The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-03-25
THE CANAL ILLEGALITY.

of Minnesota Point will not divert the wa
tiers of the St. Louis river. This assertion
is made of course, to keep the idiSffzens OF
Superior, and the state authorities of Wis
consin perfectly quiet until the canal is fin
ished, and the whole plot of which this
nal project is the pivot, has swung beyond
the point Of danger.
As a well known matter of fact, the fore
going assertion of the Duluth managers is
without the shadow of foundation, and
they themselves would be ashamed to make
it, were it not that the acknowledging of
the truth would Immediately put this canal
affair in jeopardy, and with it the whole
scheme of artificial and exclusive Mnneso
ia harborage, Of which it is intended to be
the main artery, and III behalf Of which il
is designed to act as the destroyer of the
natural entry and harbor in front of Supe-
rior, by diverting the waters of the St Louis
river from their natural course.
Gentlemen ut Duluth blandly assure us
with confidence that speaks well for their
Ignorance, or well for their opinion Of our
ignorance, that the current OF the St Louis
river would be forced to ron up hill in or
der to reach the Lake through the proposed
canal
Let examine this up hill argument a
moment. II is certain at least that the St
Louis river does not have to run up hill in
order to find the lake-level at the present
entry, since according to the official report
Of an officer Of the U. S. Engineer Corps,
the current pours out cat the rate Of five
miles per hour, on an average"
t is also quite apparent from the official
declarations OF the same officer that canal
through Minnesota Point, just opposite the
Bay Of St Louis, or just opposite the place
at which the St. Louis river enters the Bay
Of SUPERIOR would afford another path for
It's waters toward the Lake that would by
no means be up hill. In fact the Engineer
expressly says that if such canal were cX-
cavatel 9 the waters of the river and bay
st. Louis would discharge themselves by
an entirely different course from that at
lnent it would need guard lock in the Ca
nal 10 prevent this "complete diversion Of
the St. Louis waters" Even the Duluth
logcians will probably admit that the Lake
is perfectly 1eUel between the entry and any
canal thus excayated opposite the extremi-
ty Of Rice's point; and that If the St
Louis does not run up hill to reach the
Lake-level at the entry, it would not run
up bill to reach the Lake-level opposite the
extremity of Rice's point
VIII the Duluth savans then please IN
form their admiring friends on the Wis
consn shore how it is that the Lake-level
sIants mp hill SO badly in the two miles
above Rlce's Point that the St. Louis river
would have to climb so much to reach the
Iake-leyel through that canal as to call for
the expression ''run up HILL" And if the
Lake surface is lower at the entry than
St. Louis bay, and higher at Duluth than
the same bay, and yet is the same kind OF
element that is generally supposed to " find
its level" we respectfully ask show that /:
IS regards altitude?"
And if the St Louis river runs four mile:
to the right to find the Lake-level at -th'
entry, we ask in the name of ordinary com
mon sens why it will not run two miles tt
the eft through the same bay to tind th
same TaKe-leyel through artificial entr,
that is intended to be OF sufficient depti
for vessels OF the largest class?
The truth is that this talk about the i'm
possibility OF divert:ng the current of tn
st. Louis river has but one object, and tha
is to deceive the people and the State mos
interested in the present situation until l
should be too late to undo the mischle
wrought, without an amount OF labor an'
difficulty which the persons thus specula'
ing at the expense of Wisconsin interest
think would be sufficient to discourage Il
cal proceedings altogether, or induce
compromise and compounding with com
mercal felony.
The statement of competent engineer
publicly and privately, officially and unotfie
ally, is that the construction OF canal an,
where through Minnesota Point would
S'highly injurious" TO the present entry an
would at an early day destroy it altogethe
The Duluth gentlemen though shamelct
in their attempt to influence the Unite
States Engineers, and though backed by a
the high toued suavties Of Jay Cooke, hay