, 1890-03-20
THE SPOKANE RIVER.
A Gigantic Scheme That Will En-.
tertain Everybody Who May
Read II.
The Stream to Be Turned Into a
Big Hole Above This
City.
fcmur d,Alene CITY Tlmes. |

brain of a poet for Imagination, VIII
convey to readers of the Times some
idea of the possibilities of Cmur
d'Alene City with proper manage
ment:
a few years since the quarter
master at Fort sherman had II well
dug near the outlet of Cmur d. Alene
lake. The well was sunk to a depth
Of nlnety-hve feet, and, strange TO
say, got dryer IA depth was attained
commencing with sand ut the sur
face, which gradually changed to
gravel, and finally to coarse bould-
ers. As no water was obtained, the
officers concluded to .tilize the well
IA u reservoir for cooling the water
used In the garrison. The water of
the lake was let into the WELL and
disappeared faster than 1t could be
run in, until the timbers were
washed loose aud the whole thing
caved in, the fine silt and sand Of
tile surface stopping the hole.
The late Professor j. II. Clayton
becoming aware of these facts, spent
much time and money In scientific
research to determine conclusively
what became of the water. After u
thorough geological Investigation
the professor traced the old sub
torranean channel that was once the
dividing line between the lava beds
to the west and the granite to the
east from this place TO point on
Snake river near Lewiston. Here
immense springs emerge, which
only flow during extremely high
water in Cmur d'Alene lake, when
the flats near the garrison is over
flowed.
To ascertain definitely the truth
Of his scientific deductions the pro-
fcssor watched the overilowed banks
with the water everywhere sinking
in pools through the sand,
and taking samples Of the
water, subjected them to thor
ough chemical and microscopic
analysis. lie also obtained samples
from the springs near Lewiston, and
10y comparing the analysis found
they contained the same percentage
OF alum zulphate, carbonate of mag
nesla and some traces of lead, sui
phur and iron, while the microsco-
li'al tNNhn ulllOH liibNtu llt l'ifIl-
tity of the water beyond doubt.
Each drop contained the same germs
aud the same bacteria, thus demon
s,rating one of the greatest geolog-
lcal facts of moderh times-the fact
that long before spokane Falls or
the Spokane river had an existence
the waters of the st. Joe, ST. Mary's
and Cuur d'Alene rivers were flow
lug through this loose bed OF rocks
until, by the gradual accumulation
of salt, they built for themselves u
bed, and the waters rising forced
themselves through the present
course known us Spokane river.
The professor was not slow to see
the great advantages In store for
this place, and the multiple uses to
which this knowlege could he
turned. He suggested to a. promi-
nent Chicago capitalist the propriety
of sinking shafts, putting In turbine
wheels, to be driven by the disap-
pearing waters of the lake, and ere
ating great smelling center here
for treating the ores of the Cpur
dAlene mines and surrounding
country. The Chicago gentleman
~ nbW utit, unh biit VI tllt hlpst
novel, grand and colossal schemes
is TO be inaugurated that the West
ever knew.
A shaft, sixteen feet wide by 100
long, is to be sunk to u depth of 100
feet, or until the old bed of large
boulders Il reached-the depth be-
fore attained-letting the water
down forty.iive feet lower than the
river below Post Falls. This shaft
Is to be divided into eight foot com
partment tiunes or penStocks, and
turbine wheels Of 1000 horsepower
placed In each, making n total of
2i,OOO horsepower, thus utilizing
the entire water Of the river.
The enterprises to be created are:
An electric power company, the en-
tire 1900 horsepower to be con-
verted into electric energy; smelling
works Of 1000 tons daily capacity,
for the reduction Of the ores of the
South Fork mines, where the alter
mating current produces fusion
without the consumption of fuel,
also the separation of the silver
from the lead by the same process;
Cowles' Electric Aluminium Bronze
Works, 10y which fifteen tons daily
of pure aluminium, or its equivalent
In bronze, Is produced. are to be
erected; IL wood-pulp factory, using
1000 horse power, and n paper-mill,
10 work up the product ut home,
will be constructed ut once; white
lead works, having capacity of
| 900 tons daily, by the electric proc
ess, wherein all old methods are
discarded aud electricity alone does
the work, are to revolutionize the
white lead industry of the world;
sulphuric acid works, where the
acid is a by-product, will also be
among the Improvements; an cleo
tric railway II to lie run from here
into the kootenai country, and a
pair of boats put on the lake, each
having carrying capacity of 800
tons, run by storage batteries, will
he some Of the wonders of the Cmur
d'Alenes. The building of u ccllu-
lose pulp factory In connection with
the other, using the Mitterlatch
process, IL an assured fi,ct. The large
"a, 900, ,O00-feet-per-day sawmill now
being erected will get their power
from the new company; and an
other mill, with sash, door and blind
factory attached, with u capacity of
l25, 900 feet per day, will be erected
ON piling opposite the Lakeside ho-
tel.
Within sixty days Cnur d'Alene
will see no less than 1000 men EN-
ployed by thee colossal enterprises,
and before fall 5000 men will be on
the pay roll. What at present may
seem visionary will, within six
months, be demonstrated facts, and
Post Falls and Spokane Falls will
no longer be compelled TO drink the
sewage of Cmur dAlene and the
anlliInr,. .rnI.lisllu hui will hnNe In