Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-02-24
The BED ROCK FLUME AND THE
BOARD OF TRADE.
Boise Statesman.

VIC" oI arriving at facts and impartial
results. 1t was a surprise to us, as it
will be to great many other people.
especially the people of Boise county.
TO learn that after twenty years of ar
goment In favor of bed rock flume
IN the creeks of Boise Basin no on
position came from Boise CITY, until
now, but on the other hand every eff
fort and every argument possible was
made IN unison with the people of
boise county to secure the passage of
bill granting the right of way for a
bed rock fume. Strange as it may
appear to make protest at this late
day by the officers, of SO formidable
an association of men, we cannot TO-
more the fact that the protest will
have great weight and probably de-
feat the passage of any bill by con-
grass for bed rock hume. 1t is even
possible that this remonstrance will
forever seal the opening of the mines
in those creeks. No protest from
such source ought to come through
any light or trivil ground. The best ex-
perienced men, miners and engineers,
who are conversant with the flow of
talllngs or debris, and the possibility
of securing or cribbing them before
they reached Boise river should have
been consulted and their judgement
given great weight with the
Board of Trade. No such course was
pursued, but the danger from the flow
of tailings is mere conjecture based
on statements which do not bear the
test of experience. A little re-
Election and study of the mining oper-
ations in Boise Basin during the early
days when placer mining was at its
best, shows that the tailings or debris
lodged in the creek within a short
distance of the place or point where
they were worked or dumped into the
creek. In those days large amount
of surface ground was run off which
foated farther than the sand and
gravel, but it did no damage to the
farmers on Boise river or changed the
channel in single instance. The
history of Boise river is that the chan
mel has changed less and kept within
its banks more since the settlement
of the country than it did before. The
reson for this is apparent. The
stream has been kept clear of fallen
timbers, beaver dams and drift wood
and in many places the banks
have been levied. The rapid current
at least ten feet to the mile, takes
everything before it and the possibil-
ity of break or change of channel is
looked after and protected. The
hundreds of sloughs in the bottom
lands, along the river that were made
by overhows before the settlement OF
the country are fast filling up by the
wash from the plow lands and grow
ing less from year to year. The
claim of damage by change of the
current in the river opposite Boise
City on account of deposit of debris
! from the mines cannot be supported
with any show of reasoning. The
old channel of Boise river before the
settlement of the country run from
Walling's place where the river now
makes nearly a square turn to the
south or south west, in straight dl-
rection west down through Hammer
Russell, Cartee and Tom Davis lands
nearly mile this side of its present
channel, passing the present channel
a quarter of mile this side OF the
bridge and emptying in again good
distance below. High water has com
pelled the Strengthening of the bank
at Walling's place to keep the rlVel
from cutting through this old channe
again, but this danger always comes
during high water when the rapid
strong currant moves everything be
fore it. The channel where the BOISE
bridge crosses each side of the Rlden
baugh island were nearly equal iron
1868 to 1S6S-both fordable at low
water. By this time the heavy MN
ino was over and it was after thu
that the main channel of the rive
changed to this side, which prove
that it was not the debris, but heaV,
rush of water with softer bottom tina
caused it to wash out deeper on thl
side than on the other side. A teS
cribs of stone put in on the other SD
at the upper end of the island woul'
have turned the water back where
in 1863 The ford on this sid