Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-11-26

pany, and how will it affect the de-
liVery OF water for irrigation the
coming season? Anyone standing in
the vicinity of the dam when that
great flood was rolling toward the
Pacific, carrying with it forest trees
torn up by the roots, and filling the
air with deafening roar. would he
impressed with the feebleness of hu-
man effort to withstand the forces
OF nature, and because certain struc-
lures that formerly stood high above
water are now submerged, he feels
that all is lost-that it is gone. But
1t is not gone. The Ament dam stands
firm. The water has now receded
lar enough to admit of inspection
and no break or settling can be de-
tected in the main structure. The
fact that six feet OF lter poured
over the deck of the meant two
things of which the ,al observer
could realize but one. He saw that
a great force was at work in front of
the dam trying to push it out of the
way, but he did not see that there
was a great weight of water on top
OF 1t trying to hold it down; and 1t
did hold it down.
Much fear has been expressed that
the south end of the dam, around
which the state recently built fish
ladder, would go out with the first
high water, but it Is safe and unin-
lured. This fish ladder is cut through
stratum of conglomerate that is
hard as concrete, and the most care
full examination discloses no crack or
rupture Of any kind, and since 1t has
withstood this test we are justified
In believing that it will stand any to
come. Just what did take place is
this; North of the main part of the
dam, extending from the original
river bank toward the railroad, a
distance of a hundred feet or more,
wing wall was constructed to turn
the floods to the south over the dam,
instead of allowing them to inun-
date the north bank of the river,
where are. situated shops and other
small buildings. This wall was
made of timber with its foundation
above low water mark where II
was alternately wet and dry, and, as
a consequence, the timbers were
more or less rotten and not able to
withstand the enormous pressure
thrust upon it. If there were other
! Causes contributing to the weakness
of this wall we have no way of know
ing it. The cause given is sufficient
to account for It. This wall went out
and took with It the pump house,
which was a small frame building
adjoining the north end of the dam
and entirely separate and independ-
cnt of it. The flood poured through
the gap and undermined the concrete
foundation to which the pump was
anchored, letting it down into the
bay. The timbers of which the dam
itself IS made, with the exception of
the planking and some of the posts
of the upper deck. cannot rot for they
are wet the year around and instead
of weakening with age they will be
as firm in a hundred years as the
day they were put in place.
The excavation at the head of the
gravity irrigation ditch was connect
ed with the dam by flume. This
flume. a light frame structure, was
destroyed when the wing wall gave
way. The directors of the irrigation
company knew when this flume was
constructed that in few years at the
most It would have to be replaced by
more substantial structure, but II
was thought that II would answer