The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-05-13
MI HELL BLAST
BLOCKS TRAFFIC
HOOD RIVER MAIL SUPPLY CUT OFF
Preparing for Columbia Highway Tunnel,
Crews Cover 0.-W. R. & N. Track
20 Feet Deep with Debris


every foot of the Columbia highway in
Multnomah county, were visitors last
week at Mitchell Point, inspecting the
work that is being done there by the
Standardization Co. They declare
that this portion of the scenic highway
will be the most scenic and most talked
of stretch along the entire length of
the route. The contracting company
has now made such headway that the
visitor is enabled TO provision the COM
pleted highway. The Columbia highway
at this point will pass through tunnel
beneath an overhanging crag. For 80
feet in this tunnel windows and arcade
supports will be made. The motorist
can stop and look out the windows ard
view the broad Columbia almost di-
rectly underneath him.
Such construction has been made in
Switzerland, but never before in Amer
lea. The Swiss open side tunnel roads
are among the most noted in the world.
At the west entrance of the tunnel
will be 200-foot concrete viaduct, 80
feet high and directly above the track
of the 0.-W. r. & N. Co.
Engineer J. A. Elliott, who has
charge of the work for the state, was
in the city last week. He says the
tunnel work will be completed by Aug
ust |. "All the Multnomah county
people who have visited Mitchell
Point" he says. are impressed by the
scenic possibilities that will be enhanced
by the open tunnel.
Great excitement was created here
last week, when it was learned that
crews of men at work at Mitchell had
laid bare a seam of anthracite coal 20
feet long. The coal seems even harder
than the eastern anthracite. Joe Dob
son has been experimenting with
samples, and states that the fuel burns
in manner very similar TO that of
eastern anthracite. Z. l.. Smith
states that the outcropping Of mineral
was discovered over 20 years ago. "a
number of men prospected there" he
says, 'but they all came to the conclu-
sion that it was stone instead of COAL"
The coal excitement, however. has
now about died down. The outcropping
did not extend far. and, as 1t appears,
does not lead to any great deposit of
the fuel.
Monday noon, just after the Oregon
Washington limited of the O..W. X. &
N. Go. had passed, heavy charges of
dynamite we're touched off blowing be.
tween 800 and 400 cubic yards Of the
top of the overhanging cliff to the foot
of the point. The railroad tracks were
buried with the debris. However, the
company had ready to assist the Stand
ifer-Clarkson crews steam crane and
about so men.
While il was thought that the debris
hurled onto the track by heavy charges
of dynamite could be cleared away by
late afternoon Monday. the explosions
loosened huge boulders. and the rail-
way was blocked until late yesterday
morning. The giant boulders were of
such dimension that it was necessary
to split them by charges of powder.
The track was buried under 20 feet of
debris for distance of approximately
400 feet.
The trains of the 0.-W. r. & N. Co.
bound for the east we're operated out
of Portland Monday night, for the off,
cials thought the stone would be
cleared away in a short time. How
ever, loosened bits on the precipitous
| us
and the crews of men worked them
selves to exhaustion. Other blasts
we're discharged to bring down menace
ing projections left on the side of the
point. The trains remained on sidings
west of the scene of operations. Many
passengers for local stations were un-
able to secure berths. No mail from
Portland was received until late Tues
day afternoon. and then only first class
packages and few foreign newspapers
for local japanese were delivered.
Passengers, mail and express were
transferred around the slide at Mitchell
and were brought here on trains that
were operated from The Dallos. A
number of passengers were brought
through about IL o'clock Tuesday. All
through trains we're detoured over the
North Bank line, going by way of Fall
bridge and Vancouver, Wash. On &C.
count of washout at Redding, Calif..
the Shasta Limited, of the s. P. line,
was being detoured by way of Ogden.
This limited train was caught by the
slide and held just west of Mitchell. II
was taken back to Portland and de-
toured over the North Bank line.
More than a dozen citizens were at
the station Tuesday afternoon awaiting
the train, hoping that il would bring
newspapers from Portland. While
bundles of papers we're aboard foi
towns to the east, no packages were
left for Hood River. Indeed. the con-
ditions prevailing were similar to those
of time, when the railway tracks have
been blockaded by heavy snowstorms.
A number OF local people had planned
on witnessing the explosion of dyna'
: mite. However, on account Of Sun
.. days rains the roads we're in such con
dition that they feared automobiles
would not be able to negotiate the
Ruthton hill.