The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-09-25
RIVER ROAD
GIVEN BOOST
NEIGHBORING COUNTY MEN CONFER
Hood River Delegation Visits Portland
Monday Portland Men will Come
Here Next Tuesday

nOUudy 10 CDUlST Win pIOHliu6Ht JUST
less men of that city relative to the
Portland Hood River highway, leading
Up the Columbia gorge, returned here
over the progress made by
he Mutlnomah county court and boost
ng with an increased ardor for the
yreat scenic highway. which, Samuel
Hill, a man who has made 3S trips to
europe and who has visited every civ
lized country on the globe. with the
exception of South America, says will
De the most wonderful road, from a
icenic viewpoint in the world. Mr.. |
Hill, who has been up and down the |
Rhine and over all of Europe's high |
ways. declared that none Of them can
,ompare in beauty with the way that
has been proposed from the City of
Roses to the Apple Valley.
The Portland men, S. Benson, A. S. |
Benson, II. l.. Pittock, Samuel Hill,
Rufus c. Holman, C. s. Jackson. JUL
us l.. Meier, Edgar B. Piper, Nj. c.
Samuel G. Lancaser, H. l..
Bowlby, S. Mitchell, E. E. Covert,
D. V. Hart, Gus Bowden, John b.
Y Yeon. Charles Coopey, II. L. Keats,
W. B. Fecheimer, Lynn b. Covert,
Paul Wessinger, and w. l.. Lightner,
met the Hood River delegation at the
Union station Monday morning with
train of automobiles. They were taken
to the Home Telephone building, where
Samuel Hill exhibited a number of col
ored slides of views of Columbia river
scenery, which the highway will open
up. He also showed views of foreign
scenery. MIR. Hill, who has 1000 views
of roads in foreign countries and an
equal number of American highways.
which are being colored in natural
tints. says that the opening of the road
should be worth 500. 900, 900 to Portland
in the tourist business it will bring in,
and that it should be worth least a
million to Hood River.
At noon the party proceeded to Chan
ticleer tavern, which is conducted by
Mrs. Henderson, formerly of this
county. A banquet was rendered the
Hood River people at the Inn. Julius
l.. Meier presided and many addresses
were delivered by both the Portland
and the Hood River men.
"The key to interstate construction
in all the north Pacific country lies in
the opening of the Columbia river
road," said Samuel Hill. when it is
completed other road construction will
follow"
Fifteen miles of highway, at cost
of $4,000 mile, are now being con-
structed over the Siskiyous," said Ma
jor H. l.. Bowlby. ''lf the Columbia
river road had been opened and pass
age had been made available down
through the central Oregon country
this work would never have been be-
gun; for the road will be impossible or
unpleasant a great part of the year.
Others who spoke, expressing an en-
thusiasm in the plans of concerted ac-
ton towards hurrying the highway to
completion were: E. E. Covert, Col.
Jackson, Edgar b. Piper, W. l.. Clark.
Judge Castner and Mayor E. o. Blan-
char.
Following the meeting at Chanticleer
Inn, the visiting local men were taken
to the home of A. s. Benson near the
Willamette boulevard in st. Johns,
where he is having constructed an ex-
perimental piece of road $50 feet long
and eight feet wide as an example OF
what the Columbia highway can be
made. This road consists of two-inch
gravel bitulithic upon the old macad-
amized foundation and the covered with
treatment of tar, oil and fine screen
ings. On each side is four-inch ma
cadamized shoulder.
MIR. Benson says this strip does not
have heavy traffic. The vehicles will
use the middle of the street, turning
out on the shoulder, when meeting
other teams. Thus an efficient high.
way can be constructed for half the
expense that would be required If the
whole of the street we're to be hardsur'
faced.
S. Benson and A. S. Benson are both
patrons of the great scenic highway.
One of the greatest boosts given the
road was that last year, when the latter
donated the sum of $4,000 towarc
building the highway around Shell
Rock mountain in this county.
One of Multnomah county's commits
sioners stated that that county was go
ing to expehd the sum of $3.50, 600 to
build the highway to the Hood Rivel
county line. The road is being laid ou
under the supervision of the state en-
gineer and the state highway commits
sion. In no place will it have grade
of more than five per cent. MaJol
Bowlby, executive officer of the Pacific
Highway Association, will work il
conjunction with the state officials
The Multnomah county men expressed
qualification at the amicsble settle
men that had been reached with tn
O.-W. r. & N. Co., the officials o
which are aiding the project in ever.
way. The railroad company will furn
ish an engineer to assist the state ant
county officials.
The view from Chanticleer Inn abov
Rouster rock is one of the most super
along the Columbia gorge, and all o
the returned men declare that no on
could visit the spot without becomin
Columbia highway enthusiast. Mrs
, Henderson is maintaining popular re
sort there and every day crowds O
motorists are said to come out froT
Portland to visit the Inn.
The Hood River party consisted 9
the following men: Judge Geo. Il
Castner, County Commissioners ]. r
Putnam and Geo. A. McCurdy, c. X
Marshall, E. 0. Blsnchar, W. L. Clarl
Il C. N. RavIin, Truman Butler, s. A
Mitchell, A. D. Moe, G. W. Hooker, .
H. Heilbronner. W. E. King, Harry
Connoway. R. E. Scott, Edward Lag
and G. Nj. Uptegrove.
Il A number of the Portland citizer
will return the visit next Tuesday. II
party making the trip here will incluC
s. Benson, A. S. Benson, Julius
Meier. j. B. Yeon. E. E. Covert, CO
II C. S. Jackson, II. l.. Pittock, Samu
Hill, H. l.. Keats. Major H. L. Bowlb
Samuel Lancaster and Edgar d. Pipe
The visitors will be taken on tour
the valley, making a thorough inspe
II finn of Hood River county's road sy