East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-09-24
BY MARSHALL n. DANA.

Thirty-five years ago when Column
bia river steamboats, were still being
trained to run up hill, a government
engineer planned a giants staircase to
get the ambitious craft over The
Dalles and Tumwater falls at Cello.
The next scheme was to install an
elevator operated by water power at
the foot Of The Dalles, and by 1t lift
steamboats, to the level of railroad
track, where they would be hauled on
cars by locomotives the eight and a
half miles to the head Of Tumwater
falls, to he lowered into the water
again by another elevator, An al
ternate proposal was canal to be
dug around the falls and the rapids
at the level OF the head Of Tumwater
falls. At Big Eddy below The
Dalles or Five-Mile Rapids, a drop OF
~ feet was to be overcome by a hy-
draulic elevator carrying a caisson
in which the boat making passage
would remain afloat. This canal was
TO have two locks with lift Of Is
feet each between Cello and Big
Eddy and a third at Cello with lift
OF 20 feet The Columbia as a source
OF water for the canal was ignored;
the supply was to be brought in 49,
OO0 foot feeder from the Deschutes
river.
There was also a good deal of talk
during 1898 of a dam at the head Of
The Dalles which would pond the wa
ter back to the foot of Tumwater falls
drowning out Ten-Mile Rapids and
this had a good deal Of Tavor until
Colonel G. II. Mendell, corps Of U. s.
engineers, recommended the construc-
tion OF a boat railway from Cello to
Big Eddy. Tire board Of engineers
had approved a portage railway from
The Dalles city to Cello, and he In
Cluded this In his recommendation,
saying Il could be used later as al I
OF the boat railway TO be constructed
later.
The estimate for the boat railway
from The Dailes or Fiye-Mile Rapids
TO Cello at the head of Tumwater
provement OF Three-Miie rapids be-
tween Five-Mile Rapids and The
Dalles city was s2,264,467, and con-
gress, enthusiastic, Appropriated
100000 toward the cost in August,
1884.
BY June of 1899 no actual construc-
ton had been accomplished but most
OF the right OF way for the boat rail-
way had been secured. Then the nav
igation interests who were 70 use the
boat railway when complete were
heard from They said the scheme
didn't appeal to them at all. So the
authorities not being irretrieyably
committed and not having had any
appropriation since 1896, decided to
defer action.
Captain Harts, who called attention
to the attitude OF navlgators toward a
boat railway, then submitted plan
for a canal and locks around Tumwa-
ter falls, for a dam at Five-Mile rap
ids that would drown out Ten-Mile
rapids and for open river improve
ments between the two points, canal
and locks from the dam TO the foot
OF Five-Mile rapids and open river
Improvement Of Three Mile rapids
Congress liked Captain Harts' plan
and approved the project, but de-
manded a further examination with
a view to modifying the estimate Of
cost. s3,969.371.
The result Of the re-examinatlon
was a recommendation for The Dalles
Cello canal, about as built today, con-
tinuous from the head OF Tumwater
falls to the foot OF Five-Mile rapids
at Big Eddy
Before congress would make any
appropriation for the new canal, how
ever. it demanded the delivery Of all
necessary right of way free Of charge.
The Oregon legislature appropriated
5000 for this purpose in 1905 and
decided the right Of way TO the gov
eminent, Actual construction was
begun in 1905, Just Al years after the
first examination was made.
AS you look upon The Dalles- Cello
canal at the time Of its formal open
ing and dedication to commerce and
navigation, May s, Al years after the
first examination and 10 years after
the beginning Of actual construction,
do not take it as matter Of course,
It's location and form are the pro-
duct Of the governments best engi-
neering talent after consideration Of
all possible and some impossible,
methods. Into the nearly nine miles