The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-02-29
APPROPRIATION DEMANDED.
the Commercial Club Considers the Cas-
cades Locks Question.

the Commercial Club Considers the Cas-
cades Locks Question.
A meeting of The Dalles Commercial
and Athletic Club was held Friday
for the purpose of receiving the
report of Messrs. MacAllister and
Schanno, the committee appointed by
the club to meet like committees from
Portland, Vancouver and Astoria, and
confer with the contractors and en-
gineers in charge of the government
works at the Cascades, for the purpose
of ascertaining, if possible, at what
date the locks would be opened, and to
take such action as might be deemed
practicable. The report of the COM
mittee was substantially as follows:
That on Feb. 11th, at the Cascade
Locks, they met Hon. J. H. D. Gray,
representing the Astoria Chamber of
Commerce. and Mr. James Crawford,
of the Vancouver Board of Trade, and
together they conferred with the
Messrs. Day, contractors, and Lieut..
Taylor, resident engineer in charge.
BY them the committee was informed
that the contract of the Messrs. Day
will be completed by March 1st: that
the bulkheads at the upper and lower
ends of the canal will be so far removed
as to allow the passage of boats through
the canal within six weeks: that it is
uncertain if the locks can be success
fully operated without additional work
being done in the middle lock, in
which there is no masonry to prevent
the loose rock and dirt from washing
down aud thereby interfering with
the operation of the lower gate by
choking the valves. If this should
happen the operation of the locks
would be suspended until such time
as suitable walls could be built to pre-
vent such condition. Lieut.. Taylor
informed the committee that it is nee
essary 5hat these walls be protected,
and that temporary concrete work
could be put in at an estimated expense
of $4,000, which would fully protect the
valves and gates till such time as
masonry work could be completed, and
without any great delay to navigation.
This temporary work, he believes,
could be accomplished within six
weeks if an appropriation were i'm
mediatelv available.
Another important feature that re-
quires immediate attention is the mat
ter of rip-rap work recommended by
the engineers in their report made to
Congress last year, asking an appro-
priation of $4,000 to complete the
work in the middle lock and the bank
on the north side of the embankment
of the lock next to the river. This the
committee considers absolutely neces-
sary, and as it is estimated that $179,-
597 could be proftably expended dur
ing the fiscal year ending June 80,
1897, the committee recommended the
adoption by the club of the following
resolution:
"Resolued, That we, the Commercial
Club of The Dalles. Oregon, an organi-
zation composed of business men, re-
presenting every interest and political
and social faith, believing in the i'm
portance of this great work and the
necessity of its early completion, join
and invite the cooperation of all the
chambers of commerce, boards of trade
and commercial clubs of the states of
Oregon, Washington and Idaho in
memorial to congress, and urge
through our senators and representa-
tives, the immediate appropriation of
at least S179, ,597, asked for by the chief
of engineers, and that it be made avail
able at once, and that committee of
five members be appointed to carry
out the objects of this resolution"
The report of the committee was
adopted, and the resolution passed by
an unanimous vote. Messrs. w. L.
Bradshaw, N. Whealdon, B. F. Laugh
lin, A. McAllister and E. Schanno
were appointed committee to draft
resolutions urging congress to i'm
mediately make the appropriation
asked for by the engineers, and also to
invite similar bodies in the states of
Oregon, Washington and Idaho to CO.
operate with this club in securing
action that will terminate in the
speedy completion of the locks.