The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1873-01-18

In 1920, Gen. Lewis Cass, under lnStruc-
tons from the e. S. Government, organ
lied an expedition to the head waters OF
/ the Mississippi river, and in July OF that
year reached the mouth of the st Louis
river. Henry K. SchooIcratt was attached
to that expedition, and III his narrative
says, the western termination OF the lake
in the great bay of Fond du Lac, denotes a
double or marked shore, which appears to
have been formed of pebbles and sand dri-
ven up by the tempest, at the distance of a
mile or two outside Of the original shore.
The result is shown by an elongated piece
of water resembling lake, which receives
at the north the St Louis river, and ago
che or left hand river, at its southern ex-
trcnity. The st. Louis river discharges .
Ia ss,,i.4..e o1-s, x srcr, and sis tiesei.tess
hereafter to be port Of entry for Lake
Superior"
In 1923, Capt Bayfield,, Of the British
photographic service, surveyed this harbor
for the British Government, and his chart,
with elaborate soundings, was found to be
astonishingly accurate, by the late Gen.
mute survey by order of the Government Of
the United States, in 1861. Both Bayfield,
and Meade were greatly struck with the
tation to the future commerce of the lakes.
1t was early seen that this was the only safe
harbor that could ever exist near the head
Of Lake Superior, and that the beautiful
plateau of land bordering upon the bay OF
Superior, was the only eligible site for
town for long distance in either direction
Such being the case, large number of set
tiers were attracted there at an early day,
nd bn Of Tai
early as 1854. Most Of the early settlers
have continued to reside there up to the
present time, in the full confidence that
their town would become large city when
ever railway communication should be
opened between the lake and the valley of
the Mississippi.
In this they have been disappointed, for
upon the organization of the Mississippi
and Superior and of the Northern Pacific
Railway companies parties connected with
those great enterprises, adopted a line Of
policy, the effect Of which was to destroy
the harbor and city of Superior; rival
town was started upon the precipitous and
-@ocl1y cliff at the extremely westerly end Of
Lake Superior, a point entirely destitute of
any harbor and exposed to the northeast
gales with their uninterrupted sweep of 400
miles.
Instead Of looking for a harbor where it
was only to be found by the natural en-
trance to the Bay Of Superior, regardless of
the rights of the State Of Wisconsin and
citizens of Superior, they recklessly went to
work to destroy that harbOr by changing
the course of the St Louis river, and caus-
inc it to discharge into Lake Superior at a
point six miles west of its natural outlet
A canal to divert the water was com
menced in the fall Of 1870. The state au-
thorities entertaining the same opinion 2s
the best engineers. that the effect of the
opening of this canal Would be to divert the
waters of the St. Louis river and destroy
the old entrance, brought the subject to the
notice of the War Department and on the
recommendation of Gen. Humphrey, chief
engineer, q suit was brought in the United
States Court for Minnesota, to enjoln the
city of Duluth and all persons from opening
said canal. This suit was prosecuted by
and in the name Of the United States, but
mainly at the expense OF the State Of W is
consin, by which attorneys were employed
to aid the attorney of the United States,
and were paid from the appropriation OF
s., 900 before named.
On the hearing Of the suit, Judge Miller
of the United States Supreme Court, grant
ed an injunction, but in delivering his opin-
ion, he intimated that it might be dissolved
| if the parties defending should construct a
dixie to arrest the flow of water through the
canal Upon that hint it is understood that
the parties in interest waited upon the Sec
retary of War, and that functionary, with
cut notice to the State Of Wisconsin, caused
all further proceedings in the suit to be dis
pensed with, allowing the parties to go on
with the canal, on condition that the city
of Duluth would enter into a bond Of $780,
600 to build dixie at some underlined point
before the first day Of December, 1871, that
would prevent the St. Louis river from
flowing through the canal. That bond was
promptly executed, as we'll it might be, for
it was well known to lawyers that it was of
no validity whatever. The farce Of con-
structing a dixie was soon commenced, and
has been prosecuted at various intervals
ever since. \ United States engineer was
induced to certify in March or April last,
that it had been completed In accordance
with the requirements Of the Secretary of
War. Yet within one month from that
time, whole section Of it, 500 feet In
length, was swept away, allowing the St.
Louis river to pour through 1t at the rate OF
SIX miles an hour.
Parallel with Minnesota Point, and about
one mile from it, there extends into the
Bay Of Superior point of land called Rice's
Point, which is about two miles in length
and between these points extends an arm
of the bay of Superior to Duluth, over
which Wisconsin has concurrent iuristiic-
ton with the State of Minnesota. Through
this arm Of the bay was had the only com
munication between Superior and Duluth,
and the railroad there terminating, and be-
tween these points steamers piled several
times a day.