The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-08-26
VIADUCT NEARS
COMPLETION
TUNNEL HAS BEEN DUG TO GRADE
MitChellS Point Work Will be Ready for
Traffic by First Week in September,
According to Elliott


According TO J. A. Elliott, engineer |
in charge of the work for the State |
Highway Commission, the viaduct and
tunnel at Mitchells Point will be open |
for traffic the first week in September. |
I'VE will have the way open by Sep |
Iember 6 for the accommodation of all |
the inspection party who desire to
travel this far, says Mr.. Elliott, land
by September 10. when the members of
the Pacific Highway Association. who
will be en- route to San Francisco,
where on September 1916 they will
hold their annual convention, and who
are planning run over the new route,
arrive, we viii have the scenic point in
the best of condition.
The 400 foot tunnel has now been
completed to grade. A crew OF men is
at work building a trail for pedestrians
from the east window in the tunnel
around on the outside of the jutting
cliff to the east entrance of the tunnel.
Because of such features as this, the
lookout tunnel will be as attractive to
pedestrians as to motorists.
From the level of the O.-W. X. & N.
tracks, 95 feet below, the great win
dows do not seem very large. When
man walks through the great bore they
seem enormous. The huge columns
fashioned artistically from the inter-
woven basalt rear themselves like the
formations seen in caverns. From the
floor of the tunnel to the vault of the
windows the distance Is 10 feet. Along
the outer base of each window will be
built rubble masonry wall or balus-
tr ade.
Zone may walk through the place
then, says Engineer Elliott, "a feel
safe in leaning out to get the view up
and down the Columbia
The contract for boring the tunnel
was sublet by the ifer-Clarkson
Co. to Charles Nelson, an energetic and
ambitious Swede. And no man is
prouder of the great piece of engineer
ing work than the contractor. He has
not considered it just as piece of
work to be finished as quickly as possi-
BILE, but he fingers still, adding touches
to draw out the uniqueness of it. Mr..
Nelson has drawn the cOmmendatiOn
of the engineers. all of whom speak
with highest praise for his character
of work and the interest he has taken
in carrying out the idea of the open
windows.
One of the huge peepholes is cut near
the west entrance of the tunnel. Three
allow the traveller to look out on the
Columbia near the center, and the fifth
is about rs feet from the east end.
The viaduct, the construction of
which has caused delay in the compile
tion of the Mtchells Point work, be-
cause of the difficulty in reaching bed
rock in excavating for the piers, is zoe
| feet long. 1t spans chasm extending
from the west end of the tunnel to the
TO the northwest corner of the basalt
promontory. The drop to the O.-W. X.
a. N. tracks is 95 feet, while the sheer
cliff, overhanging at the top, rises fol
300 feet.
With the forms all in place, crews OF
men began pouring the viaduct proper
at p. m. Saturday. August 5. The
day. Two little concrete spans on the
west side of the point are still to pour.
These, however, are small and will sci
quickly. The men are now busy pre-
pairing forms for the artistic railings oi
the main viaduct.
The highway is built to grade anC
completed from the old State road tt
the east entrance of the tunnel, and il
is possible to drive a machine through
to the west end of the bore. The auto
mobile of r.. .. Blanchar, who took II
s. Crego, the Portland Chamber o.
Commerce photographer, from this city
down as far as Viento last week, tha
views of the Hood River portion of th'
highway Imight be secured, was th'
frat motor vehicle to be driven up t.
the east end of the tunnel.
The stretches of new highway be
tween the Multn0mah county line an,
Viento. aggregating five miles, hav
been completed by the Newport Land
Construction Co. At Starvation creek
crews of men working for the count
have built short stretch of new road
When the difficult grade over Mitchell
Point hill is eliminted by the opening
of the tunnel, the Hood River portio
of the road will be in fair condition
While the old State road is yer
crooked and has some very bad curves
especially difficult for large machines
the county court bas been busy cuttin
down bushes along the roadside an
constantly making improvements,
| that the way can be Travelled in con
| parative comfort.
The opening of the Columbia rive
highway has been like the openinhg {
i door to some long closed treasur
| chamber. The people of the Cascade
and;along the Mid Columbia have live
amid scenery as beautiful as may
found in a travel around the globe, "
tbey did not know it until nonresident
came along to breathe appreciative e,
clamations. II was just as though the
had lived among gold mines, not know
III ing the value of the precious metal.
To those who have long dreamed
j the Columbia river highway, the rea
I ization of the scenic thoroughfare hi
| acted as a stimulus, and they are no
busying themselves to secure latera
that will pierce mountain and fores
This interest is prevailing not on
;, along the south bank of the COlumbi
II hut the people of Washington are ha
III teninp to Join the ranks of road bull
II ers.
II Those who have been called mos
II backs, can no longer be termed by th
II opprobrious epithet. The opening
III the highway has awakened the wor
III scoffer. The men who doubted the
HI innate construction of the great seer
" highway up the river, who on occasi
n declared the task impossible, are ne
III wondering how it could have been pc
III sible for them to have held such vie"
II These selfsame former doubters a
III now in the harness, urging the bette
II ment of local roads.
The towns and communities as J
Ill untapped by the great trunk line,
II The borders of which have not be
II penetrated by the well laid out. gra'
iii fully. curved boulevard. have tasted
III the eplivening sensations it brings, q
iii their. residents are clamoring to have
III pushed a little farther. The comp
III tion of the Columbia river highway
M other such trunk lines will result l