Year: 1876

this lam was removed. Its bottom land,
timbcrcd mainly with alder. vine maple
etc, is more easily cleared than the
Stillaguami~, SnohOmiSh, or most other
river bottom hn0s in the Territory.
The timber on the high land, is OF eX.
ccIIent quality above the jam, as woll ms
easy to get ont, and float down, there
being few obstacles in running logs, after
the removal of the am, to what are
found on other rivers the current ot
the Skagit being stcadier and slower
than the Snohomish; while something
over half dozen coal mines are pros
peCted, and some work done toward
opening them two of the mines are st
uated below the jam, and between the
South fork of the river and the Stilla.
guamish. The rest are above; the re-.
moval Of the jam is necessary to secure
their early development Such being
the case, can we wonder that the whole
energies of these people are turned to.
ward trying to secure the removal Of
this jam.


The Legislature has been pctltioned,
bills have been introduced into Congress,
seeking appropriations for its removal.
Engineers and others have examined the
jam, and have estimated that it would
cost about $l5, 900 to remove it, but 80
far no effectual aid has been received.
Dcspairing of outside aid, at various
times parties have been to work to see
what could be done at home. Some two
years ago our friend John Campbell and
others, associated themselves together
for the purpose of cutting passage
around the jim, by clearing sloughs
filed with jams, close beside the river,
hoping at the time to be repaid by logs
they could secure from the upper jam,
and leave channel large enough for
steamer to pass up river. Their means
were exhausted before they accomplish.
ed their object.


Last winter, about February first, three
men from the Snohomish, Marvin Min
nick, Daniel Mcdonald and John Quirk,
together with Joseph Wilson of the
Skagit, started to work to cut channel
large enough for all purposes of naviga.
tion through the center of the upper and
lower jams. Mr.. Campbell is zealously
assisting them by all means in his power
These men evidently mean business
They began with no flourish of trumpets,
nor expensive materials. They are men
of experience and practical working
talent IN water as well as land logging.
The tools they use are very few, cheap
and simple; but very effective. We
have been acquainted with most of these
men for long time, know them as thor.
oughly practical workers. They have
started in to go through with it, Have
pledged their all to the enterprise. Have
cut and cleared away some two or three
hundred feet of the lower jam, and
loosened It so that when the June fresh
cts come it will probably go out, leaving
the main jam of a halfmile of cutting to
be cut through. These men hope to be
remunerated in part by the logs they
get out of the jam, suitable for saw logs,
and in default of Government aid of
which the prospect is slight they expect
that when they have demonstrated to all
interested that they are the men fit to
succeed in the enterprise, that sufficient
support will be donated by the Coal
Companies, the logging and agricultural
interests Of the Sound, connected, or
that may be connected with that river to
carry them through. These logs will
probably only partly pay them, mean
while their work is liable to stop for
lack Of credit, or for want of funds to
carry it farther on. The whole Sound
region owes it to the enterprise, and
patriotic public spirit of these men to
sec that they are sustained and that they
do not fail for lack OF support. From
what we know of them, we are certain
that If they are half way supported in
money or credit they ,cid aos tdil. We
understand they ask no donations to be
made, or support subscribed, except that
it be upon the condition that they clear
passage sufficient fol all purposes of