The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1896-04-28
MICHEL EXPLAINS.
The Oregon Delegation Doing All in
Their Power for the Locks.

The self-explanatory letters, which are
published below, were received this
morning from Senator Mitchell. They
are especially acceptable just at this
time and convey the information that of
the $4,000 appropriation in the sundry
civil bill, $4,000 will be. available for
building the inner walls that are neces-
sary before the locks operate. The pro-
vision referred to has passed the senate
since Senator MitchelPs letter was
written and will 60 to conference COM
mittee from the two houses. The news
is reassuring and with our hopes revived
somewhat, we will await further de-
velopments:
n WASHINGTON, D. c., April %. 1896.
Editor Chronicle, The DdzLes, Or.
MY DEAR SIR I'm response to a COM
municatlon from Hons. J. H. D. Gray,
w. L. Bradshaw and A. S.Mac Allister,
l have just written them letter, one
copy of which l sent to Astoria and the
other to The Dalles, bearing upon the
situation at the canal and locks, as un-
derstand it. also send you copy.
Yours sincerely,
JOHN H. MITCHELL.
HAoD1NG4ONf IL O-3 n pTlI 1OSOs i
Hons.J. II. d. Gray, W. l.. Bradshaw
and a. s.. Mac -4ltaster, astoria, Or:
GENTLEMEN Il hasten 10 acknowl-
edge receipt of yours April 10, inclosing
one to you of date April IA from Captain
w. L. Fisk, corps of engineers, u. S.
army. I will explain matters as briefly
and as fully as can.
About the middle of March the atten-
ltion of the OEegon delegation was called
to the fact that something must be done
Iby congress Immediately TO facilitate the
early opening of the canal and locks at
the Cascades. / Immediately consulted
with the chief of engineers for the pur-
pose of ascertaining precisely what was
necessary to be done by congress, if any
thing, to insure their early opening. /
was advised that there were between
forty and fifty thousand dollars balance
appropriated enexpended and was as
sured, as was the whole delegation, that
If a sum not exceeding $40, 900 of this
amount could be made available imme-
diately in constructing on the land and
river, sides of the canal between the
upper lock gate masonry and the upper
guard gate masonry such portions of the
walls proposed by the modified project
presented by the board of engineers in
its report of October Is, 1894. which re-
port was printed in the annual report of
hA4O OtliOA Va CuS lOA buC, s4CoO,
part v, PIP. 1915 and following, as may.
he necessary to construct in advance of
the opening of the canal to commerce,
that then all work necessary to the
opening of the locks could be completed
inside of a month and the canal and
locks opened. At this same time one of
the contractors, Mr.. L. n. Day, was in
Washington, and in the presence of the
chief of engineers, after hearing the en-
lgineer's statement, coincided in. that
view of the case. 1 then asked the chief
of engineers to prepare joint resolution
Lowering the case and my colleagues and
/ would get it through the two houses if
possible, and as soon as possible. The
resolution was prepared by the chief of
engineers and sent to me, which intro
duced, and Senator Mcbride and took
hold of the matter at once and promptly
passed it through the senate. The reso-
luton then went to the house where
some delay occurred in getting it up,
occasioned by the speaker of the house
postponing it for other matters. It
finally passed the house some two weeks
after it passed the senate and was signed