Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1846-02-28

w III lie INN MS Ciidi dStCi ioi tIutIi
upon this assertion-that steamboats,
can ascend to Barber's mill as well as
they can to the falls of Chippewa
Take another fact. which Mr.. Spen-
Ger will not deny, that RATS run from
the falls of Chippewa to the Mississip-
pi in the driest season Of the year,
and though at the very driest season
they rub, catch, and have to be pried
off some of the sand bars yet will
Mr.. Spencer say, and expect to be be-
lieved in Grant county, that RATS con-
tanning 10000 feet Of lumber can be
run from Barber's mill to the Missis-
| sippi, at a,ay season Of the year? 2.e'
Take another fact of the same kind.
All the provisions used at the falls, and
not raised there, are boated from the
Mississippi to the falls of Chippewa in
Keel boats of from ten to fifteen tons
burthen. Much larger ones could be
used in ordinary seasons, but this size
i is adopted so as to run easy, with lew
hands, and in the lowest possible stage
of water; and the men who run down
raft take back the boat. But did Mr..
Spencer or any one else ever see keel
boat of ten tons ascend the Grant river
10 Barber's mill or will he say in
the face of the people of Grant county
that such thing could be done we
will not say merely in the lowest stage
of water, but in any stage, high or
/ low
But, finally, as to his evidence of the
navigability of the Chippewa, he says
"the rest of the season." meaning when
the water is low. +" canoes of light draft
might go up and down with safety. -
Can a canoe of the lightest draft go up
and down " the Grant river from Bar
ber's MILL" in low stage of water,
g with safety ~ Will Mr.. Spencer
assert this as fact l think not
Yet, his language, by the comparison
he used, goes To soy THE much If il
be said that he used a hyperboie, j. e.
mode of expression which signifies
more than is meant reply that such
modes of expression are only tolerated
( in poets, and in fictitious writings
but do great injustice when used TO
contradict facts, stated over responsible
signatures, and do equal injustice 10
the country he thereby seeks TO traduce
or ridiculc, and, finally, he does great
err injustice to himself, as to truth and
veracity.
1
| will now assert what in my opin-
ion is fact, and in which am corrob-
GRATED by others. That is, that the
Chippewa river is as large and empties
as much water into the Mississippi as
the Wisconsin does. Mr.. Brunette,
who, it is we'll known has lived more
than twenty years in this country, and
has lived on both rivers, and must be
well acquainted with them in all their
stages, high and low, first suggested the
idea TO me as we were ascending the
Chippewa together in a keel boat
His suggestion led me to more care
full observation of the two rivers, and
the result is, with him, as above sta
ted. Will any one say,ol believe, that
the Wisconsin is no larger than Grant
river? There is this difference in the
two rivers. The Chippewa has less,
far less islands, and of course the wa
tiers of it are confined more to one
channel, except for fifteen miles up
from its mouth. and as consequence
must be better for navigate on with the
same amount of water IF the falls Of
Chippewa were as far from the mouth
of the river as the falls of the Wiscon-
sin are, the one could be navigated as
high up as the other. The Chippewa
above the falls, for $50 miles, is suffi-
GENTLY large for navigation, if it were
not for the falls and rocks in it. But
as Mr.. Spencer confines his remarks
entirely to the country about /" the falls
of Chippewa" and the country " be-
tween the Mississippi and Kickapoo,"
have no occasion to follow him any
further. And as it must be obvious
that his own testimony about the Chip
pewa river is good against himself, 1
fpresume what he says about the frosts,
soil, swamps, thickets and broken coun-
try, will be taken with few grains OF
allowance.
He speaks of {" frosts every month
in the year of his residence at the
falls" wish he had told US what
year of the world this was II he
had, | might be able 10 explain. In
lS42, on the night of the 3lst of July,
a frost Killed fhe corn and neas on Mr..