Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-01-31

to the Pacific ocean did not arouse in
thusiasm as to the future mission of
a stream that had for ages past been
pouring out its life into the more rest
less ocean. Nor did they dream of
the wealth and development of the
great Inland Empire. across whose
then uninhabited plains the explorers
had struggled in awe and wonder into
the no less boundless wealth of tim
ber. For the East was not ready to
admit the establishment of another
great shipping and power center on
the opposite side of the continent, and
the stories of Lewis and Clark were
taken in many quarters with a grain
O. salt.
Yet the predictions of these far
seeing explorers found hearing. One
day settlement was started in the
great Northwest and its population
was augmented each year thereafter
Other settlements followed until states
grew out of the nucleus, and the pos
tributaries appealed to numbers who
established homes along their banks.
Gradually to the business of the fur
trader was added the transportation
of grains, and stock and river steam
ers became a necessity. Almost with
the beginning of settlement along the
banks of the Columbia the more astute
settlers began TO predict the opening
o. that great watercourse from the
sea far inland. Early in the history
of the country the Canadian Pacific
railway operated boats on the upper
most stretch of the Columbia. a dis
tance of 1000 miles from the mouth.
And with the inception of the idea
that the river could and would one
day be open for transportation began
agitation to secure that end.
When the right for the opening of
the river began many obstacles were
apparent, of which the greatest were
the cascades where the locks now
stand and Cello Rapids. In the for
mer the river narrows to gorge AZ
miles in length, through which it tum
bles madly, with drop of "a feet
! ir the upper half mile. The latter
is 9la miles in length, with fall
of 81 feet in that distance. Ages
ago the river had cut its way through
the solid rock in mad rush for the
sea, and here was the task that must
be performed if the Columbia was to
serve it's destiny as the one great
waterway of the West. In 1877 the
secretary of war gave his approval
to the plan for canal and system
OF locks around the cascades, but it
was not until 1896 that the passage
was opened to traffic. After that
year the head of navigation moved
up stream 45 miles to The Dalles and
Cello Falls, where it stands today
waiting the completion of the canal
past these rapids.
The realization of this end is not
fan distant. A few days ago the
House committee on rivers and har-
bors presented its annual report car
rying with it the apportionment of
over $4O,OOO,OOO for the improvement
OF rivers and harbors of the coun-
try. Of this amount the Columbia
and Snake rivers receive almost $2,-
5000, of which $1,O00,000 will be
applied at the mouth of the Colum-
bia, 100000 toward the completion
of the Cello canal and the balance
a, various points along the two riv-
ers where needed to perfect the chan
mel already existing For besides the
Cello Falls these two rivers present
practically no obstacles to Transports
tion other than the clearing out of
rocks and boulders. Representative
Humphrey of Washington, Northwest
erp member of the rivers and harbors