The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-03-04
Speech of Senator Slater.

that body facts and fgures demon
strating the necessity OF free
river if ever this northwest coast
assumes the industrial position to
which it is by nature entitled.
The greater part of Senator Sla-
ter's speech was in reference to
the Cascades and The Dalles.
From the Congressional Record
we quote his remarks in reference
to this portion of the work needed:
"But, Mr.. President, this is not
the only Improvement needed
upon the Columbia River, and !
regret so much is needed, be-
cause it is not a pleasant task to
press for so many and such large
appropriations; but, Mr.. Presi-
dent, these appropriations are not
only needed in the interest Of the
population and business interests
of Oregon, and Of that much
larger section drained by the Co
lumbia, lying north and east of us,
but are still more urgently needed
to meet the rapid development
now taking place, and which is TO
continue, and from every indica-
ton is to mark one Of the phe-
romenal periods of development
in the history of this country. Two
transcontinental lines OF railway.
converging to a common point
some three hundred miles in the
interior, are to pass down the Co.
lumbia to tide-water; another
line, connecting Portland and San
Francisco, is also soon TO be COM
pleted, and in addition to all these
lines the Oregon Pacific, now
fully under headway, projected
from Yaquina Bay on the west
line of the state, one hundred and
twenty miles south of the Colum-
bia River, which is to traverse the
State from west to east, TO con-
meet with lines from the east IN
the vicinity of Snake River, on the
eastern boundary OF. the State
shows conclusively that far-seeing
men, men of capital, are making
great efforts to reach, possess, and
control transportation lines in
that section. Railroads are not
built where there is no business,
or where the conditions dc not
promise great returns, and these
facts very clearly indicate that the
commerce of that section, coast.
wise and foreign, in the immedi.
ate future viii be very large.
In 1892, think it was, Van,
couver entered the mouth of the
Columbia and found twenty-sever
feet of water on tire bar at ex
treme low tide. At different pc
riods since then there has beer
a depth of twenty-six feet of wa
ter on the bar, but for the mos
part since lS4S there has beer
only twenty-one feet Of water al
low tide. The history of the Co
lumbia bar shows that It slowly
shifts, as. Clatsop Spit, on the
south, is extended northward witt
tendency to resume the condi
tions and depth of channel wheF
first known, the channel shoaling
again as this spit is broken down
or recedes. Enough is known tc
demonstrate the fact that il the
forces in operation at the mouth
of the river which for a period ot
years causes Clatsop Spit to grow
and extend, followed by a retro.
gression, were aided and main
tanned until it should resume its
original condition, there would
again be not less than twenty
seven feet of. water on the bar,
and one straight and broad chan
mel to the sea, instead of two
shifting, shallow, tortuons chan
nels, as now.
The time to do this work is
when these, natural forces are in
operation building out Clatsop
Spit, and the work should be plan
ned and constructed with view
to assist the spit TO assume its
former condition and to perma-
nently maintain that condition
when resched. This work should
be begun at once and pushed to
an early completion. The nature