Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-12-24
GOVERNMENT CONDEMNED
CLEARWATER NAVIGATION
HISTORICAL REVIEW OF GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR IMPROVE
.MENT OF CLEARWATER RIVER WITH THEIR FINAL ABAND-
oNNENT AFTER SPENDING $277oO - STATE SHOULD NOW
HAVE CONTROL TO ENCoUR AGE LOGGING INDUSTRY

on to the mouth of the river at Lew
iston, 10 miles farther, the channel
WidenS somewhat and the obstruC-
lions are mainly rifles more or less
shallow and Obstructed at low wa
ter
During certain seasons of the
year there is more or less logging
from the several forks of the river
to the mills as Lewiston and points
on the Snake river between Lewis
ton and Riparia, but | am told that
frequently these log RATS, which are
manned and steered with sweeps,
saddlebag and break up on the rap
ids and have to be reconstructed. 1t
is believed that barge navigation on
the Clearwater would not be practi
cable, even with large expenditure
in the removal of present obstruc
tons"
Excerpts From Lieut. Lockwood
No less interesting are the follow
ing excerpts from the report of n.
w. Lockwood, lieutenant colonel
corps of engineers and senior mem
Der of the board.
characteristics of the river, it is evil
dent that a systematic improvement
would involve great expense, and
that canalization is only method
which would furnish a safe and re-
liable channel through sufficient
portion of the year to develop any
considerable traffic. The cost OF this
method of improvement would be
wholly disproportionate to the bene-
fits which it would afford. In view
of the foregoing, the board concurs
with the district officer and the di-
vision engineer in the opinion that
it is not advisable for the United
States to undertake the improvement
of the Clearwater river with view
to barge navigation"
w. H. Huer, colonel, corps OF en-
gineers, division engineer, reports
briefly as follows:
''In view of the heavy expense
that would necessarily be incurred
in improving a river of such steep
slope, small volume of water, and
very limited amount of commerce.
hnV with hn hnt
would be benefited, I am of the opin-
ion that the Clearwater river is not
worthy of improvement for barge
navigation"
Major Roessler's Recommendation
! S. w. Roessler, major corps of en-
gineers, concludes his report with
the following declaration:
81 am of the opinion that the
! Clearwater river is not worthy of
improvement by the general govern
ment with a view to developing
barge navigation"
The final report indorsing the
| recommendations of Subordinates, as
given by A. Mckenzie, brigadier
general, chief of engineers of United
States army, was tersely rendered in
| the following words:
"For the reasons given in the re-
port, Major Roessler expresses the
opinion that the Clearwater river Is
not worthy of improvement for
barge navigation, and this opinion is
concurred in by the division engl-
neer, by the board of engineers for
rivers and harbors, whose duty it is
under the law to review all reports
of this character, and by me-"
Canalization Too Expensive
| The statement that nothing short
of canalization would render the riv-
er navigable for barges and that the
expense would be too enormous to
be even considered is very interest
ing in the face of former projects and
stimates. Certainly the government
ment would not consider the esti-
Imate made in 1896 as more than q
bagatelle, and the idea is suggested
to the lay mind that ineffioiency has
existed somewhere. There appears
to be quite general conviction that
the later reports. which state tnat
the cost would be too great to merit
consideration of the government are,
in face the only ones that reflect a
careful consideration of the subject
In % years the government has
depended $27.700 Zone reprt says
$37,000) in surveys and work on
the CIea rxua Ter river and To all an.