The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-01-09
PLAN To DAM
THE COLUMBIA
WALLULA COMMERCIAL CLUB
ASKS CONGRESS FOR LOCKS
AT FIVE MILE RAPIDS.

WALLULA, Wash, Jan. 9.-(Special
to the Statesman)-At a recent meet
ing of the Commercial club of this city.
resolutions were passed endorsing the
action of the Two Rivers club in the
plan of building a dam at Five Mile
Rapids across the Columbia. The pow
Ter which would be developed from
such a dam would be immense AMI
would run electric lines feeding the
great open river. Copies of the reso-
lutions will be sent at once to Senator
Ankeny and to the president and every
effort will be made to get some recOg-
milton of the scheme, which would
mean much to the residents of the
Walla Walla, Yakima, Snake and CO.
lumbia river districts.
More than that. it would mean much
lumbia. The rapids are the biggest OBJ
structions to Navigation on the upper
river and a canal around them with
the accompanying locks, would mean
much easier naviga ton of the Column
bia.
The resolutions passed were as fol-
lows:
Whereas dam across Snake river
AT Five Mile rapids would greatly in
prove the river as a national water
highway, if locks be constructed in
connection Herewith. and would pro-
duce thousands of horsepower that
could be of great benefit to the state
and nation and that would be worth
several millions of dollars more than
what it would cost to construct such
a dam and develop the water power it
would produce;
"WhereaS, by means of a portion of
the power that would be produced by
such a dam, electric railroads could be
operated to both the Snake and Column
bia rivers from the towns and cities in
the surrounding wheat producing sec
ton of the northwest that are off of
these streams: and as these electric
railroads would be very important
branches ard feeders of traffic to these
national trunk lines of water trans
portation fro mplaces where consider
able of the traffic of the northwest
originates;
Whereas. by means of a portion of
the power that would be produced by
such a DAM considerable of the wheat
produced in the northwest could be
manufactured into flour and milling
stuffs. if these rivers be developed as
national water highways. and if cleo
trio railroads be operated thereto from
the towns and cities in the wheat pro-
ducing section of the northwest:
Whereas. by means of a portion of
the power that would be produced by
such a dam, many manufacturing and
industrial enterprises could be estab-
lished in the surrounding towns and
cities:
Whereas by means of a portion. of
NA'N PC"Ni mat Nouiu DN
such a dam, in connection with pump
ing plants, many thousands of acres of
arid land about the confluence of the
Snake, Walla Walla Yakima and CO.
lumbia rivers could be irrigated: ard
as the irrigation of these lands woulI
provide homes for many families, and
would add considerable to the taxable
property of the state and to the
wealth of the country:
Whereas a private company, if al
lowed TO construct such a dam and
/ possess the water power thereby pro-
duced. would probably be a monopoly
of the water power of this section of
the country, for, if such a dam be con-
structed. 10 other dam could be con-
structed across Snake river within a
distance of about 100 miles therefrom,
+, on account of the low grade of this
river and the occupancy of both of its
banks by railroads;