, 1859-01-07


with those they encountered on the Colum-
bia, from the mouth Of the Snake to the
Dalles, they seem to be all Of the same
general character leaving but little or no
doubt of the navigability of the Suake for
steamers to the mouth of the KooskOoskia
Snake river is probably navigable for steam
ers 60 miles above the mouth of the Koos-
kooskia.
Besides Priests Rapids, where canaling
would be required, or a land portage Of
some three miles, the other instructions
are Buckland's Rapids, sixty miles above
Priests Rapids, Ross Rapids, near the
mouth of the Met-how river, and Kettle
Falls. Ross! Rapids would not be an OBJ
structon to steamers, but both at Buck
lands Rapids and at Kettle Falls, locks
and canals would be required, and espe-
cially at the Kettle Falls, where the Co
lumbia pitches over a ledge of rocks making
fall of about fifteen feet perpendicular.
To Kettle Falls, distance Of about 725
miles from the ocean, the Columbia, in or
der to make continuous navigation, will
therefore require locks and canaling at the
Cascades, at the Dalles, at Priests Rapids
and at Buckland's Rapids, giving the fol.
lowing reaches of navigable waters. viz:
Miles.
Entrance TO Cascades ..........l6 l60
Cascades to Dalles. ........... As
DalleS to Priests Rapids. .lS0
Priests Rapids to Buckland's Rapids. &C
Buckland'S Rapids to Kettle Falls. . .274
1t will be well to state that at high wa
ter steamers could probably ascend the
whole distance from the Dalles to Kettle
Falls, say from the middle of May to the
middle Of July.
Steamers have been running regularly in
the two first mentioned reaches for some
years, and a steamer was, at the last ad-
vices, being about pnt on the third reach.
The business has increased quite rapidly
so much SO that for three years there have
been from Portland aud Vancouver two
lines of steamers to the Dalles, aud the
rates of freights and passages have become
greatly reduced.
The annual freshet of the Columbia is
caused by the melting of the snow in the
Alpine regions of the Rocky, Bitter Root,
and Cascade Mountains; and, as a conse-
quence, takes place in the warm months of
spring aud early summer, commencing about
the middle of April, and attaining its great
est height usually. and very regularly, by
the fifteenth of June, at which time all the
rapids from the Dalles to the Kettle Falls
near Colville, are, SO to speak, submerged
The Clark's Fork empties into the Co.
lumbia by fall of fifteen feet in height,
aud hundred and fifty yards in width; at
the distance of Il quarter of mile from the
main stream it passes through deep gorge
in the range, where it has further fall of
three feet From this point to the Mission
of st. Ignatius, (seventy miles by the river,
it has never been explored. 1t is supposed
to be navgable. The Indians are too in
dolent to travel for the sake of exploring,
or for pastime; and as their hunting grounds
lie in another direction, they have never
made the attempt. 81
DR.. GeorgeEucEley, surgeon and natu-
ralist for a Northern Pacific Railroad,
who passed down from Fort Owen on the
Bitter Root river, to its junction with the
Flnthead or Clark's Fork, and thence
through Lake Pend dOreille to the Mis-
sion of st. Ignatius above referred to,
mentions in that distance only one portage
of thirteen hundred PAGES, at the Cabinet,
a few miles south of Lake Pend d'Oreille.
lie traverscd this river in October and No,
vember, a period Of the yeas when the
water is at its lowest stage.
DR.. Luckley says in his official report of
the exploration of this river to Gov Stevens,
that lat poiut about sixty miles above
the Pend d'Oreille Mission (of st. Igna-
tius) is the Pend dOreille or Kalispelm
Lake, formed by dilation of the river; it
is beautiful sheet of water about forty
five miles in length Below it the river is
sluggish and wide for some twenty.sx
miles, where rapids are again encountered
during low water. From q point nine
miles above the lake to these rapids, dis
tance of about eighty miles, steamboats,
drawing from twenty to twenty-four inches
could readily ascend. In high water, OF
course, the distance would be heightened.
There would be but one obstacle between
the Cabinet twenty-five miles above Lake
Pend POreille) and point ten miles be-
low the Mission, distance Of one hundred
and forty miles. The obstacle alluded to is
where the river is divided by rocky islands,
with a fall of six and half feet on each
side. At this point a lock might readily
be constructed, The Hudson Bay Com
pany's large freight-boats are in the habit
of ascending from the lower end of Pend
.dOreille Lake to the Horse Plains, a dis
tance Of about one hundred and thrty-6ye
miles. This involves two portages.
have dwelt on these particulars, knowing
how important they will prove in relation
to questions of railroad construction, aud
the transportation Of supplies. From the
Horse Plains before spoken Of, the river, 50
far as hare examined u, would be excel
lent for rafting purposes. Timber, in this
manner, could be transported great dis
tance. Above this, to the ST, Mary'S viii
lage, l cannot give a decided opinion in its
favor but | am inclined TO the oninion that