The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-10-10
MR.. ROOKWELL'S MISTAKE.
He Substitutes Assumptions For Facts.
And Sides With The ObstructiOnists

washington:
PORTLAND, Oregon, Aug: 26, 1889.
Professor T. C. Me1ldelh0L, Super,
i1lte7lde1lt u. s. Coast and Geo.
.detic Surrey, Washington, D. &.
SIR: In conformity with the in
structions of your predecessor, Mr.. F.
NJ. Thorn, dated April 81, 1889, have
the honor to make the following re.
port upon the crossing of Young's bag
by proposed r. r. bridge and trestle.
This bridge is to be constructed by
the Astoria and South IuI5I itail-
road Co, line of road commencing
at Astoria running along the Colum-
bia to Smiths Point crossing the bay
by the most direct course and run
ming along the tide lands to Ciatsop
plains The projected route Is thence
by a pase near the head of Lewis and
Clarkes river to the Nehalem, Tilla-
nook bays, etc, The road is of stand
ard gauge. I append clipping of a
Portland paper to show that the COM
pany have filed an acceptance to the
terms of the act regulating the bridg-
ing of navigable waters, etc. l have
obtained from the chief engineer the
following details of construction:
Total length of trestle and bridge
8,400 #. Bents of piles each to be
Is #. 6 inches between centres. Piles
16 to 20 inches, diameter at large end.
The draw-span across the channel
will be 254 feet over all.
The opening or clear span will be
11G feet. The pivot pier will be 26 #.
wide, and the abutment piers will be
each 6 #. wide.
In considering the effect this bridge
Will have upon the navigation of the
Columbia and Young's and Lewis and
Clarke's rivers, the future interests
and Importance of the port of Astoria
demand recognition and protection
far more than the present. While for
the present the great transconti-
mental railroads have made such COM
bination that Puget sound, as an ocean
outlet and terminus, is their objective
point, it does not seem probable that
the Columbia river will long remain
unnoticed. The completion of the
stone jetty will probably greatly i'm
prove the entrance to therriver so that
in the near future vessels of the larg-
est class may enter and find secure
harbor within ten or twelve miles only,
from the sea. A large city may there
fore be reasonably expected to be To-
Gated at or near Astoria Young's bay
In that event would afford the best IA
cilities for wharf room and mooring
of vessels. Wharves and piers could
readily be built out over the flats to
the channel through the bay. This
channel, already very fair could be
improved and maintained by dredg-
ing, affording abundant room for ship
ping, and for manufacturing estab-
lishments. YOung's river is mainly a
tidal estuary, extending six or seven
miles to the head of tide water, and q
short distance above thBt point the
river falls from hight OF 60 or 20
feet, affording a good water power.
At present the commerce OF Young's
river is small, a mill for the manufac-
ture of wood pulp is the only manu-
facture established The river is nav
igable to nearly the head of tide-Water.
The tide lands along the shores are
partly reclaimed by diking, and being
very productive, are valuable.
Lewis and Clarke's river is naviga-
BILE to about the same distance as
Young's river. The fall just above
the head of tide water is not quite so
high as that in the former stream.
Valuable deposits of fire and pottery
clays are located on this stream and
the material is loaded on bargss and
towed to the works at Portland. The
bottom in YOung's bay is generally
very soft and though the sounding
lead indicates hard bottom in places
it is probable that boring or driving
piles would develop a soft silt bottom
There is no doubt that the obstruction
presented by this long trestle would
have the effect to shoal the
water in the bay to very
considerable extent, and the pivot and
abutment piers would also have a sim
liar effect in the channel. The sec.
ton opposed to the flow of the cur.
rents would be represented by 541
bents, or say 200 piles 16 TO 20 inches
diameter besides the section the pier
and abutments. Ih my opinion In the
the advanced practice in building
bridges with long spans, ITO feet is an
inadequate width of span. The draw
should be at least $50 feet in the clear
append a section of the G. and
g. survey chart showing the location
of the crossing. 1 am unable tC
give the present depth of water in the
channel, as developed by the survey
1 have just completed, for lack Of
time to make the soundings. Ths
Astoria and South Coast railroad
could easily be built around the heaC
of Young's bay, and would then bt
able to cross both the rivers by a very
moderate draw span in each bridge.
In connection with the obstruction
of Young's bay by this bridge, I woult
call attention to the obstruction
caused by the numerous weirs o
traps (as they are called here) for tn,
catching of salmon. These are bull
of small piles or stakes driven in th,
bottom in about two fathoms of wa
ter near the edge of q shoal; to tn
piles a net of small meshes is sus
pended, which acts as fence to leal
the fish into a pound or purse. The,
resemble very closely the shad net
in the Hudson river, New York har
Dor. Though not q permanent oh
struction, while down they have
large tendency to retard the flow O
the currents and leave deposits O
sand which is always drifting alonI
J the bottom. In some localities the