The daily Minnesota pioneer., 1855-08-17

Road $4,000
TT. Doug. and Fort Ripley, 10000
Wabashaw and Mendoza. $4,000
Swan River and Long Prairie 5000
Mendoza and Big Sioux Road25 900
(Fhis last road was not under my charge at
the time; but the appropriation was based on
the report of Capt. Reno Of the Army, and
the estimates which he had furnished to the
War DEPARTMENT.
Such had been the appropriations previous
to my Annual Report of the last year, 1854;
and they were as great as probably could have
been obtained from Congress under any infu-
ence which the writer of this article in his Off
cial capacity or Delegate might have brought
to bear upon the matter But feeling that the
War Department was under the guidance of "a
head which infused energy and promptitude in
all its branches, and spurred on by
the Importance of having the roads finished at
the earliest possible moment, in that report
urged the completion of the roads with all the
augmentation could master, and made an
estimate of the amounts which would yet be
required, to complete the roads, as follows:
For the Pt. Douglas and st. Louis River
Road, $5O,639
Fort Ripley road, 1880
Wabashaw and Mendoza, 19,434
Swan River & Long Prairie, 1868
(See my report in doc. accompanying Sec.
Wars report, Of 1854, and the Hon. Secreta-
ry's allusion to it, PIP. 23.)
l made no estimate for the completion of
the Mendoza and Big Sioux River Road, for
the reason that the Department had already
been furnished it by Capt. Reno.
Under these estimates, and by the co-Opera-
tion of the Hon. Delegate, Mr.. Rice, in the
discharge Of his duties, the following appro-
priations were obtained from Congress at its
last session:
For the completion of the Pt. Douglas and St.
Louis River Road, 34,213,5O
/" :" Pt. Doug. & FIT Ripley r ,l3, ,494 ,09
. Wabashaw and Mendoza, 1881 &c
g Swan r. & Long Prairie, 2,535,39
" Mendoza Big Sioux riv'r,27 415,6S
This last sum of S27,475,6s, with the $685.
900 previously appropriated, makes the exact
amount OF Capt. Renos estimate for the Big
Sioux road. See Executive Doc No. 81. 33d
Cong. lst session.
The public can gather from the foregoing
the respective parts which Mr.. Sibley, Mr..
Rice, Capt. Reno and myself have each in our
official capacity been performing in the OBJ
tainment from Congress under the auspices of
the War Department, of the several appropri-
ations which have been made
In regard to the appropriations for the tol-
lowing roads which MIR. Rice appears to have
originated, and for which probably he is en-
titled to more credit than any one else, if not
the sole credit; namely from St. Anthony
Falls to Fort Ridgely; from Fort Ripley to-
wards Pembina from Crow Wing to leech
Lake; and from Anoka to Mile Lac, only the
first two have been placed under my charge
That from st. Anthony Falls to Fort Ridgey
the Department can do nothing with, for the
reason that the appropriation was granted to
cut out the timber on the Territorial road be-
tween the points mentioned when no such road
existed, and therefore the law is inapplicable.
And as it regards the Fort Ripley and Penn
bina road, the reconnaissance which have had
made Of it, evolves the fact that to apply the
appropriation as the law requires, merely to
the cutting out the timber, would be to throw
it away; the present crooked road not being
the road which the public interests require, nor
cutting down the timber, which the ap-
preparation alone can touch, the work needed.
1t has been for this reason, and in order that
the Government may be enabled to take hold of
the road in an efficient way, and carry it on to
completion by one, or a succession of appro-
priations, that have obtained the sanction of
the Department to suspend operations upon it
until the next session of Congress when the
phraseology of the law may be so changed as to
admit of the survey and construction of the
best and most direct road between the points
mentioned. In this, l am happy to say, l have
the concurrence of Governor German, Hon.
H. NJ. Rice, Hon. H. H. Sibley, Hon. Nor
man w. Kittson, Hon. Joseph Roette, and
Mr.. Charles Cavilere.
j. II. SIMPSON,
Capt Corps Top. Eng
ST. Paul, Aug. Is, 1855.