This day in history: Frank Church, Warren Magnuson praise Snake River dams as ‘Northwest Passage” opened. Dynamite accident killed road crew foreman

From 1975: Senators Warren Magnuson of Washington and Frank Church of Idaho spoke on the third and final day of the dedication of the “Northwest Passage” – that is, the Snake River dams and seaway.

Magnuson said he had dreamed of a seaport in Lewiston since he first arrived in Congress. Church called it “the fulfillment of an extraordinary dream of a century.” The Spokesman-Review ran a photo of the steam-powered sternwheeler “Portland,” steaming into the port of Lewiston.

Magnuson admitted that the project had cost a great deal of money – $1 billion – but “this part of the river will pay back 10, 15, even 20 times in the public treasure what it took out in taxes.”

Church noted that there were “deficiencies” in the fish ladders, which must be solved.

From 1925: A longtime Garfield County man was working as the foreman of a county road crew when he was getting ready to blast a bank of dirt with dynamite.

He prepared the fuse of the blasting cap by crimping it with his teeth. That was the last thing he ever did.

He was “blown to pieces” by the subsequent explosion.

He had been the owner of a farm in the Ping Gulch area for 24 years.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1963: Pope Paul VI elected, succeeding Pope John XXIII.

1970: Brazil and Pelé become first team and player to win World Cup three times, beating Italy 4-1 in Mexico City.

1982: John Hinckley Jr. is found not guilty by reason of insanity of 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.