The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-04-11


"bulldozing. The proportion Of giant |
powder considered necessary for the
operation is placed on fiat surface of
the stone and covered with loose sand
and earth. The impact of the explo-
sion extends downward and rends the
rock so that il is an easy matter to
remove the shattered fragments. A
portion of the canal will be dug
through common soft earth and for the
hasty accomplishment of this work a
huge dredge, weighing 260. 600 pounds,
has been put into commission. This
enormous tool, with a l2-foot guage is
the largest of its kind ever used in
western construction work.
The building of canal to overcome
the obstruction in the Columbia was
much discussed in the late sos. In the
opinion of engineers of the United
States Government commissioned TO
make a preliminary survey Of the
rivers falls and rapids, under the re-
quirements of the river and harbor act
of August IL, 1888, it is interesting to
note that the canal was considered i'm
practical because of the enormous ex-
pense.
II was suggested by the board of
engineers that a boat portage railway,
double-track affair, with hydraulic
lifts constructed at each end to replace
them on the long cars, especially COLI
structed for the purpose, be built.
Until the survey it was thought that it
might be possible to clear the channel
OF the river in the dangerous and i'm
passable places and make possible
navigation.
Nevertheless. when il was found that
the fall in the river between Cello and
the city of The Dalles was S.4 feet in
low water and 62.5 feet in high water
and that the stream ran in eddying
currents through channel of varying
widths from l25 to $50 feet, with high
vertical basaltic walls on either side,
this was considered impossible.
The portage railroad, constructed to
carry boats of 60 feet in length, was
seriously considered for a long time
and engineers were sent to Scotland.
England, France. Germany and Bel
gium to study the plans of such ar
rangements in use in those countries.
AS is we'll known to citizens of the
State of Oregon, in order to open to
navigation the great interior grain
country, the State Portage Railroad
was completed by state appropriation
in 1905. However, terminating at Big
Eddy, where the PERCEPTIONS bluffs
made 1t almost impossible to transfer
freight, the road was never any eXten-
sive factor in solving the transporta-
tion problem. At the urgent request
of the Board of Portage Commission
ers. an act of the legislature of 1909
provided for an extension to The
Dalles, which was finished in March
of last year. The total expenditures
on the portage railroad have amounted
to 1924, 275. .96. while the returns of the
system have reached the sum of $24.-
275. SO.
Big Eddy, the former terminus of
the portage road is at present the
main center of the operation of canal
work. Camp |, where the most of the
men at present employed on the canal
are bunked and messed, is located at
this point, as are the offices of the
engineers staff. The work is under
the general supervision of General
Morrow, who maintains Offices in Port
land, while the field work is supervised
by Lieutenant H. H. Roberts. j. l..
Brownlee superintends the engineering
work.
Many of the first-class workmen have
| families and live in small houses at
Big Eddy, where school has been
established. Supplies were formerly
secured from the Government store
here. However, finding that it was
better that the stores be run by private
parties, the stocks were auctioned off
and several small general stores are
now operated by private individuals.
One of the most interesting sights to
the visitor to Big Eddy is the Y. M. C.
A. building, equipped with reading,
| billiard and pool room. The state Or
ganization of the association pays the
expense of secretary. The building
was donated by the Government, which
also furnishes lighting and heating.
The completion of The Dalles- Cello
canal will be the climax of the Coum-
bia river improvement.
! According to the estimates of en-
gineers the area drained by the Colum-
bia river is 245, 600 square miles, an
area larger than all the New England
and Middle States, with Maryland,
Virginia and West Virginia thrown in,
all of these states combined having an
area of but 244, ,260 miles. The area
drained by the Columbia and its tribu-
taries is twice as large as the British
Isles, more than twice as large as
Italy, half as large as Spain and many
thousand square miles greater than
either France, Germany or Austria
Hungary and greater than all the
islands of the seas combined. Port
land is the natural outlet for the great
Inland Empire of $4,000, 600 acres of
| arahla land