action from the engineers, and a powerful and united popular and political support. After the dam is approved by the army board, favorable action must then be secured from Secretary Har LADDER old L. Ickes and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, before funds are ap propriated. It has been shown to the higher authorities that the Umatilla rapids is the key to the entire complete de velopment of the Columbia and Snake rivers. Eighty per cent of the tonnage of the inland empire is above Umatilla rapids, and success fully economic navigation below must depend on the traffic from above. The Umatilla rapids site was shown to be in the geographic cen ter ot the Pacific northwest. It is 180 miles from Bonneville and 180 miles from Grand Coulee. It is 200 miles from Portland, 200 from the Sound cities and 200 from Spokane. It is 300 miles from the mouth of the Columbia, 300 from the Cana dian line, 300 from Western Mon tana and 300 from the heart of the Boise-Payette Irrigation projects. East of a line north and south through the Umatilla rapids live 1,500,000 people, while west of the line in this Pacific Northwest live 2,000,000 people. Nearly half of the people of the northwest would be directly benefited by reduced freight rates, and half a million would receive cheaper electric rates within reasonable transmission dis tances from Umatilla rapids who would have to pay much higher A plea for assistance in maintain rates from either Bonneville or ing the Hermiston Community park Grand Coulee. project is issued this week by mem The new navigable Columbia bers of the park board. It appears would be extended 110 miles to as follows: Priest Rapids, or 410 miles inland. Every person living in the west The pool or slack water would back end of Umatilla county should be in up the Snake to Five Mile Rapids, terested in the Hermiston Commun and would justify the continuation ity park. This is your amusement center and if you will take an in of the work on up the Snake by a terest In the building of it, it can series of small dams, which the gov and will be made the most beautiful ernment engineers do not otherwise park in eastern Oregon, and be a monument to the works progress ad justify. ministration of the federal govern The new navigable river would ment. extend to within 30 miles of Yakima In order that this may be accom and also of the new Kittitas project. plished. It Is necessary that you It would tap by trucks and good now give to your park board your financial assistence. Money must be highways for 60 miles the great ap raised now in order to carry on the ple center of Wenatchee. It would park board's part of the project. reach the new Roza project now be The federal government has ap ing built at a cost of 112,000,000 propriated more than $22,000 for by a short highway of 12 miles. It the building of this park, but this would extend along the Columbia money can be used for relief labor only, with a small percentage of it Basin project for which the Grand being used for building material, Coulee dam is being built, for a dis and this material can be purchased tance of 75 miles from Pasco to | only as the relief money for labor se Priest Rapids. By direct route | has been expended, and in no more than 20 percent of the through joint truck and water ser shell money that has been expended for vice and joint rail and water uses, it I labor be paid out for material— would bring reduced rates to Spo hence the delay by the park board kane. the great wheat belt of thé in erecting the fair buildings. How Palouse and Western Montana and ever. the administrators of the North Idaho. Works Progress Administraion are The annual present tonnage is es- heartily in favor of our park project, timated at 12,000,000, and the an considering It one of the best WPA nual additional potential tonnage at projects in eastern Oregon, and are (Continued on page •) (Continued on page 5) SUPPORT OF PARK PROJECT IS ASKED WALLULA GATEWAY CLUB OPPOSES PROPOSED CHANNEL S A* " hr "ones \ER, Erses M 0 RR 0 W La GrAnoE U N I 0 BAKER .jgl ' —Courtesy Morning Oregonian The circle on the above map has a radius of 75 miles from the Umatilla rapids dam site. The north edge of the circle is 85 miles from Grand Coulee. The west edge on the Colum bia is the same distance from Bonneville. The circle includes almost all of the Yakima and Columbia Basin projects and taps Kittitas county. It wholly includes the Walla Walla valley and all other irrigation projects in the inland empire, amounting to approxima tely two million acres of 50,0 00 present and potential irrigated farms. The tonnage from all this region naturally would flow down a water grade at reduced rates through river navigation. Electric power at Umatilla is estimated at 1.2 mills per kilowat hour. The cost of generation at either Bonneville or Grand Coulee, as reported by the state ot Oregon power commission would cost the users within this circle from four to six times as much. A general hookup of the three plants is considered desirable by government en gineers. It is estimated that irrigation power within this circle area during the summer flow of the Columbia river, may be produced at half a mill per kilowat hour. This area when these developments nowunderway. along with developments made possible through the navigation, power and irrigation features of the Umatilla dam, will support twice as many people as now live in either Portland or Seattle and according to government statis ticians will add when developed, one person to the big city population to every two who live on the farms and in the smaller towns of the area within the circle. Through the low cost of power at the dam increased uses of electricity would multiply almost a thous and fold according to recent local signups and figures from the federal power commission. COMMITTEES NAMED FOR PAUL MILLER PASSES AWAY FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION. AT OAKLAND. CALIFORNIA. The Fourth of July committees have been appointed for preliminary work of organization of the celebra tion program, by Herbert Hedwall, president of the Commercial Club. Roy Hale is made chairman of all committees, and Al Quiring is secre tary-treasurer. Harold Thompson of the boy scout organization will have charge of concessions. Harry Kelly of the American Legion will superintend the dance and smoker. John Jen- drzejewski of the fair board will look after the grounds. Ed Dun ning of the Westland Grange and Roy Penny of the Stanfield Grange will arrange the picnic feature. The parade director will be Al Kennings Advertising will be fn charge of Lloyd Moore. The park board will be represen- ted on the committee by F. C. Me- Kenzie, and the Farm Bureau by Henry Sommerer. A baseball direc tor will be appointed later. The next meeting of the renerai committee will be Wednesday night. April 8, at the American Legion hall. — - =------ Stare Hit Filmed "Anything Goes,” which comes Friday to the Oasis theatre. Is Para mount's screen version of the Broad way stage hit. Bing Crosby heads a cast of popular favorites, which In cludes Ethel Merman. Charles Rug- glee and Ida Lupino. Paul Miller, for years a resident ot the Hermiston project, passed away at the home of his brother at Oakland, Cal., Monday, March 23, following an operation from which he was thought to be convalescing nicely. The immediate cause of his death was due to a heart attack. Word of his death was received bere Sunday by friends. Mr. Miller was a member of the Odd Fellow lodge and was interested in amateur radio and short wave. He operated a fruit ranch In Colum bia district for a number of years, and then traded for land at Stan field where he lived for two years. He went to California last fall to spend the winter with his mother and brother. | ' T. P. A. WILL DISCUSS HOT LUNCH PROBLEM WEDNESDAY. Members of the T.P.A. and Inter ested persons will meet at the school house Wednesday, April 8. to discuss the hot lunch problem and outline a program for the next school year. Mis Francis Clinton, county home demonstration agent, will be present to assist In the plan ning. The regular T.P.A. meeting will be held Wednesday. April 15, at which time election of officers will be held. Inland Navigation Company of Se attle Proposes to Build Special Boat to Navigate Columbia. The Wallula Gateway club is now opposing a proposal made by certain elements in the Northwest to con struct a cheap, channel through the Umatilla Rapids which is alleged to be only a temporary aid to naviga tion while the dam is being built. This channel is estimated to cost 5250,000 and is based on a basis of blowing out a few rocks. A brief was filed before the army board by a Dr. Black, who repre sented the Columbia Valley associa tion of Portland. A report was made by the army engineers to the board in Washington. The Inland Naviga tion company ot Seattle, is asking for a common carrier certificate from the Interstate Commerce Com mission, which is to be heard May 4th in Washington, and this com pany is proposing to build a special boat for such hazardous navigation. The boat is to be 38 feet wide and 190 feet long .with two engines of combined strength of 1600 horse- power. It is reported to contain six tanks tor gasoline shipments so that If one is jammed the contents of the others will not be lost, and the deck will be made to carry wheat down stream. Much publicity Is being given this so-called effort to start naviga tion above Umatilla, and the under current in its favor is sttrong and is generally misunderstood. The supporters of the Umatilla dam contend that this movement is a deliberate effort to defeat the im mediate construction of the Uma tilla dam. The Wallula Gateway club has submitted data as to who are the promoters to the members of congress, and to all leaders who are In favor of the day, and it is hoped that the movement will be stopped. Col. T. M. Robins, in his report last year on the Umatilla dam. stat ed that all money spent for attempts at channeling through the Umatilla dam would be wasted as slack water from Umatilla to the mouth of the Snake was the only possible solu tion to successful economic naviga tion for the Inland Empire region. The new boat will require six feet of water and cannot reach the mouth of the Snake through Homli rapids which has a prevailing depth of only four feet. The new naviga tion company therefore proposes to build a port at Dent’s Landing, a point somewhere on the Columbia, about four miles below Wallula. KEIKKALA-BROCK Miss Esther Kelkkala, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. V. 8. Keikkala of West land district, and Mr. Ceci IBrock of Parkdale were united In marriage March 5 at Stephenson. Wn. They plan to make their home In Park- dale. Ore., and at present are living with Mr. Brock’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Brock of Parkdale. Attend Corvallis Meeting. W. A. Sawyer, assistant county agent, and H. K. Dean, superinten dent of the Umatilla Field Station, left last Sunday for Corvallis where RED CROSS MAKES URGENT they attended a federal farm exten sion meeting at which the federal APPEAL FOR RELIEF FUNDS farm program was discussed, Mon day and Tuesday. Walter Holt, The Red Cross is making an ur county agent of Pendleton, also at tended the meeting. Mrs. Sawyer gent appeal for contributions for accompanied Mr. Sawyer to Corval flood sufferers. The Umatilla coun lis. —9 e------ ty chapter has sent the money from its subscription fund, but the dire :............♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ need of 450,000 people in thirteen ALONG THE CONCRETE ♦ states makes it necessary to call for ♦ additional voluntary contributions. The need of help has hot abated to9*499*6******* E. E. Rainwater fed some of the with the receding of the flood wat ers—The tragedy Is so great that Farm Bureau egg laying mash to the president of the United States his hogs by mistake and later found has called on the Red Cross to gath a neat of eggs in the pig pen. Carl Jackman was looking for a er funds for the relief of the dis battery under the back seat of Mrs. tressed thousands. Won't you do your bit? Contribu Fred Painter’s car Wednesday morn tions may be deposited In the box at ing In all sincerity. Carl knew bet the Hermiston Drug company, or ter but he forgot it was April fool's left at the Tum-A-Lum Lumber com day. Mrs. J. B. Beebe has three child pany. ren In her family who were born on R A BROWNSON. Dist. Chairman Red Cross. the first day of April. One is 30 years old, the other two 28 and 14. respectively. Two other children EASTER WORSHIP SERVICES have birthdays in November. O. O. Felthouse running out of PLANNED FOR APRIL 12TH. gas at the outskirts of the city Wed Easter morning worship services nesday where it would be conveni are being planned for April 12th by ent for the school children to get Hermiston churches. Pre-Easter off the bus and walk Into town. Rohrman Motor company wreck services are now being conducted at the Methodist church by Rev. R. R. ing car going out on a job and find Finkbeiner with a fine attendance. ing no wreck. Walter Hamm was doing his Roy Special Easter services will be Scout good deed last Saturday when conducted by the Hermiston Union he washed the window In the office ehurch Sunday evening, on Easter. of City Attorney W. J. Warner. Other churches are planning special Hallowe'en’s good turn was still on services in observance of the day. the window.
