The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-07-01

Washington but to the whole course
of life of the people of the United
States"
Bonneville dam rises in some Of
the ruggedly beautiful country OF
the Northwest. The wild Columbia
has cut a chasm two-thirds OF a
mile deep through the mountains.
Bradford island causes the river to
split into two rapid streams, roar
ing, whirling and throwing spray.
From the island to the Oregon shore
is the power station, and from the
Washington shore to the island is
the spillway. The power house and
spillway are connected by an earth
en- dam which runs across the is
land and is ITO feet high. The en-
tire chain, which is $3.50 feet long,
will create lake 65 miles long, up
on which steamers will one day
travel into the Cascade mountain
region.
Cost Is S45, O0O,Oe
Bonneville dam will have cost
$45, 100000 by the time it is COM
pleted. With Grand Coulee dam it
forms the first serious attempt to
harness the Columbia, which river
network is the second largest in the
country. The river basin, which ex-
tends into the states of Idaho, Wash
ington, Montana, Oregon, Nevada,
Utah and Wyoming, is said to be
five times as large as England.
1t has never been possible before
to navigate the Columbia more than
a short distance inland, but Bonnie
vile dam will attempt to change all
that. In the dam is the worlds high
est navigation lock-a lift of Y feet.
On the Panama canal it requires
three great locks to lift a ship only
a little higher at Gatun lake. Bonnie
vile itself is AZ miles east of Port
land, but it is hoped that the locks
will enable steamers to go 200 miles
inland along the river.
The town of Bonneville has sprung
up near the dam to house most OF
the workers on PWA project num-
Der %. 1t is composed chiefly of
taxpayer shacks such as the trav-
eler might have seen in the earlier
days of the West when the railroads
were being built.
It is not likely that the living
quarters of the construction work
ers needed to be built substantially
enough to last long time, for this
is one federal project which is going
ohao6 II Tolonnnl Thn-a
have been no delays for political
reasons or for lack of funds; only
those caused by the river in some of
its unsociable moods. Since the first
surveyors came, things have moved
right along. The excavating was
done promptly, cribs and frame
work were installed, cranes and
derricks started to work, and it was
not long before Bonneville ap-
preached being a fact.
w h e only "a few rugged
boulders once deferred the stream
as it roared through a wilderness
of cottonwoods and frs, today rise
arched spillways and huge power
intakes. The cost of the project
was somewhat more than it was
first estimated. This is because of
an intricate system of locks nd
ladders" for fish, for the salmon
must be allowed to pass Bonneville
to reach the headwaters of the
river.
Indians Are Skeptics.
Here is one point upon which the
government and nature may not
be able to get together; perhaps if
the Presidents magic voice could
explain it all to the fish over the
radio everything might be all right,
but there are those who say the
salmon will never use the ladders.
These unbelievers include most of
the Cayuse Indians along the Co
lumbia, whose ancestors were TAX
ing salmon out of the river long
before the white man ever dreamed
there was new world beyond the
western sun. Bonneville means
end of salmon" says their chief,
George Red Hawk. And today the
Columbia produces more salmon
than any other river in the world;
salmon fishing in its waters is a
$40, 900, 900 industry.
g Western Newspaper Union