Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-07-15
SANTIAM
SURVEY
COMPLETE
Estimated Power Will Run
Far Beyond Expectations


The engineering party from the
university of Oregon concluded a sur
vey Of the Santiam river and returned
to Eugene, July /. The party was in
charge . of Prof. E. H. McAllister,
who has prepared the following notes
of the trip:
Our survey covered the Santiam
river from a half mile above Idanha
to Mill City a distance of % miles.
The purpose of the survey is to gather
data concerning the water power Of
the stream. To this end a careful line
of levels al run along the river,
and from our notes a profile of the
river surface will be drawn showing
the fall from point to point. Also a
transit traverse was made, showing
the %windings of the stream and dis
%tances along the bank. The flow of
the stream. or the amount of water
discharged per second, was measured
at three different points; the first
about a half mile above Detroit, the
second below the mouth of Blowout
creek, which is also below the mouth
of B~reitenbush, AMI the third at Mill
City. These measurements consist
of soundings taken at intervals acress
the stream bed, together with meas
urements of the velocity of the water
at numerous points in the cross-sec.
ton of the stream, the velocities be.
ing taken with a standard current
meter having IN electric attachment
to indicate the number of revolutions
OF the wheel in a given time, noted
by a stop watch.
To verify and correct the transit
work, an azimuth was taken by astro,
nomical observations in the evening,
every three or four miles. From the
corrected transit traverse a map of
the river will be drawn.
The full report of our investigations
can not be published for some months.
but a few general results can be
stated now. The total fall of the river
from a half mile above Idanha to Mill
City is about 900 feet. The discharge
of the stream at Detroit was found
to be 1928 cubic feet per second; be-.
low Blowout creeks abe the principal
tribuond; and at Mill City 2191 cubic
feet per second. AS the Breitenbush
and Blowout creek are the principal
tributaries between the first and sec.
ond measurements, it will be seen
that these two streams carried ome
thing over 900 cubic feet per second.
These measurements, made early in
the summer, do not represent quite
the extreme low water flow of the
stream, but they give what may be
called the average summer flow; for
the Santiam, like other streams fed
by eternal snow peaks, does not mark.
eddy decrease in flow during the sum.
mer, though there is, of course, a
slight diminution.
Enormous Energy of Stream.
The energy of the stream, that is
to say the portion of it covered by
our survey, is the equivalent, in round
numbers, of 175, 900 horsepower, con.
tinuously exerted; or, in other words
the stream could theoretically per-
form the work of nearly 800 900 aver
age horses, each working eight hours
per day, days a week.
Speaking roughly, l should say
that upward of 100, 900 horsepower
could be economically developed in
a series of plants varying from 5000
to 10000 horsepower each. In n
or two places possibly a $4,000 horse.
power plant could be economically de.
veloped.
The natural conditions are very
favorable to power development, and
! do not know of any stream in this
part of the state where plants of
moderate capacity could be installed
az so low a cost. In the future pro-
gress of the middle willamette valley,
the water power of the Santiam, cleo
trically transmitted, is bound TO prove
an important factor.
Our party is under obligations TO
the officials Of the Corvallis & East.
ern railroad for many courtesies ex.
tended during the survey.