The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1915-03-11
PLANS FOR RIVER
PAGEANT PROGRESS
Tentative Program for Cello
Opening Celebration are An
nOunced b y Struble

You wouldn't think they would
have nerve enough to do it, but they
have. The Chamber of Commerce
committee preparing the celebration
for the opening of the Dalles-Celilo
canal is going to ask the O-W. r. &
N. to SEMI six engines down to UNA
tilla from the Pendleton roundhouse
for the sole purpose Of whistling to
the steamers and adding to the
cheerful noise. This, too, in spite OF
the fact that the great canal is guar
anteed to shave down freight rates,
says the Portland Telegram.
The celebration will start at Lew
iston, Idaho, May 8, and will end at
Astoria, May z. The fact that even
the railroads are joining in the cele-
bration, indicates the vast import
ance Of the new project and the uni
versal satisfaction in it's completion.
evil they send the engines?" re-
peated Wallace r. Struble, secretary
of the committee. "Of course they
will. They are going to take en-
gines down to the river at other
points along the route. They are TAX
ing them only because the engines
have whistles and can make noise. !"
"What will they do after the cele-
bration?"
"Why, the engineers can reverse
their engines and carry them back to
their stalls in the Pendleton round
mousse"
Water in Canal
Test water has already been turned
into the canal. The engineers found
that it ran the right direction and
acted just as they intended. So near
is the ditch to completion that it is
expected boats will be running up and
down the canal by April 10. AS has
been the case with many projects, the
officials will ignore the fact that the
public has been using the canal before
the formal opening and grand blowout.
The canal was constructed by the
United States army engineers. Ma
jor Jay J. Morrow was supervising
major of engineers in charge. From
1910 to May, 1918, Captain H. H. Rob-
ert was the engineer on the works,
and from then on Captain T. H. Dill
lon has been on the job.
The Cello canal is one Of the great
est projects Of its kind ever undertake
en- by the government. It's Importance
to Portland and Oregon cannot be
overestimated. The canal brings the
Columbia river into its own. Here
are some facts concerning it:
The 81k miles of the big ditch set
the government back $4,85O,O00.
The canal was begun in 1908 and
was completed by the government
hired labor, with the exception Of 1000
feet at the upper end.
The canal will enable river boats
to go around the falls and rapids near
Cello. It adds 500 miles to the con-
tinuous stretch Of the river from its
mouth. It skirts the river for its en-
tire length.
Half the length of the canal was
drilled and blasted through solid rock.
The other section, stretching through
sand and gravel, is lined with cement
to make its position as firm as the
rock-bottom section.
Five Locks
The canal has five locks. The
greatest of these is at Big eddy, above
The Dalles. Three massive gates
form tandem lock which will lift
the river boatst 20 feet of the 9O-foot
rise which the canal overcomes.
The other locks are at Cello falls,
Ten Mile rapids and Five Mile rapids.
The locks are As feet wide and 300
feet long. Vessels Of that length and
of seven-foot draft can be accommo-
dated. The minimum depth of the
canal is eight feet.
Almost the entire Northwest will
take part in the celebration over the
Cello opening. A great fleet of river
vessels, carrying three senator's, nine
congressman, the governors of Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyo-
ming, Utah, Nevada and many other
public men will start at Lewiston and
celebrate all the way down the river.
The formal opening exercises will be
held at Cello at p. m. on Nav S.
II is exnected that IN boots Mill - =:
the canal at that time. Every river
town is preparing a big celebration
for the time the fleet is with them.
Kennewick May
The fleet will drop down the river
to Kennewick and Pasco on the morn
ing Of May 4, after spending May 8
at Lewiston, Idaho. A stop will be
made that afternoon at Wallula, the
seaport" of Walla Walla. A fleet of
automobiles will carry the celebrities
over the RI r,oi1oc of Lo~J .~.I IL