The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-12-17

1S'suN OucHCiS u WHEEL W ~
York through this canal, while anothA 4
his nelghbor, ships the same quantity
oy rail to Duluth. The first sends his
wheat by rail to St. Cloud. and thence
by rail to St. Paul, say 100 miles in all.
Here it is reshipped into barges, and
carried to Prairie du Chen, $50 miles
more; there it is reshipped into canal
boats and carried 295 miles more to
Green Bay. 1t has been subject to
three landings and GAS miles of trans
portation. The other merchant loads
his wheat upon cars, and--we will sup
pose TIE Brainerd extension to be by
that time fnished.-it is carried via
that road and the Northern Pacific
railroad to Duluth, without rehandling,
distance Of, we will say, 1873 miles.
Thus then the two routes will compare ::
Fox and Wisconsin, 3 landings, 645 miles.
Brainerd and Duluth, handling, 1873
DlHerence 457 miles.
So that for the satisfaction of having
his wheat dragged through shallow riv-
ers by slow canal boats, our Minnesota
merchant goes AIS miles out of his way
and reships his wheat twice, and loses,
probably, two weeks in time.
And this is the grand remedy for
poverty and hard times! And for this
$4,000 petitions are circulated, and one
million petitioners are to send up their
clamorous cries.
THE LAKE SUPERIOR CANAL.
But now suppose we were able to
supplement our great geographical ad-
vantage. our proximity to Lake Supe-
rior, with free water communication
what would be the result?
Instead of sending our own commerce
away frcm rs. we would draw the COM
merce Of other States, below US i'll the
Mississippi valley, towards us; instead
of being a remote tributary to the Wis
consin canal, we would become, oursef,
the region Of tr nsit; instead of beng
cleft out in the cold we would be the
very centre of commercial activity; in
stead of building up city at Green
Bay. we would build up our own sea-
port at Duluth. We would rise at
once to the true Importance and oigni.
ty to which we are entitled by our geo.
graphical situation; an ], heaven knows
we need all the Importance that be-
longs to us. We possess to-day, in the
national councils. scarcely more conse-
quence or power than Montana. All
we could get for the improvement Of
our only lake harbor, in the last Con-
gress. was $4,000, when we should
have had a quarter of million dollars
at least.
THE OBJECTIONS.
But it will be said that such canal
to Lake Superior cannot be construct
ed; that the country to be traversed is
an impracticable region of rocks and
mountains.
CHARACTER OF THE WATERSHED.
The highest authority upon this sub
ject is the geological survey of Iowa,
Wisconsin and Minnesota, made under
the direction of Congress, by DR..
David Dale Owen, U. S. Geologist.
We learn from DR.. Owen that the
whole region in question, instead OF
being a mass of impenetrable noun
tains, is covered with drift. On page
100 he says:
'Prom the point where these rocks are
lost under DRIFT o. the upper St. Croix,
across to where other red standstones are
found in place On the Bots Brue it is about
twenty three miles, the intervening space
hAlas region of heavy drift and erratics, in
tchich no rocks Chaterer can be found in
place."
And again. page 2l6, he says:
"The country is covered to great depth
by red mari, clayS and drift, based upon red
sandstone, which is the only rock to be seen
head waters of Kettle river, and the rock is
o.Iy visible at a few points"
There is, therefore, no practical diff
Guilty in the way Of cutting canal
through this drift region where neces-
sary while the valleys, running north
east and southwest, would probably
furnish natural canal bed for great
part Of the distance.
THE WATER SUPPLY.
cicnt supply of water at the summit
level. for without this canal would be
impracticablee Again we turn to Owen S
report.
He shows that this water shed is re-
ally part of that lake region. called by
Nicollet THE Undine Region" which
reaches to Lake Winibigoshisn, to the
head waters Of the Blue Earth and Des
MONIES river: and that it is from the
same range the St. Louis river. the Mis-
sissippi river and the Red river take
their rise. 1t is literally ,odter shed.
owen says, page 2lS:
''ifany Of the largest lakes are situated on
the broadest summit Of the great scater SHE'D,
and in many cases where examinations have
been made, these lakes have been found
tributary to both Lake Superior and the Mis-
sissi?pi.
An examination Of any good map
will show the great number Of lakes
along The proposed route, and the cur
ious interlocking of the head waters Of
the different streams. For instance
Big Rice Lake, the head of Kettle river,
tributary to the st. Croix, is but four
miles from the st. Louis river.
At twenty-five miles south Of Fond
du Lac, DR.. Overs reached the top of
the water shed. He says. page 2T3:
Concluded next Week
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