The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-04-08
RICE's POINT AND DULUTH.

of operations.
1t would not cost them a dollar for break
waters, canals, dikes, repairs, or lItgation>.
1t would give them miles of frontage on
the deep st. Louis channel without a farth-
ing's expense for dredging. 1t would nol
set Minnesota and Wisconsin by the ears
as does the present miserable policy of the
Duluth managers with their motto OF rui,
appearance of fairness and oflegitimate en-
terprse that it does not now possess. Ii
would seem to put everything III their favor
instead of everything against tn m from the
first.
We do not know that the directors Of
this singular movement in the history OF
speculation will get tired of fighting against
time and tide, and the work of nature, and
legal right; we do not know whether they
will grow weary of their lavish expenditures
and their present habits Of paying out two
dollars to earn one, but we do know that
men of common sense in Duluth itself are
business and ardently wish their head cen
tres would change base from Minnesota
Point with its total lack at present of ade-
quate harbor accommodation, outside or in
side, and 90 to RIce's Point, where The Du-
luth movement would have an open teld
and fair start.
Now is good time to make the change.
The railroad company is understood to have
assumed the reins at last and to have re-
liered the pioneer junta from the cares Of
government, and the Immediate develop
ment of itice's Point as business centre
with ali the shops, manufactures, docks,
and warehouses necessary would give an
impetus to the "Spring opei ing that would
be OF no small benefit to the North Shore
enterprise, and put it on what it has never
had yet, that is, firm business found
alton.
1t is entirely III favor of such a change
that the Railroad men were originally in
tending to develope the real business OF
Duluth on Rice's Point, as witness the finely
built Dock stll idly standing there waiting
for renewal of the same busy scenes
which it witnessed in the summer of 1869,
when splendid propelers of the largest
class, the Meteor, 81 Paul. Northern Light,
and other floating palaces, steamed rapidly
up the St Louis channel and bay aIon sside
that Dock, transferring their hundreds OF
tons of freight to its keeping.
1t was grand mistake on the part of
somebody that the Elevator was not in that
vicinity instead of its present hazardous SIT
uation But if hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars were thrown away upon its
construction and altogether a half million
sunk by various parties III the outer harbor
folly, it is no reason tor continuing to throw
money into Lake Superior, but rather a rea-
son for closing out all interest in the fool
ish policy at once.
The building of railroad on the North
Shore at all was sutfici iently costly, but that
could not be helped owing to the nature OF
the route, and if Minnesota must have a
railroad of her own to the Lake, we do not
see how it could have been built for less !;
all its curves and cuts and trestles are a
necessity, but the outer harbor expert u ent
is continuing the same exaggerated scale
of expenditure for no good reason.
We put the prophecy on record that
every dollar expended on the outer harbor
will eventually be a dead loss 1t would
be money in the company's pocket to put
up their new freight houses on Rlce's Point
out of the way Of Lake Superior's waves
and ice. Besides, steamers will never feel
safe out there. The Arctic, propeller, win
tered at Rice's Point, and other craft there
and in the Bay of Superior because they
did not wish to risk the winter rage of Lake
Superior behind the frail eribbing in The
lake at Duluth.
And this will continue to be the feeling
The company will have to come TO 1t
They cannot pay OUT money forever.
would be mark of sound Judgment ant
the best business stroke ever done on tn
north shore to let the costly experimental!
in the open Lake come to an end, and
legitimate and paying railroad business III
fold itself this season along the navigabi
and land-locked waters at Rlce's Point.
81 came near selling nay boots the oths
day. said Schuttle TO a trlend.-"How 30:
ssWell, had them half-soled.