Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1899-12-15
THE LONG TOM BRIDGE
A REGULAR "TEMPEST In A TEA.
POT, AFFAIR.
1t is Purely a Business Proposition
and Must Be Disposed of in a
Business Way.

| is being INDUCED In over the matter OF
removal of bridges that span the Long
Tom river. Citizens of Monroe and
vicinity who have products stored which
they wish to ship via steamer over this
water way are justly anxious to have all
distractions renewed from the stream
to the end that steamers may reach Mon
roe and way points. Citizens of all parts
of the county who see an indirect bene-
fit from having the Long Tom naviga-
BILE stream, second the efforts of those
who are directly interested. But, there
is a proper and necessary method of pro-
ceedure in this matter. First, the stream
must be declared navigable; second, the
the court must be instructed to remove
such bridges as obstruct navigation, and
then the court will order such obstruc-
tions removed. Or, to be more exact ::
The navigation Interests will apply to
the engineers, who will inform the secre-
tary of war. He in turn will instruct
the engineers to hold public meeting.
when the interests of the navigation
companies and taxpayers of the county
will be considered. This meeting will
determine whether the county shall in
cur the expense of reconstructIng the
bridges.
This paper has no personal Interests to
serve in the settlement of the question,
and its utterances are influenced by no
desire to spite or uphold the court or
any others interested. We give what
seems to be the present status of the case
after careful investi alton.
The government has appropriated a
certain sum to be used in improving the
Long Tom river to the end that it may
be made navigable stream. While the
engineers have given it as their opinion
that this improvement would render the
stream navigable, it does not necessarily
follow that it will be, nor has it yet
been proven that it is.
Mr.. Skelton, the engineer who was
employed by the court last summer to
determine the proper kind of bridge to
build over the Long Tom and the ap-
proximate cost, reported that the span
bridge would have to be so feet high
where it crossed the stream and the cost
of either this or draw would be con-
siderable.
Now, the present bridges are the prop
erty OF the people of Benton county, and
the money for constructing new ones
must come from the pockets of the peo-
pie of Benton county. The court has
no more to gain or lose by hasty action
than any other citizen. Suppose the
bridges were torn out, and transporta-
ton companies refused to take their YES
sells up this stream, or the stream were
found to be lunnavigable. Money would
have been thrown away, and many who
live along the stream would be greatly
inconvenienced until new bridges could
be built. Why the court should be as
sailed for its efforts lin attempting to be
cautious in dealing with the property of
others is perplexing.
An attempt was made last Friday by
the steamer Eugene to ascend the stream.
A delegation OF citizens from Monroe
boarded her, armed it is understood with
legal authority to remove the bridges
should they prove obstructions. Half
a mile up, the boat, after encountering
drifts and other distractions finally |
struck gravel bar which had not been |
cut away to a sufficient depth, gave up
the trip and steamed back down the |
river. It is asserted that the Eugene is |
teo long to admit of her making the short |
turns which the meanderings of the
stream make necessary and arrangements |
are being made to secure the Gypsy to |
cover the route. Just east of Finleys is |
q place which is considered the worst |
on the river and it is somewhere about |
this point that the Eugene stranded,
The Bonanza, City4of Salem and Cham
pion, have gone as far as this and taken
$500 sacks of wheat from Finley's at a
trip. So the attempt of the Engene
throws no light on the problem as to
whether the stream is navigable or not. |
One thing ia certain, large steamers can
never reach Monroe, We are informed
that parties from Independence who
own small freight steamer are anxious
to secure the hauling of the freight from
Monroe and way points. Il this steam
erior others of her pattern only. were per-
mitted to ply this waterway, it would be
necessary to raise the present bridges |
a few feet and the cost of doing SO would
only hessmall. All these questionsishould,
and no doubt will be carefully oonsid-
cred before action is taken in matters
which will mean great expense to the.
community at large. Destruction of the
bridges is destruction of the property of |
the county and not OF the county iudge.