The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1905-06-09
LAST SPIKE is DRIVEN
Portage Road at Cello Was
Completed Saturday.
steamer Mountain Gem Made Trip
From Lewiston to Cello, Garry
ing Idaho Enthusiasts

Three blows OF the sledge by Governor
Chamberlain of Oregon, at Cello yester-
day; five by Governor Mead, of Washing
ton; three by Governor Goodng of
ldahr; three by j. ~ Teal, attorney for
the Open River Associations nine by w.
ID. Wheelwright, president OF the Port.
land Chamber of Commerce.; three by
| Senator Clark, Of Wyoming, and four by
W. j. Mariner, secretary of the Open
| River Association, and the two last
| spikes of the Portage Road we're driven.
| the line was formally opened for traffic,
| the locomotive was footing its whistle
and soon was moving off from Big Eddy
TO the lower terminus, with $50 pas
sengers trailing behind and the first
stage OF quarter centurys dream
| opening OF the river for navigation from
| Lewiston to the sea-had come to pass.
A steamboat-load of open river work
| ers, mostly from Lewiston, arrived at
Cello IN the morning at 10 O'Clock on
the Mountain Gem; a trainIoad from
The Dalles an hour later, and another
trainlOad from Portland shortly before
noon. The gathering therefore repre-
sented the most vigorous energies that
| are laboring Tor an open river to the
| sea.
The Mountain Gem herself was, of
course, the central figure in the great
event which eliminated so soon after her
arrival at the Portage Road this morn
| ing, but there was also a great interest
| displayed in Captain Gray and Captain
| stump, the vetran up-river navigatOrs,
who skillfully guided the steamer over
| the long neglected route. Both of these
men are pretty well known, not only to
| the Idaho people, but to all the old
| timers in the three states. Captain GRAY
| is the second son of the pioneer, w. III.
| Gray, and was born in Oregon City in
1915. lie began steambOating with his
| father on the Upper Columbia in 1862,
| and since that time has run on every
| navigable stream of Importance in the
| Pacific Northwest, including the great
Yukon. He has to his credit at least
| two remarkable exhibitions of skill in
swift water which have never been ex-
| celled in this part of the country. One
| was his successful navigation of Rock
| Island Rapids, in the Columbia, with the
| City Of Elensburg, and the other was
| bringing the steamer Norma from Hunt
| ngton, Or, through the fearful Box
| Canyon of Snake river, to Lewiston.
Captain John Stump has been in al
river and Upper Columbia for more than
| 80 years, and in that time has com
| manded every steamer owned by the O.
| 5. n. Co. and its successor, the 0. r. &
| n. Co. The captain is not so young as
| he used TO be, but his hand has lost none
| OF it's cunning at the steering wheel, and
| he will probably live to see a revival in
| the great industry SO long neglected on
| this river.
Many Made Speeches.
The speakers were ". D. Wheelwright,
president of the Portland Chamber of
Commerce, who presided and introduced
| the speakers; George + Chamberlain,
| Governor of Oregon; Governor Mead, of
| Washington; Senator Hey burn, of Idaho;
Senator Fulton, OF Oregon; DR.. N. G.
| BialOck, of Walla WaIla; q. B. Dennis,
president Of the Spokane Chamber of
Commerce; j. n. Teal, attorney for the
| Open River Association.
Governor Mead, of Washington, pIpdg-
ed his support ''in cooperating with you
in this work" toward securing "full and
complete execution Of Gods laws as to
transportation on the Columbia"
''In this enterprise" said he "you are
carrying out the work Of that great com
| moner and tribune OF the people, Thomas
FL. Benton, who 80 years ago was trying
60 lind a way to the Orient.
Senator Hepburn, of Iiaho, declared
that the journey OF the Mountain Gem
had demonstrated that the Columbia sis
navigabe to this point" and continued,
But for this obstacle you have COM
menced to remove we should 90 down
| and meet you at Astoria. Take away
this obstacle with blast and pick and
shovel and our people will come down to
| meet you with their ores and lumber and
wheat and will pass beyond it to larger
markets and larger world. When you
| finish this canal we shall send the first
| boat through it loaded with the products
| and the citizenship Of Idaho.
Senator Fulton pointed out that the
| Portage Road was but temporary ex-
| pedient, and that the canal work should
| be carried on. eve are glad to have
here Senators and Representatives from
other parts of the country" said he,
''They will join with US in carrying on
this great work"
Retrospective.
The event of opening transportation
| on the portage railroad from Cello to
point near Dalles City, which has just
| occurred, is one Of the most important
and interesting in the entire history of
the Inland Empire. The magnitude of
this enterprise is not generally under
stood throughout the United States, and
| it deserves the broadest publicity, es-
| pecially when it is coupled with the TACT
OF the great Lewis and Clark fair of
Portland Fully to understand all that
this imports to the northwest in general
and to the Inland Empire in particular,
brief summary of the events leading to
it may be of service.
When great Mother Nature here in the
wild west was outdoing her own handl-
work in creating that Achilles OF Rlv-
ers.'' the Colum bia, it pleased her to
throw two obstructing reels across the
food of waters, one at the Cascades and
the other at the Dalles.
When it was discovered % years ago,
that the Inland Empire was destined to
become one of the most productive re-
gions in the world, projects, both public
and private, were set on foot for over
coming these impediments. The federal
government took up the work OF canal