The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-12-26
FERTILE NORTH FORK.
LEWIS RIVER RECOMMENDED ron
IMPROVEMENT.
Capt. Harry Tayror.s Report of
the Preliminary Examination
stream Could BE Made Navigahie
From It's Mouth tn Etna-North
River Ought TO Be Improved.

River Ought TO Be Improved.
WASHINGTON. Dec. Especial The
secretary OF war has transmitted 20 con-
sFess, with letters from the chief Of en-
slnesrS. reports % the preliminary gov
eminent examinations of the north fork
OF the Lewis river and OF the North river.
IA washington The examinations were
ordered made under the supervision Of
capt. Harry Taylor. now in charge OF
RIVER and har0or improvements in thar
state. with headquarters at Seattle. Capt.
IayIor made an examination of che north
nork Of the Lewis river some time ago,
under rhe direction OF Mai Handbury in
watch he pointed cut the small cost of the
necessary Improvement. and the great
benefit which il would confer upon the
people Of that section OF the STATE
capt. Taylors examination at that time
included not only that PARTON OF the river
from It's mouth 70 EtR2, or che head OF
navigation, bIEs as FAR no as Spelsah creek
Twelve miles above Etna. or uwenty-eight
miles above the point where tia north fork
Joins the east fork. three miles above
where che Lewis river empEies into the
Columbia.
Capt Taylor in bis report says:
Prom Speliah creek down TO within
river Is almost entirely free of snags and
overhangang trees. II has a general
Width OF from 100 70 80 feet. and is a sue
ceSsion OF de@p. Stih pools and shallow,
gTaFelIy bars. over which the water runs
with swift current In the first twelve
miles below Spelsah creek there are no
less than thlrty-one of these graveily
bS rs. Almost all the fad I'm the river IS
az these bars The fall at the various bars
varies from SIX inches 10 seven feet and
the distance in winch this fab occurs va
ries from sevcnty-ave feet 10 half mile,
but as a rule the fail is from one foot
70 TWO feet in a distance of from fifty 20
1Ut yards. The total length OF the river
covered by these bars In these twelve
miles rs approximately two and one-ouar-
ter miles. and the total fail iifty-flva feat
The lower ends Of uhe bars are almost
always OF q steep slope, and run 5ssa eonaI-
~ from enc bank 90 the other. The wa
Ter runs over this slope all along from one
sue OF me river 10 the other, gradually
concentrating toward the hank at which
Is the upper part OF the lower end Of the
oar, and near TO which the channel n
generally found. AT the stage at which
the river was when | visited 1t. almost All
the water in the river ran through this
channel. The water In the channel va
RED from one foot 20 two feet deep, and
the width of the channel was generally
not more than fifty feet. The current
over these bars was very swift With n
rise of two feet in the river. there would
appear 20 be no obstruction to a steam
boat ascending this part of the river
except the naturally extremely swift cur
rent due TO the great fan. At the lower
stage navigation might possibly be helped
by wing dams al q few OF the worst bars
out at most OF them the river IS contract
er as much in the natural channel as
would ever be desirable.
Twelve miles below SpeEah creek is
Etna. From Etna down for ten miles the
character OF the river Is much the same
as between Sfelfah creek and EEna. ex-
cept that the gravel bars are much fewer
and have less fall, and the pools are larg-
err About ten miles below Etna. or three
lEkz a how Ill.,. -.
the river changes. From this point TO the
mouth the banks are sandy or muddy the
gravel bars change to sand bars. and the
river Is full of snags. If the snagS were
removed, and few short wing dams put
In 10 straighten and deepen the channel
on the sand bars, this part of the river
could be easily and safely navlgated. The
entrance to the Lewis river from the CO.
lumbia river is obstructed by a shoal
sand bar, but this difficulty would be
largely or wholly removed by closing "a
chute. by which con siderahle part OF
the water from the Lewis river Is drawn
off 10 the Columbia. Just above this
River Boom Company, and through the
chute logs are fioated to the main boom
In the Columbia.
The country around Woodland is a
good farming country, and large quaint
ties OF hay and potatoes are shipped to
market. The principal Industry up the
Lewis river has been numbering, but the
lumber is being rapidly cleared of and
farms are growing along the valley
was Informed at Speliah creek that there
Were more than 100 settlers farther up the
river than that. The freight on ordinary
merchandise to Speliah creek from Wood
land depends upon the condition Of the
roads, and runs from Is cents per hun
dred up. II steamboats, could run repu-
larry up to Etna this rate would be very
much reduced for. besides giving water
transportation more than half way. the
worst part OF the roads, which are be-
tween Woodland and Etna, would be
avoided.
'"The Lewis river Is crossed by three
ferries with overhead wire ropes One of
these Is at Woodland, one about half
mile above Woodland and the third at
Htna. The line of the railroad from Port
land 10 the Sound. which crosses the CO.
iumbia near Vancouver Wash. crosses
the Lewis river about one mile from it's
mouth. This road has been partially
graded but at present no work is being
''In view Of the great benefit the i'm
provemNt OF the Lewis river would con-
fer on the people in It's vicinity and the
small cost of the Improvement IL is re-
spectfuliy recommended as worthy Of i'm
provement from Its mouth TO Etna."
The approximate amount OF freight and
passengers carried ~ boats running be-
tween Portland and points on the Lewis
river during the year 1895 was as follows:
Grain, 1850 tons; general merchandise,
3.T75 tons: cattle and horses. 100 head:
sheep and hogs. $50 head: lumber, 100 Ooo
feet. board measure. passengers, 10 44g.
In a letter transmitting a statement OF
the business done by his boats during the
year. Charles T. Kamm, superintendent
OF the Lewis River Transportation Com
pany. says:
''The location and opening Of a number
OF mines the North Fork and also in
the Cascade mountains. about TWENTY-FIVE
miles from La Center, on the East Fork.
Will undoubtedly increase the amount OF
business which viii be carried on this
river. The company which I represent
has Just completed the removal OF a num-
her Of the worst snags between Woodland
and Brattens bend. having had a steamer
and crew there four days OF the past
week. and, while We have not fully com
pleted the work. yet the improvement is
such that we have greatly benefited naVf-
cation to that place The safety Of our
boats made ~ absolutely necessary that
we do this work ourselves M once
The amount OF traffic carried within
the last year has been smaller than in
former years. owing 10 the low price OF
agricultural products and The couEur1y,-
ton and demand for same being greatly
reduced. Also. the water IN both forks
in the river having been very low for 4
greater period than usual. the transpor-
tation Hines We're unable 20 move the crop
until after the roads were In very bad
condition. then IL made II next - frsoos-
sible for the farmers and others wishing
20 ship 10 haul their products "a the river
and such articles as nay and grain they
fed 10 their stock, afterwards driving
same 10 market rather than ship IT.
Since the above report was written
Capt Taylor says the valley Of the Lewis
river nas been stiH furt her settled and h..
regards the river Sill more worthy OF i'm
provement by the general government
'On account OF the nature Of the OBJ