The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1922-11-23
Successful Navigation Of
Columbia Must Await
CanalizatiOn
MUST OVERCOME
SWIFT CURRENT
4 River Must Be Developed
- for transportation Pow
er and Irrigation


That the navigation of the CO.
lumbia river above Cello is not
practical under present conditions
is the opinion voted at a confer
ence in Pendleton last Friday by
]. N. Teal, premier apostle of the
open river movement. Major Geo.
Mayo, F. C. Schubert, engineers
and others.
These men are of the opinion
that water transportation can not
be successfully and profitably un-
dertsken on the upper river until
the swift current has been over
come so as to permit the hand
hing Of barges loaded with low
class freight. To bring this about
the canalization Of the river is
necessary. A program of canal
isation should be based upon a
three-fold development, naviga-
ton, generation Of electrical pow
er and the irrigation Of arid lands.
In the course Of his address Mr..
Teal said: "The Columbia above
Cello is a succession Of pools be-
low rapids. The volume of water
If properly controlled, is sufficient
for all purposes and all uses. Nav
igation is difficult and at present
barges cannot be safely handled
on the river. The current is swift
thruout its length and the ra-
pids require very considerable pow
er to overcome. The river flows
thru what has been sometimes
termed a desert extending back
for some miles on either bank. It
is largely desert now. Some of
the lands are owned by the United
States, some probably by the state
and some owned by individuals.
But every acre is a part of the
United States and owned either by
citizens as individuals or eollec-
lively as state or nation. And
there it is-hundreds Of thousands
Of acres Of fertile land, unused, un-
tilled-a desert-with the Colum-
bia river flowing thru it, drooling
away its usefulness as it flows
idly by on its way to the sea.
The problem in such case is to
secure the navigability Of the
stream and the development OF
the adjacent territory thru the
use of the soil, not only supplying
transportation facilities but Gre
ating conditions under which "a
desert would be transformed into
q garden, dwelling place of coy
otes and jack rabbits, into homes
and schools where thousands OF
our people would live and raise
their families, in comfort and in
plenty. To create, to feel the
great joy that only comes from
bringing opportunity to those who
need it, to add to the greatness OF
our common country; to do con-
structiye work so that those who
come after US will bless US for
eur foresight, our vision, our abil-
hy, to be Of service-all of these
things are part Of the life of the
great engineer and it is in secur-
y bem he finds his greatest Joy'
eh greatest compensation.
Not including. the Horse Heaven
nor the Columbia Basin projects,
from about the vicinity OF Priest
Rapids in Washington to Cello in
Oregon Immediately adjacent to the
Columbia river and to Snake river
TOR few miles above its mouth,
there are in round numbers $50, 600
70 100000 acres Of good land sus-
ceptible of irrigation, the larger
Portion thereof by pumping. !
ill speak of the productive char
scter Of this land later.
The climate is all that could be
s'red, and the waters Of the CO.
,emDia are ample for all purposes.
.vo lines of railway bisect this
ltcry, and the river is to some
sent navigable. we have the
w Important elements of devel-
%ent Of industry and population
no water, climate and trans
M'on. The difficulty is that
are not co-ordinated. Each