Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-06-12
KILL HARTS' PLAN
GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS HAVE NEW
CELLO SCHEME.
They Favor d Ship canaHSubmerged
Dam Is Held to Be Impracticable-
Work Will Now Be Held Up Until
1904 - Major Langfitt Ordered to
Make Surveys.

| Washington, June 10.-The Board OF
Army Engineers that recently visited
the obstructions in the Columbia Rive,
between The Dalles and Cello, has de
c1ded to abandon the Harts plan for
opening of the rive rat that point
and in lieu thereof will prepare plans
and estimates for contiuous ship ca
nal from the foot of the dalles rapids
to the head of Cello Falls. The Harris
plan, as has been heretofore explained.
contemplated the construction of sub.
merged dam in the Columbia, with a
view to draining out Five Mile Rapids.
The river was then to be opened
around other distractions by means of
two or three short canals.
The engineers, on their recent trir
20 oregon, visited the scene of the pro-
posed improvement, and, after study.
Ing the natural conditions and sur.
roundings, concluded, by unanimous
vote, that the dam proposition was al.
together impracticable In the first
place, while Captain Harts proposed
constructing this dam at point where
the river is but 200 feet wide. he sup.
posed its dept was only 40 or so feet,
and SO based the calculations. Major
Langhtt determined, after careful
sound1ngs, that the depth was over
l50 feet, and the velocity of the current
so great that it would be practically
impossible to place in position the ma.
terlaI for the dam. The members of
the board concluded that a stream of
sumc1ent volume and great enough
current to cut gorge 200 feet wide
and or nearly the same depth through
solid rock, could not be damned arti.
fcially for anything short of an unwar
ranted sum, and they entertain grave
oouDts whether dam could ever be |
successfully built there at any cost.
When they found that the keystone
OF Harts' plan could not be considered |
and determined that even modifica.
t1on OF the Harts plan on a practical
oasis, could not be carried out for the
amount that has been authorized for
THIS improvement, the board determin.
ed TO prepare rough plans and esti.
mates for the construction of con-
tlnuous canal, extending around all the
oDstruct1ons between The Dalles and
Cello.
!. In accordance with this determine
,ion' the board requested authority for
ne making OF necessary surveys for
;uch a canal, and authority has been
granted, the work to be carried out un-
Ter direction of Major Langfitt. Att,
his time the board will venture no
'ough estimate of the cost of a con.
iuous canal, although an estimatel
made by an old board placed the figure
It $4,000, 900, whereas the Harts pro.
ect was estimated to cost approxi.
nately $4,000,000. 1t is by no means
issuered that the new estimates will
)e as high as the former figure. as
ne board, before reporting. will have
comprehensive survey upon which tn
'ase its estimates, and a fairly aeon.
ate estimate of the cost of the i'm
'rovements is expected.
Ihe board has not reported to the
chief OF Engineers, and probably will
lot 40 so until it has completed the
,st1mate for continuous canal This
'elay means that no work will be done
ooklng to the opening of the river
turing the present season. Should the
Var Department approve the boards
eport In favor of a continuous canal
IND this will unquestionably be done,
'lnce there has always been doubt as
o the thorough practicability of the
1arts plan, no work can be undertaken
lntii Congress has authorized the newl
project. The last river and harbor bill
the work, provided it could
,e done within the estimate on the
darts project, but not otherwise.