The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-12-26

number of other western states, trans
( ferring entries to new serial register,
J and perfacting present system of num-
| bering and filing entries, 1895.
i Clerk b. w. Marshall. Of the land
office. to Montana, examining land of
flee books and records: assisting in
operation Of Bozeman land office. 1905
Principal Examiner Carl F. Mayer,
of the land office, to the land offices
in Montana and other states, serial
izing entries, $3.50.
Land Office Clerk Daniel b. Miller.
to Montana. surveying the Flathead
Indian reservation. s2.429.
Senator Burkett has introduced a
bill to allow entrymen under the
reclamation act of June II. 1902. to
assign their entries upon proof Of
residence, Improvement and cultiya-
ton for the five years required by
the law
The war department has reported
adversely to congress on the proposed
improvement Of the Flathead river
from its mouth and by Kalispell slough
to kalispell with view of securing a
depth of four feet The report is by
General Marshall, chief of engineers.
Major Kutz, of the engineer corps and
Colonel Knight of the board of engi-
neers for rivers and harbors: and is
as follows:
General Marshall: 1T appears that
the Flathead river is in fairly good
condition from the mouth i'm Flat
lake to Demarsville. which is at pres
ent the head of navigation. and that
the object of the Improvement is to
extend navigation up to kalispel1 via
kalispell slough. distance OF three
miles, and thus avoid the necessity of
hauling freight that distance by team
as Is now the practice. This would
necessitate the digging of canal
through the slough which has filled
up. and also turning basin. The inn
proyement would be expensive. both in
original cost and in the maintenance,
and as the commerce is small the i'm
provement is not worthy of being un-
dertaken by. the government. As the
waters have no naviable connection
with navigable waters outside of the
state. they are not navigable watn-s
of the United States
Major Kutz: THE F'lathead river
drains a large agricultural area in
is fine. rich and well watered coun-
try. made up of timber and prairie
lands The principal industries are
grain and lumber: Kalispell, a prosper
Gus city of 1000. is the distributing
center for this section of the state
Demarsville lis the head of navigation.
contains only a few families and has
no commercial Importance. serving
merely as IA transferring point for
freight between Kalispeil and points
on the Flathead river and lake. De-
marsville was formerly on the river.
but due to cutoff. is now on the
saltwater river and none of the water
flowing by 1t comes from the Fiathead
basin except at high water Demars-
vile is three miles from Kalispell and
u miles from the lake shore along the
axis of the river A number of years
ago the river between Demarsville and
the lake was cleared of snags by the
government and is now In good
nayigable condition for river boats
drawing four feet or less. The ruling
depths are considerably greater, eight
to 10 feet at shoals in the river for a
mile below Demarseille and a bar i'm
the lake at the mouth of the river
restricts navigation to boats drawing
four feet at low water.
The kalspell slough Is apparently
an old channel of the saltwater and
except at floods carries no water To
excavate channel through it with
II view of securing a navigabe depth
of four feet would require the re-
moyal of Il large quantity of material
and means virtually the construction
of a canal which involves the removal
by dredging of over half million
cubic yards OF material. Such "A chan
mel would not grant the relief the
citizens of kalispell think II would
4 channel of nj least twice this width
would be required. which would mean
the removal of about twice the amount
estimated, The saltwater river. from
the mouth of the slough to Demars-
vile, has a considerable fall and is
now INSTRUCTED by sand and. gravel
bars. Not only would the first cost Of
this Improvement by large. but the
cost of maintenance would be proper
tionately even greater as there is evil
dence that large quantities of detritus
are carried down the saltwater during
each flood The examination of the
t1athead and kalispell slough was
made in April and conferences were
held with interested parties ut kalis-
pell and Somers. One boat is now
operating on the river Demarsville
and Poison at the foot of the lake
being its terminal points, and it is
estimated that the total commerce of
the Fiathead river in 1905 did not ex-
coed $500 tons valued AT Saao,a0o. This
consisted of supplies sent out to the
settlers and Il small quantity of grain
shipped in. This amount will be large
ly increased as soon as the Fiathead
Indian reservation is thrown open to
settlement. The present commerce is
carried in wagons between kalispell
and Demarsyilie and it is this wagon
haul of three miles that the citizens
of kaIispeil desire 10 eliminate by
extending river navigation to Kalis-
pell. The Flathead river from nemars-
willie to the lake Is now low water
channel of four feet and is free from
troublesome snags. To extend this
channel to kalispeli would be cost
ly undertaking and would. by the
present and prospective tonnage to he
handled by way of the river. be wholly
out Of proportion To commercial h.ne-
fits, The slope of the Flathead river
ia Ifssh