The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-12-01
HIGHWAY MAY
SOON BE OPEN
SCOTT HOPEFUL AFTER INSPECTION
Steam Shovel to Be Utilized in Clearing
Slides Huge Tractor Will Be
Put to Work


that the road will be opened between
here and Portland in the next 30 days.
Despite the fact that winter is just
beginning and the department may
face the task of doing the work all
over again, it is announced that crews
will he set to work at once opening the
Highway.
Plans call for commissioningsa steam
shovel af the heavy drifts of snow and
slides in the vicinity of She'll Rock
mountain. 1t is proposed to utilize a
tractor of the largest type in breaking
the road open from the east. Mr..
Scott left Saturday for Portland to as
semble equipment and to hasten the
sending of crews to work. Not only
are owners of scores of automobiles
stranded in the drifts appealing to the
highway department to hasten opening
of the Highway, but motorists from
the eastern part of the state began to
call Friday, urging that the route be
made available at once. A telephone
message to Mr.. Scott from Arlington
Friday night announced that score of
motorists were stranded there and
were clamoring to get through. Strand
ed cars, it was reported, were being
stripped by an organized band of thieves
John X. Nickelsen, in charge of
maintenance of the Columbia River
Highway in this county, believes that
far longer period than 30 days will
be required in removing slides and
opening the road to motor traffic.
Others here do not believe that the
road will be opened before next spring.
Mr.. Nickelsen, who has walked over
much of the route between here and
Wyeth, says that the most difficult sec
tion to clear will be found between
Viento and Wyeth, where the sleet
poured from steep slopes into cuts,
filling them to depth of 30 and 40
feet in places. Much of the preciplta-
tion is frozen in the cuts in heavy lay
ers. Mr.. Nickelsen has wired the
Highway department seeking steam
shovel for use on this end of the route.
The work of clearing the road will
be retarded where the Highway cuts,
at higher elevation, parallel the line
of the O.-W. r. & N. Co. At such
points the snow, ice and debris of earth
and rocks cannot be dumped over the
edge of the road on the rail track but
must be hauled considerable distances
at some points. Trucks or dump
wagons will be needed in large num-
bers, Mr.. Nickelsen says. He found
extremely heavy slides at both ends of
the Mitchells Point tunnel. The mag
nitude of the mass of debris, he says,
can be comprehended when one views
the topmost branches of huge trees,
brought down by the avalanches, just
sticking out Of the drifts.
| NJ knN 70
the effect that bridges are out on this
end of the Highway are erroneous. He
does not believe that any bridges were
lost in Hood River county. With
bitches and culverts clogged. however,
the roadbed is in very bad condition at
many points. he declared.
William Johnson, who drives the
| United States Bakery truck and J.. M.
Marriott, Portland high school boy,
walked from here to Portland, leaving
last Tuesday.
In the opinion of these young men it
will be six weeks or more before travel
on the Highway to Portland will be
possible or safe, even with an early
| thaw, of which there were no signs to
be seen on their trip. Beginning about
| four and half miles west of Hood
River, the Highway to Portland is bur
led under snow and ice with slide fol
lowing slide with monotonOus regular
ity, they reported. The slides vary in
depth from 80 to 40 feet and in width
from $50 to 200 yards.
The hikers do not believe that any
families will be found marooned in
automobiles along the Highway, as the
scores Of machines which they encoun-
tered were all deserted. Farmhouses
along the Highway route are shelter
ing many beleagured travellers, who
may be many weeks in getting out.
they said.
Near Wyeth they learned Of family
which had just been rescued. The hus-
band had dug out a cave IN snow
bank in which he left his wife and
two children, one four years and the
other nine months old, while he sought
help. Before he reached Wyeth, some
miles east, his wife. chilled, started
down the trail in the same direction.
carrying her baby. She was found al
most unconscious by Tescuers, but not
/ in dangerous condition. The young
men did not learn the names.
Their trip was an eventlul one, re
plete with climbing in which toeholds
/ mad to be chopped IN the ice. In all
their journey the Highway proper was
not visible, they declared, being coated
with snow. and in many sections not
even an outline Of the highway could
/ be discerned In the sweep Of snow
slides from the heights. They did not
believe the roadway itself wss badly
damaged.
IL took the mixers four hours % ne
gotiate three-quarteTs Of a mile past
Shell Rock mountains, those hills OF
shale about mile from Wyeth- They
could not see even the telephone poles
at this point and the Highway was
completely hidden By the icy slope 70
which the travellers clung with toes
and fingers. They camped the first
night Just west Of the hills.
At Wyeth johnson and Marriott per
suaded a fisherman 20 carry them a
mile on their way in bis mack and at
q point some mikes west II Cascade
Locks we're fortunate enough 70 obtain
passage on a boat going west The
craft proceeded along the south bank
Of the Columbia until Bridal Veil was
reached and then swung across the
stream. The travellers disembarked
about eight miles from Vancouver.
walked INTO that city "Wednesday even
/ Jog and took the interurban for Fort
T land.
In addition 10 the snow and ice. trees
+ and mud are mixed in the slides. with
q resulting mass that VIII De difficult
f to clesrsaWay. declared the young men,
/ Though il rsined along the Highway
. Tuesday, the water frOze almost im-