Willamette Falls Locks

The Wallamet Falls Canal and Locks Company, with authorized capital of $300,000, was incorporated on September 14, 1868 by N. Haun, Samuel L. Stephens, of Clackamas County, and experienced steamboat captain Ephraim W. Baughman (1835–1921)[5][6] to "locate and construct a canal and suitable boat locks at the falls of the Willamette River, on the west side of said falls".[7][8]

On October 26, 1868, the Oregon legislature approved a law entitled "an Act to appropriate funds for the construction of a Steamboat Canal at Wallamet Falls."[9][8] The law stated it was "of great importance to the people of Oregon" that a canal and locks be built on the west side of Willamette Falls and that the rates for carriage of freight on the Willamette River be reduced by this construction", and so it granted the company a subsidy of $150,000, to be paid in six annual installments of $25,000, starting on the date the canal and looks were completed, with the money to come from lands donated to the state of Oregon by the United States for internal improvement.[9]

As condition precedent to receipt of the funds, by January 1, 1871, the company was to expend at least $100,000 and complete construction, on the west side of the falls, a functioning canal, "constructed chiefly of cut stone, cement and iron, and otherwise built in a durable and permanent manner" with locks not less than 160 ft (49 m) long and 400 ft (122 m) wide."[9] Upon completion, a commission appointed by the governor was to inspect the works to determine if they were constructed in compliance with the law, and if not, no subsidy would be paid.

The company could charge tolls, for the first ten years after completion, of no more than seventy-five cents per ton for all freight, and twenty cents per passenger. After ten years, maximum tolls would fall to fifty cents per ton of freight and ten cents per passenger. Twenty years after completion, the State of Oregon would have an option to buy canal at its actual value. The company was also required to pay 10% of the net profit from tolls to the state for the first ten years, and 5% thereafter.[9]

In early 1869, the company sought investors by publishing a prospectus,[10] which among other claims, predicted that 60,000 tons of freight and 20,000 passengers would pass through the canal and locks every year, which turned out to be an overstatement by a factor of several hundred percent.[11] The company was also reported to have sent an agent east to negotiate financing.[12]

In March 1869, the company's attorney, Septimus Huelat, brought condemnation actions in Clackamas County Circuit Court, to acquire, in Linn City, a strip of land about 2,014 feet (614 m) long and 60 feet (18 m) wide[13] By 1869 Linn City was a settlement in name only, as the actual town, located on the west side of the river just below the falls, had been washed away by a flood in December 1861.[14][8]

The deadline set by the legislature in the 1868 legislation proved to be impossible to meet.[8][11] The subsidy was too small to attract investors.[11] New legislation was approved in 1870.[8][15] The 1870 law was substantially similar to the 1868 legislation, except that it increased the subsidy to $200,000, in the form of bonds payable in gold issued by the state of Oregon, to be issued upon posting of a surety bond in the amount of $300,000.[8] The state-issued bonds were to fall due on January 1, 1881.[16] Maximum tolls chargeable were in all circumstances to fifty cents per ton of freight and ten cents per passenger. The deadline for completion was rolled back to January 1, 1873.[8][4]

At the December 1870 annual meeting, Bernard Goldsmith and Joseph Teal, both of Portland, Orlando Humason and Jason K. Kelly, both of The Dalles, John F. Miller, of Salem, and David P. Thompson, of Oregon City were elected directors, who then on December 8, 1871, appointed company officers: Bernard Goldsmith, president; John F. Miller, vice-president; Joseph Teal, treasurer; and Septimus Huelat, from Oregon City, attorney and secretary.[17][3] On February 3, 1871, supplemental articles of incorporation were filed, giving the company broadly expanded authority to collect tolls, deal in water rights and real property, and own and operate industries and steamboats.[8]

The $200,000 in state-issued bonds were augmented by an additional $200,000 in bonds issued by the company.[18] Both bond issues were sold at a discount, the state bonds at 80% and the private bonds at 77.5%, and the proceeds, of $315,500, were used to build the locks and canal.[18]

Solicitation for bids for work on the canal and locks, January 20, 1871.

On January 18, the company, from its headquarters at 93 Front Street, in Portland, called for sealed bids from contractors, with bidding to close at noon on March 1, 1871.[22] Capt. Isaac W. Smith was the chief superintendent. E.G. Tilton was the chief Engineer; Tilton's assistant was J.A. Lessourd, who superintended the construction of the gates and the iron and wood work. Major King was the secretary for the project.[4] A.H. Jordas, an engineer and architect from San Francisco, became one of the contractors and went on to supervise the work.[23]

The targeted completion date was December 1, 1872. The contractors were under heavy bond to finish the work by that time. Monthly payments to the contractors were based on the estimates of the supervising engineer, who lived at the works. The company held back 20% of the contract price as security for completion.[23] Up to October 1872, the total cost of the work was estimated to have been $450,000, with about $50,000 more needed to be expended before completion.[4]

Blasting holes in the rock were cut by then-new steam-driven diamond-tipped drills manufactured by Severance & Holt, and mounted on small cars allowing them to be moved about the work as needed.[23] Rather than reduce the rock to powder, as on previous designs, these drills cut a ring into the rock about 2 inches in diameter, with the remaining portion of the rock, called the core, passing out through a water-cooled iron tube.[23] Twenty to thirty holes were drilled on a daily basis. Each drill could bore five to seven feet per hour. Blasting had to be done carefully so as not to make the spoil too small, as the broken rock was intended to be used for the stonework.[23]

A temporary dam was projected to be needed across the upper end of the works. As of September 1871, two steam derricks and two blacksmith's shops were employed on the works.[23] Gates were to be set in the eastern wall of the canal to allow use of the river's water by industries to be located along the canal.[23]

In November 1871, one of the contractors, a Mr. Jordan, disappeared, leaving unpaid debts to various creditors of about $28,000 or more, as well as unpaid wages of $6,000.[24] The company agreed to pay the wage claims. Isaac W. Smith took over Jordan's place, with the objective to speed construction as fast as weather permitted, and put an additional workforce in the spring if 1872 to meet the company's deadline as set by the state.[24]

Between 300 and 500 men worked on the project.[4] About 100 men worked at night for most of the time.[4] As of September 1871, the contractor was reported to have difficulty obtaining laborers and stonemasons, with only about 100 then being employed, with openings for 100 to 150 more. Reportedly that the "site of the works is healthy" and laborers would be paid wages equivalent to $2 per day in coin, with stonemasons receiving more.[23]

Masons and stone-cutters were paid from $5 to $6 per day, carpenters from $3 to $3.50 per day, and laborers received $2.50 per day. The monthly payroll was $50,000.[4] On July 27, 1872, the Morning Oregonian reported that "sixty Chinamen are now employed at the locks at Linn City."[25] The successful completion of the project was reported to have been "secured by treating the men kindly and considerately and paying them liberally and promptly."[4] Additionally, it was reported that "the full pay of every man was never a minute behind time."[4]

Excavation consisted of 48,603 cubic yards (37,160 m³) of rock, 1,334 cubic yards (1,020 m³) of loose rock, and 1,659 cubic yards (1,268 m³) of earth. Masonry installed comprised 900 cubic yards (688 m³) of first class work, 4,423 cubic yards (3,382 m³) of second class, and 700 cubic yards (535 m³) of third class. There was a gulch north (downstream) of the guard lock, which was filled in with 20,000 cubic yards (15,000 m³) cubic yards of stone[26] or 40,000 tons.[20]

Exclusive of the foundation walls and fenders, the project consisted of 1,138 lineal feet (347 m) of masonry, 1,042 ft (318 m) of timber walls above the guard lock, and 1,192 ft (363 m) of timber walls below the guard lock.[26]

Explosives used during construction included 18,000 pounds of giant powder and 10,000 pounds of black powder.[4] Materials used in construction were 5,123 pounds of cement, 1,326,000 board feet of lumber, 180,700 pounds of iron for the gates, 71,000 pounds of iron for bolts for the canal walks, fenders and other components, not including iron used in machinery, derricks and other equipment, but only iron placed in the works.[26]

Looking north from Lock No. 1, after repairs in 1980.

Sternwheeler Governor Grover in the locks, probably lock 3, in 1873. The lock walls on the east side of the canal can be seen, as well as the masonry for the lock gates and the protective wooden fenders projecting above the lock walls.

Upon completion, the total length of the canal and locks was 3,600 ft (1,097 m), consisting of, from north (downstream) to south (upstream):

• the approach to the first, or north lock, 200 ft (61 m) and 50 ft (15 m) feet wide.[30]
• four lift locks, each 210 ft (64 m) long and 40 ft (12 m) wide;
• the canal south of the lift locks, 1,273 ft (388 m) long and 60 ft (18 m) to 100 ft (30 m) wide;
• a guard lock 210 ft (64 m) long and 40 ft (12 m) wide;
• a canal and basin, 1,077 ft (328 m) and from 80 ft (24 m) to 250 ft (76 m).[26]

The lift locks were of a type known as "combined" locks, with the lower gate of one lock functioning as the upper gate of the lock next below.[26] The lifting lock walls stood 19 ft (5.8 m) above the lock floors, and were 5 ft (1.5 m) at the top, with a batter of 3 inches per foot (25 cm/m). All walls had their foundation on solid rock. The guard lock wall was 16 ft (4.9 m) high above the guard lock floor, but otherwise was similar to the walls at the lifting locks.[26]

The lifting locks were referred to by number, with lock 1, the furthest downstream, being both the northernmost and the lowest. The first and second locks were cut entirely out of solid rock except for the areas around the gates, where masonry was set in for the hollow quoins and supports for the gates.[26] Each hollow quoin weighed 2 tons.[4]

Wooden fenders were bolted to the lock sides to prevent harm to vessels coming into contact with the natural rock that formed the sides of the first and second locks.[26] The third lock likewise was cut into solid rock, but with walls above the surface. Wooden fenders, backed by three-inch timber, were tied into the rock with bolts. The fourth lock was almost entirely above the surface, with masonry walls on both sides.[26]

Each of the four lifting locks had a lift of 10 ft (3.0 m).[30] The total fall, from low water above the works, to low water below, was 40 feet.[30] The lower end of the canal had been cut 40 feet deep through solid basalt.[30]

About 700 ft (213 m) of the west wall was built of timber on top of a stone wall resting on bedrock. The stone wall was 8 ft (2.4 m) at the top, 3 ft (0.9 m) to 15 ft (4.6 m) high, with a batter of 3 inches per foot (25 cm/m). The rest of the west wall was hewn out of the natural rock.[26]

According to engineer Smith's 1873 report, the guard lock was left open when the water in the canal was less than 3 ft (0.9 m).[26] Otherwise, boats would have to lock through the guard lock.[26]

The guard lock was intended to prevent foods from flowing over the lower walls of the canal. In ordinary water conditions the guard lock would be left open, so as not to unnecessarily delay boats making the transit.[30] Upstream (south) from the guard lock, the east side wall was timber-built, with bents 5 ft (1.5 m) apart. Each bent was bolted to the bedrock by three iron rods extending the full height of the cross braces on the bent. The entire timber wall was filled with stone.[26]

The gates were based on designs used in locks on the Monongahela River. Each swung on suspension rods mounted in iron brackets tied into masonry. The gates did not rest on rollers or tramways, and were easily worked by one man. Each gate had eight wickets, located near the bottom of the gate, with each wicket measuring 4 ft (1.2 m) by 2 ft (0.6 m).[26][4] The locks were flooded and drained by opening and closing the wickets, through the use of connecting rods.[4] Two men were required to work each gate.[4] There were two culverts under each gate sill to carry off mud and gravel which might otherwise impede the opening of the gates.[26] Each lock gate was 22 ft (7 m) long and 20 ft (6 m) high. Buttresses 16 ft (4.9 m) think reinforced the walls carrying the gates. The gates were opened and closed with cranks.[4]

The stone used for the masonry was local basalt, except for the rock used for the hollow quoins, which was a some different basaltic type, but drawn from a quarry on the Clackamas River owned by someone named Baker. The masonry was set with hydraulic cement with no lime intermixture.[26] The masonry walls were constructed of blocks of basalt, each weighing 1 to 2 tons.[30]

On completion, the maximum water depth in the lock was 3 ft (0.9 m).[26] A newspaper published at the time stated that the normal water depth in the river at the head of the canal was seven feet, and four and a half feet during low water seasons. This was sufficient to allow river boats to safety pass.[4]

Boats could transit the locks with up to 15 ft (4.6 m) of water on the upper guard lock gates. The guard lock was designed to allow a rail to be installed which would allow vessel transit with 17.5 ft (5.3 m) of water. However, on the few occasions every year when the river rose any higher, navigation could not be safely made, and the guard lock could not be opened.[26]

The total cost, in 1899, of work necessary to restore the locks to the original operating condition of 1873 was calculated to be about $38,800.[18] The 1899 replacement value of the entire project was calculated to be $314,300.[18] Using another method, including data from the net profits of the works, and including the anticipated costs of necessary replacement work, the Corps of Engineers estimated the value of the canal and locks, in 1899, as $421,000.[18]

The 1899 report recommended acquisition provided the locks could be purchased at a reasonable price.[18] (By this time the mortgage bonds issued to Elijah Smith had been paid off.[18]) However, the price asked by the owners, in 1899, was $1,200,000, which the government regarded as too high.[18] By 1899 the works were in poor repair and few improvements had been made.[18] So much water in the canal was diverted for manufacturing purposes that it seriously interfered with use of the locks for navigation.[18]

In the years 1882 through 1899 (half year), there were 12,863.5 lockages, carrying 234,451.5 passengers, and 504,145.04 tons of freight.[18] In the five years from 1894 through 1898, net profit for the locks ranged from a low of $21,210.13 in 1896 to a high of $28,503.10 in 1898.[18]

In June 1902, Congress passed a Rivers and Harbors act which authorized a study of whether the canal and locks should be acquired by the U.S. government.[40] In the previous year, Portland General Electric, had earned about $35,000 from the tolls on the locks and canal.[40] On November 21, 1902, a board of officers of the Corps of Engineers, consisting of Maj. John Millis, of Seattle, Capt. W/C Langfitt of Portland, and Lt. R.P. Johnson, of San Francisco, made a preliminary inspection of the locks.[41]

The major issue associated with the proposed purchase was the question of water rights.[41] The industries on the west bank of the river below the falls received all their power from water drawn from the navigation canal.[41] They used so much water that when the river level was low, it was impossible to conduct industrial operations and navigation at the same time.[41] The U.S. government was only willing to acquire the works if there would be sufficient water for navigation.[41] Another difficult point was that in 1902, the owner of the canal and locks, Portland General Electric, was continuing to ask the same sales price, $1,200,000, which the government had found too high in 1899.[41]

Portland General Electric argued that since it owned both sides of the Willamette River at the falls, it controlled all the rights to the use of the water flowing over the falls from bank to bank.[42] Consideration was then being given to the possibility of constructing a new canal on the east side of the falls rather than purchasing the existing canal on the west side.[42]

The company's position in response was that the government would have to condemn and pay for the water rights on any newly-constructed canal.[42] Oregon's U.S. Attorney John Hall was reported however to have turned in an opinion to the Attorney General that the government had the legal authority to build new locks, provided they were located below the ordinary high-water mark of the river.[42]

In 1907, the Oregon state legislature passed a bill appropriating $300,000 to be paid to the federal government to help purchase the Willamette Canal and Locks.[43] However, in 1908, Judge Frazer's decision was reversed following an appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court.* Oregon v. Portland General Electric, 52 Or. 502 (Sup.Ct. November 17, 1908).

On May 31, 1909, while replacing a lock gate, three men were injured when the false work supporting the old gate collapsed, and the gate fell, causing one man to sustain a broken leg, another was badly bruised, and a third man had lacerations on his legs.[44]

In 1911, the canal and locks were valued at $300,000 for property tax purposes, and assessed a tax of $5,587.50 against them, which was paid, late, by the owner of the works, the Portland Railway, Light & Power Co.[45]

The Willamette Canal and locks, looking north towards the Oregon City suspension bridge. The steamer N.R. Lang is on the right. By this date, sometime after 1900, a large concentration of industry has arisen just to the east of the canal.

In 1912, the War Department approved purchase of the locks from Portland Railway, Light & Power Company.[46] The purchase price was to be $375,000.[1][47] The transaction did not finally close until 1915.

The reason for the delay was the need to establish the vendor's title to the property, as well as to work out the details of the various conditions that the vendor wished to attach to the sale.[46] The title problems stem from the fact that the town of Linn City, which had been on the west side of the false, had been washed away by a flood in 1862, apparently along with all of its records.[48] While the owners and operators of the locks appeared to be able to claim title by adverse possession, this would not be considered sufficient by the U.S. government, which required proof of the plat map of the town of Linn City.[48]

By August 1912, a search was underway for a map of Linn City.[49] An official of the Corps of Engineers had heard from one old resident of Linn City that a map had survived the flood, but this map could not be found. The official intended to consult with George H. Himes, of the Oregon Historical Society to learn more about Linn City.[49]

Before the transfer to the U.S. government some mills near the locks drew their water directly from the upper lock level.[46] This created currents which impeded navigation through the lock. The government was unwilling to permit this to continue under its ownership, so, as part of the conditions of the sale, the United States would be required to build a wall in the navigation canal which would have the effect of creating a separate water source, with an opening well above the falls, for the canal side industries.

In April 1915 the cost of this wall, estimated to be between $125,000 and $150,000, would be the largest single item of work then planned for the locks and canal. Other work that the government intended to carry out included repair of the lock gates and deepening the approaches to the locks. The lower sill of the downstream lock was to be lowered, and a new pair of gates was to be constructed.[46]

• Corning, Howard M. (1956). Dictionary of Oregon History. Binford & Mort.
• Corning, Howard McKinley (1973). Willamette Landings: Ghost Towns of the River (2nd ed.). Portland, OR: Oregon Historical Society. ISBN 0875950426.
• Mills, Randall V. (1947). Stern-wheelers up Columbia: A Century of Steamboating in the Oregon Country. Lincoln NE: University of Nebraska. ISBN 0-8032-5874-7. LCCN 77007161.
• Wright, E.W., ed. (1895). Lewis & Dryden's Marine history of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, OR: Lewis and Dryden Printing Co. LCCN 28001147.
• Thompkins, Jim (2006). Oregon City. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 1439634327.

• United States Congress (February 26, 1908). Preliminary Report of the Inland Waterways Commission. 5250. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

• Smith, Isaac W. (1873). "Report of the Engineer of the Willamette Falls Canal & Lock Co". Willamette Farmer. V (19). Salem, OR (published June 28, 1873). p.3, col.4.

• Cross, Harvey E.; et al. (1893). "Report of the Special Committee Appointed to Consider a Plan for the Acquisition of the Locks on the Willamette River at Oregon City". Journal of the Senate. Salem, OR: State of Oregon, Legislative Assembly, Seventeenth Regular Session. pp. 660–672.

• United States Army, Chief of Engineers (1922). Willamette River at Willamette Falls. Washington DC. p. 1907.

• The Secretary of War (December 19, 1899). "Examination and Survey of Canal and Locks at Willamette Falls, Willamette River, Oregon". United States Congressional Serial Set. 3974. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

• Oregon v. Portland General Electric, 52 Or. 502 (Sup.Ct. November 17, 1908).

• "Historic Oregon Newspapers". University of Oregon.
• "California Digital Newspaper Collection". University of California, Riverside.
• "Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers". Library of Congress.