The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-06-28
NO DREDGER ON BAR.
Extremely Sudden Discovery As To The
ChinoOk's Bad Boilers.

Yesterdays 0regonian has the follow.
ing jetty 'bull con- to offer:
Recent surveys Of Columbia bar, by
the United States Engineers, show a
depth OF between % and "a feet at low
tide. The crest of the bar has grown
narrower and broad opening Of that
depth, more than two miles wide, exists
at the rivers mouth, safe for navigation,
enabling ships TO come in and go out
over bottoms they dared not cross year
ago. Lieutenant Colonel Roessler, engi-
neer in charge of this district, hopes that
the jetty work now in progress will soon
yield further depth.
The broad expanse at the bar at the
depth above mentioned is regarded as
remarkable. and the crest is expected to
scour through at some spot thus open
ing deeper channel. That this will
happen there is no positive assurance,
but since it is usual for a bar to be
deeper at one place than at Others, in
stead of having a uniform depth for a
stretch of two and one-half miles along
the ridge, the opening of new channel
is considered quite probable.
"The ietty work this year will be con-
fined to building up the part of the ex-
tension that has been already begun. and
not to putting the ietty farther out to
sea. BY September nearly twc.thirds
of the projected two-and-one 'half-mile
extension will have been built up to low
tide and finished, leaving about three
fourths OF a mile to complete. The part
now building has received small quanti-
ties of stone at some places, and one gap
of 5000 feet has to be filled in. The tram
way already built is to be used for this
seasons work, but most of it will be
worthless next year on account of the
teredo, which bores the pilings very fast.
The tercdo has ruined pilings in as
short time rs l3 months, making them
so brittle that they would snap in two
at the slightest strain
For the final extension, the tramway
will be rebuilt, but away from the jetty,
so that stone already deposited will not
interfere with the placing of piles. How
soon the final extension will be made has
not been determined, 1t cannot be be.
gun until next year, because new ap-
preparation from Congress will be neces-
sarv before it can be started. The money
now appropriated will be consumed this
season.
"That a twin jetty from the north
shore will be built ultimately is the be-
lief of Colonel Roessler Such ietty
is contemplated in the present plans, but
will not be begun until completion of
the present south jetty, because the en-.
giners wish to use the same plant for
both break-waters, and the moving of
the plant to the north shore and back
again would entail very heavy expense.
at has been said that the two jet
ties would probably make 4O-foot
depth remarked Colonel RoessleN yes
terday. This may be accomplished, or
even a greater depth. But it is by no
means certain. The conditions at the
mouth of the Columbia are very unusual.
and / may say that they present the
most difficult bar problem in the United
States, and perhaps in the world. The
currents would scour out the bar but
for the waves that beat the sand back
again
Operation of the bar dredge Chinook
is out of the question, because the dredge
must have new boilers, at cost of
$4,000, before she can be put in service
again, and no such money is available"