The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-01-21
TO PUT Big FLEET
ON UPPER COLUMBIA

AS soon "a th' river clears OF ice
the government boat Umatilla will be
gin 9cTk In clearing the Columbis
river channel, above Cello, of all OF
stacles t. navigation Captain s v.
Winslow expects to put in about two
months at li0m.!' rapids In dredpios
aud converting tha cEgnuel to Sidtf
and deuht that viil make The IiyeI
nsviga ble thsIe fOI the largest steam
boats afi1ut
The CONF letinn of The new steam.
boat, the Cel'.u I'll will mean q
goo strons oontiritlon OF coats for
the Upper Crlnnlii
rhe dimeDsi u. # tha lnland EN-.
pire are: l. u.ih OF hull l50 teet.
width of teAu,. b Iest; depth OF holl.
8 feet; gross LnEnage ii5 feet: CARY
ing capacity 80 tous; boilers &c inch
es diameter, 22J Ihs. to the square
inch, engines, l6 zach i Under, 6 feet
stroke
The Cello fall., which will 20 into
commission soOu after tie river clears
OF ice, was designed Hlopg the same
lines as the rand Empire, with the
exception OF h2r upper cabin and will
be somewhat larger Al the request
OF the PascO aud KeHuewiCk CONNER
c'al Club, the boat will probably be
cbristened "Taiu Cities.' -
In 1863, there were plying on the
river above Celill Fail. the following
boats Steamer5-COI. Wright, 100
tons car acity; leninu. 100 tons; Okla
no9sn, $50 tons; Neg Perce Chief, I35
to- > ; ONy nee, 1875 teas; Yakiua, 200
tons; Webfoot, 300 tons; Spray, l25
tons; hyus, $50 tons; Cascadiils, 80
tons; Lea istOn, 80 tons. Schooners-
James Buchanan, 80 tons: fumming
Bird, 40 tons; Victoiiue, 80 tons
Schooner, 80 tons. Soops-Mount
Hood, GO tons; Sarah +. Gray, 40
tons.
The fuel problem WAS the greatest
to be solved by the navigators in early
days for there was not tree OF any
size growing on the banks OF the Co.
lumbia between Desrhutes and Priest
Rapids. On Snake river there was one
pine tree on the south bank of the
river, forty miles above the mouth,
which gave name to rapids at that
point. there Te'e three pine tree
just below Almota creek, and ten near
Tree Rapids, fourteen miles below
Lewiston. There was considerable
drift wood scattered along the banks
which was cut by the Indians and
white men and sold at SO and $l2I
per cord. The supply OF DRIFT wood
was partially renewed by the freshets
every summer, but not tC a satistac-
tory extent.
A small forest of pine and tamarac
timber grew at the head of the Kick
itat valley which sloped to the north
away from the river. The timber cut
in the klickitat ricer was contracted
for with r. Mallory aud Ulmpany.
There we're 5000 cords at SIS cord. |
Wood was also hoated up the Colum-
bia to The DalIes from near the Cas-
cades, hauled by wagon fifteen miles, |
tu the Deschutes and delivered to the |
steam boats.
The boats today do not have this
difficulty for Gil may be used in place
OF wood. The people Of the Inland |
Empire will have the greatest fleet Of
boats when tho open River feet gets
to operating, that they have had since
the early fleet on the river in the
'60's. The operation OF this fleet calls
to mind the boats and the ditticultios
encountered in the early days. His
tory repeats itself There was a vast
amount of business transacted by the
early boats and there will lie again,
when the Open River line is in full
operation, to the relief of the Inland
Empire people. --Dalles Chronicle