The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-01-21
The MiuIesoLa RreakEsfar.

Lake Superior is subject for two thirds of the year
to furious storms that have parallel this side of the
Atlantic ocean IKE co1r arisoa has otter been made
before, and with good reason FOR Lake Superior from
its great size and the tremendous gales which sweep
its surface, i rather an inland Sea than Lake. 1t is
in fact the Mediterranean Sea of the new world with
the Levanters reproduced in its Northeastcrs.
Observers OF the storm the 1lth inst. tell OF
enormous pillows from ten to twenty feet in height
and sometimes several hundred yards in length" This
description spproximates that proper to
pest, the maximum height of waves in storm at
is known be but 22 feet The gale of the l1th
however, was of snort duration, lasting but ten or
twelve hours Had il held out for the usual period of
the Lake Superior norheasters that is for three days
the heavy coming with the force of ocean
must have hammered to pieces the wooden jetty at
Duluth and strewn its timbers along Minnesota Point
The late blow has been represented by interested
parties as the ''severest known within the
memory of the oldest inhabitsnt" This written
for effect abroad and is entirely devoid of any founda
ton in fact The of October 1865, Zone of
which drove R. G. Coburns vessel high Minnesota
Pont would either of them have destroyed the crib
work at Duluth The hurricane olow of January 12-l4
after their joints had been oosened by the raging
ters April Ma and June Of that year witnessed very
severe northeast storms There have been several
since that fully equal to the gale of last Wednes-
day week, and some of them more severe The
last years have not it is true, been noted for the
oldashioned three days northeaser but it is about
time for them to come around again. and doubt the
year 1871 will convince the most incredulous of the
existence and power of this Typboon of Lake Superior
The simple fact is that no breakwater can be made
to stand permanently at Duluth but massive and
costly Ocean Mole constructed Of stone and faced with
huge stone blocks, in weig ght. Nothing less can
he thrust in Lake Superior at right angles to lis fow
hundred miles scep Of angry and survive the shock
All the wise talk about rprapping is the sheerest
sense We are told by the best authority that though
such small stones compose rip-rap work are dove
tailed together, and present an apparently solid oun
dation the heavy waves exert hydrostac pressure
up,ca,d proportional to their height while the horizon
tai movement of the is exer,ed to thrust the
forscard" (as witness the rprap stone flying twenty
feet in the air. and clear the crbbing last week.
A coping of solid stone fifteen feet thick is the least
that relied by the best engineers of the world
able to the power of water when moving at the
height of its fury,
! On the 18th Of February 1908 storm beating
against the dixie Of Cherbourg, France, tore from its
facing blocks of stone each weighing tons and meas
uring so cubic feet. On the 10th of January 1877
the breakwater of Plymouth, England lost 5000 tons
of stone from its upper layer, denuding portion 2o(
yards in length Qong the Duluth crib work. and Sc
yards in breadth. The force of the waves tore blocks
of tons weight from the outside of the breakwater
And at tie Delaware breakwater on our o~a coast
one of the finest works of modern times storm tor'
up 200 of heavy that had been thorough,
wedged and compacted together"
What prospect is there then, that the Duluth anal
will stand And for ocean breakwater there II
the game worth the candes Ocean breakwat'rs arr
costly affairs. That of Plymouth, England, though
having most remarkable facilities for cheap construc