The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-05-20
THE sITUAI ION AT DULUTH HER CAREER OF


pardoa-city Of Duluth. We believe that
the contemplation Of the career Of folly and
boastfplness, which has been pursued BY
the men who have presumed TO engineer
and run that ambitious little community.
VIII be an instructive study to those who
are IN the habit Of pnning lher faith to
newspaper editars, and devoutly believe in
The most absurd propos tions, provided
they are advocated by sheet printed at
regular intervals.
Every inhabitant of Duluth starts out
with the axiom "Great is Duluth, and JAY
Cooke is It's prophet" Having an insane
conviction that the barren rocky bluffs. the
gravelly points and marshy fats, which
contribute to form the site Of that BOROUGH.
are situate IN the exact centre of the piysi-
cal and commercial universe; his exuber-
ant fancy runs muck against nature levels
the mountains, fills mp the marshes, and
boasts and blows, rs if the impossibl,ties
he speaks about had actually been per
formed. In like manner his confidence and
trust in Jay Cooke is childke IN its sim
picIy. When Duluthian hears that Jaw
Cooke has telegraphed, that Jay Cooke has
promised, he is satisfied. In his mind the
subject matter of the telegram or of the
promise are put aside as IN fat acconaDL."
the account is closed, the thing is done.
10 an outsider it is refreshing to listen to
the arguments of Il citizen of the Zenith
city" as the poor fellows style their earthly
abode Whenever he says Jay Cooke has /
said So" or Jay Cooke intends to have it |
done, you at once perceive that he con
sIdcrs that a chncher, the ultima ratio OF
io9ic and wisdom, and he reposes on the |
omnipotence of Jay Cooke with faith
which would be sublime were it not SO
ridiculous
IL 1869 the experimenting engineer of
the h. 5. 81 NJ. Railroad established the
docks OF that corporation at Rice's Point
The railroad was built to those docks, and |
ilce's Point was, by him made the basis |
Of operations. An aole engineer, he reoog-
nized The utter impracticabiIity of construct
ing harbor IN the open lake, and selected
undoubtedly the only practicable point in
= commercial point of view. But such Sc
lection did not suit the ring of lot owners
Forthwith the weekly newspapers Of the I
town opened their abuse. Elevated upon
the editorial tripod the editors thought
themselves qua iIied to Judge Of all thugs
beneath the sun, and they forthwith howlea
for "the outer harbor." Through their in
fiuencc, AMI the influence of land sharks, |
the eng neer was removed and the outer
harOor' project was begun. Money wa~
spent, docks were erected, breakw ater and
elevator built; and now after one years
experience there IS scarcely a man i'll Du-I
luth, who does not acknowledge that the
scheme IS 4 failure, that the waves and ice
bergs uf Lake Superior are not to be bound
by the puny efections of The Zenith city, and
that the money expended is a total loss
At present the luminous mind of Duluth
has taken new freak, which promises to
be hardly less expensive or useless than
the g outer harbor'' folly. The canal is all
enlightened (3 press, who furnish the city
with ideas, till their sheets, and expose Their
Ignorance, with dissertations on that sub
iect The dredging of that ditch-ot course
Duluth calls it contemporaries to be job
equally lasting AMI enumerative, always
proEiled The money don't give out Every
northeast wind, however gently it may sir
the waves OF old Superior, manages to fl |
the ditch with sand and gravel, and thus it
is the Lake vs. the dredge, with a fair pros
pect that the Lake will come out ahead.
As long as the money lasts the drelge
company can stand it; whether Duluth can
is another question.
We have been unable to learn whether
Jay Cooke has promised to his admring
children over the bay that the canal shall
be finished, but We presume he has. 1t
would be difficult to explain the amount of
nonsense contained in Duluth Journals M
on any other theory. Nevertheless in about
another year the idea of a canal will be in
rs bad an odor as the "outer harbor'
dodge
THE Norming on is an enterpri~ine
sheet published in the Zenith" Its editor
has not entirely lost his common sense in
getting to that place, and happened to pub
lish a few truths regarding that location.