The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-09-20
STRAIGHT SHOTS ON
BAR QUESTION
TARDY, BUT TRENcHANT COM
NENT IN RELATION TO opEG0NS
FOREMOST PUBLIC IMPROVE.
MENTS BY A STUDENT.

The subjoired contribution is bit
late in reaching these columns, con.
sidering the fact that general truce
has been declared up and down the
valley upon the subject matter OF the
letter at hand, but there Is so much
''meat" in the article and it deals so
plainly and fairly with the great issue,
that the Astorian gives it the wide pub
lefty it deserves, despite the tardiness
involved and the peace it may momen'
tarily invade:
ITO the Editor:
Il have followed the controversy be.
tween you and the 0regonian as to the
need of deeper water at the entrance
to the Columbia river and was good
deal amused at what you thought the
complete-if sudden--eonversion Of the
oregonian to your idea of putting every
cent that the U. S. government can
spare into the work of completing the
ietties at the mouth of the river, and
cutting out all other appropriations for
the different schemes of improvement
in the inland rivers, until the jetties
are a success.
''The reason of the 0regonian's sud
den conversion to that idea was not
that you had converted him-or that
he was willing to adopt your very SEN
sible and practical suggestions, but that
Col. Roessler, the Z. s. engineer in
charge of the Oregon district, had ex-
pressed himself as favoring, and there
fore likely to recommend to his super
ior officers, the absolute necessity OF
large appropriations for bar work, even
if no money could be appropriated, or
spared, for the up-river schemes. 1t is
something new for an engineer officer
to 50 radically differ with the Oregon
ian and have the courage to publicly
say so. We all know, and have known
for many years, that Uncle Sam was
throwing away money owing to the
manner in which the work was being
done on the jetty, for the simple rea-
son that the trestle work was pushed
out far beyond the point where it could
be sufficiently protected by rock fill
ing, with the money at his disposal,
the result being that the winter storms
would carry away the trestle for long
distances, necessitating the building Of
new ones on one side Of the old works,
as just enough rock had been dumped,
rendering it impracticable to drive new
piling on the old line, and this has
been done many times, with disastrous
consequences to the new appropriations
as they were made available; in fact
the appropriations would be spent in
repairing and getting ready to extend
the work. The last appropriation was,
very sensibly, spent in rock filling and
some repairing. and still the rock is not
I'D to low water mark for a consider
able distance, and therefore has little
or no beneficial effect on the currents.
"It is certainly refreshing and en-
couraging to find man like Col. Roess-
Ter in charge of the government work,
practical and conscientious; and who
evidently does not intend to waste any
of the government money without at
least protesting. ! hope he will stay
to finish the jetties
"When the Columbia river bar is
rough and breaking it is better for all
vessels to lay at anchor inside, no mat
ter if there were 40 feet of water on
the bar. Ship owners and insurance
men are glad to have their ships safely
at anchor inside a harbor during a
storm.
"There are lots of bars on the river
between Astoria and Portland, but the
waves do not break on them; only
vessels, once in a while, run danger
of breaking in two, the latest instance
being the steamer 'Thyra' last week.
/ would be pleased if the editor Of the
Oregonian would occasionally write, not