The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-08-24
People From Miles Around on an
Excursion to the Works.
THEY ARE NEARLY COMPLETE
The First of the Year There VIII BE an
Unobstrueted Passage TO the
Pacific Ocean.

Pendleton, Or, Aug. 18.-Over the o.
r. & n. to Cascade Locks last evening
there went an excursion of Inland EN-
pire people to see how work has pro-
crossed on the government contract of
Day Brothers. The contractors have
nearly completed construction, and
have large force of men employed,
hurrying to turn over the plant to the
government about the first of the year
Mr.. Day told a reporter that he ex-
pected that boats would be running
through the locks as early as Christ
mas, and it is believed that at the rate
at which work has been carried on dur
ing the past few months, Mr.. Days
prediction may be made good.
In the construction of these big gates
and in preparing for passage of boats
past the distractions placed there by
nature, there has been expended a total
of $30OO,000. The scene at the locks is
one of seeming confusion. To the cur
ious onlooker there appears to be no
system Material is piled up about in
huge heaps. Gangs of men are scattered
here and there engaged in handling the
big bars and plates and great masses
of stone, while teams and engines are
from place to place. and adding day by
day to the end sought. Tons and tons
OF iron. hundreds of cords Of cut stone
and even whole train loads of bolts and
rivets have been used III making it pos
slble for the boats to pass from the mid
die Columbia to the lower Columbia
freighted on the down trip with the pro-
duce of the Inland Empire. and carry
ing, as they come from the sea- the pro-
ducts of foreign lands and of the manu-
factories of the eastern states.
Amidst all the apparent confusion,
the contractors show a mastery abil-
ity in attending to all the thousand de-
tails which arise What every man is
doing during every day is known to
them. Their plan is to determine on
accomplishing just so much between
Monday and Sunday, and the number
Of men kept at work is regulated by the
progress made as each day passes. 1t
has been the rule that almost any day
mechanic could find work under Day
Brothers at the locks, and the payroll
has never been under 3O0 excepting on
a few occasions Good wages have been
paid, too. Only few have received
less than $3.50 per day and from that
the men have been paid all the way to
81 and So, especially skilled ones getting
as high as So and 49,
Day Brothers have maintained their
own railroad from the Quarries to the
works, on which their own engine and
cars have been used to haul the enor-
nous quantities Of stone which have
gone into the massive abutments In
dressing these stones there was some
skillful work. The contractors were
given plans and Specifications to follow
which required that each stone should
be dressed in the quarries and then
hauled to the place where needed. AL
though hundreds of cars of stone have
been used. not one but has slipped in
to its appointed niche without the ne
cessity of applying a single tool to alter
the shape or dimensions of it. In con-
structing the pyramids of Egypt and
the tombs Of the Rameses no better work
was done than has been done on this
contract
To the people of this section the ex-
cursion meant more than a holiday
event. During all the years Of develop
ment, when the Columbia valley was
being transformed into a community
Of homes where once there were only
bunch grass and alkali dust, the set
tiers have looked forward to IAN open
river to the sea-" Business men have
pleaded for it. Farmers have demand
ed 1t. Congress has promised it. Years
ago the work began. Superintendent
were appointed to oversee the work.
Congressional committees junketed to
the scene of operations. Volumnous re-
ports were made to the lawmaking
body And yet the work dragged on. !
and the people came to believe that they
were never to be given AN open river
to the sea" 1t was finally decided that |
the work should be let out on contract.
Since that time there has been little !
delay and the people are about to have |
fulfilled their long cherished hopes.
This excursion has been the means
of demonstrating that the railway COM
panies are not placing any obstacles !
in the way Of accomplishing what the |
people desire in this particular In
every manner the o. r. & N. corpora |
ton under the present management has |
rendered assistance. The favors shown !
have contributed to the early compile |
ton of the work. At the locks today |
the officials of the company gave ex- |
preston to their desire to see the open
river an accomplished fact
Those who made up the excursion |
were from Pendleton. Baker City La |
Grande, Union, Huntington, Walla |
Walla, The Dalles, while from Portland ,
the cheap rate brought a very large |
number Of people. The business portion |
of the country was represented by |
prominent merchants. professional men |
and newspaper people. Homer H. Hal |
lock, Of the business Office Of the East /
OregOnian, had the task of rustling for
the excursion, under the direction of w.
II. Hurlburt, general passenger agent