The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-09-05
REPORT ON THE LOCKS.
The Committee of the Commercial Club
Submit Their Final Report.

The Committee of the Commercial Cluf
Submit Their Final Report.
THE DALLEs, Or, Sept. 1st, 1896.
Mr. President, and Members of ht
Commercial Club, Dalles City. Or.
GENTLEMEN: We, your special
committee on the Cascade Locks, beg
leave to submit the following report:
| First: You will bear in mind that
| at the time of the formation OF this
| committee that it came to the knowl-
| edge of the Commercial Club that :the
locks would not be opened, as expected,
| on March lst, of the present year; and
that there was a showing to the effect
that certain additional work was re-
quired to be done between the middle
and upper gate on account OF the
nature and quality of the formation
which had been relied.upon to form q
natural wall. This was discovered to
be of such character, that in the
Judgment OF the engineer in charge it
would not withstand the action of the
elements. and there wore no funds in
the hands of the engineers to be used
for the permanent improvement at
this point.
That we at once joined the Astoria
Chamber OF Commerce and others
interested in the speedy opening
of the locks in petition to con-
gress for aid in q special appropria-
ton of sufficient funds to meet the re-
uuirement, which petition was at once
forwarded to our representatives in
Washington, and as we are informed,
was passed upon by the senate the
same day in which it was received, ap-
propriating $4,000 out of the funds
then available for expenditure at the
locks, but during the Intervening
period of some weeks getting the reso-
luton past the house and properly
signed before it could become avail
able as desired, the fund from which
this appropriation had been made was
exhausted, on account of work that had
already been done by the contractors
at the locks, and the engineers were as
yet unprovided with funds with which |
to do this required work. Our repre-
sentatives then applied in the river |
and harbor bill and also in the sun |
dry civil bill for an additional appro-
priation of $50, 100000 to be applied on
additional work at the locks, and also
applied for an appropriation of S179,-
OOO.OO, for the further completion of
the work, which was duly appropriated
under the river and harbor bill re-
ferred to above.
Second: We have recently visited
Senator Mitchell III Portland, and
have had a full explanation of the facts
rs above set forth. We were then ac-
by Mr.. Mitchell to the office
If Captain Fiske, engineer in charge,
who informed us that he had let a
special contract to Messrs. Day Bros.
n charge of the general improvements
1t said locks for the building of the re-
Iuired walls and revetements between
he middle and upper gates; and has
llso in progress the dredging at the ap-
of both the upper and lower
rates, and the contract above referred
o is to be completed on or before the
9th day of November, of the present
ear.
Third: It is thoroughly the judg-
nent of your committee that this club
md others interested in the speedy
ompletion of the locks, and the open
ng of the Columbia river to trans
from this interior point to
he sea, are under special obligations
o our representatives in congress for
heir efforts in obtaining promptly the
equired funds for this purpose, and
nore especially tol,Senator Mitchell
ided by the recommendations OF
,aptain Fiske, who spent several
7eeks of his time after the close of the
ast session of congress for the one
of getting the funds thus ap-
ropriated applicable for immediate
g, thus alleviating the delay Incl
entail to departmental affairs, which
therwise would have delayed this i'm
ortant work for at least one year.
Fourth: We met in the person of
'aptain Fiske very competent and
fable gentleman, free and frank to
xpress his opinion, and especially his
esire to complete the locks open for
at the earliest possible
ate, and he does not hesitate to say
aat he will recommend them being
pen for use on the Is day of Novem-
er next, or sooner if possible, unfor-
zen and unavoidable delays alone ex-
epted.
EMILE SCHANNO,
B. F. LATGHLIN,
N. WHEALDON,
Committaa