The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-04-06
Friday. April 6. 1877.
The Chippewa-Eau Claire Fight.
From the chicago Times, 5th.
RECRTTTTS ARRIVING


the Beet Slough or Mississippi lumber
company, reached the city tonight. The
party includes Messrs. Lamb and Young
of Clinton, Iowa, and Youmans and Nor
ton, of Winona, MINI. They come to
stay till the fight is enGed, and will make
things as hot as possible for Gov, Thad
Pound, who is still here guarding the in
terests of the prosecution against the loose
lumber nuisance. Mr.. Pound met the new
arrivals in the lobby of the Ebbitt house
late tonight, and the party had a good
natured conversation over the prospects
in the fight before the department of JUS
tice to be instituted tomorrow. The
Beef Slough men are exceedingly
SUSPICIOUS OF POUND.
They regard him as an adroit schemer who
knows all the points in the case and who
proposes to go to his whole length against
them. In this latter supposition, at least,
they are right, and their arrival here in
force to combat him is not inopportune.
1t nows turns cut that the victory OF Con-
gresham Humphreys and President H.
graham, of the Dells Improvement COM
pany, in procuring delay till the lst OF
May in the execution of Pounds floating
lumber nuisance order was not a victory
after all. Gov. Pound says that he aDtici-
pated this prOhibitory movement by re-
ceiving from Judge Dixon, of Milwaukee,
who was appointed a special United
States district attorney for the prosecution
Of the Beef Slough company, and other
parties committing nuisance against the
navigation interests of the Chippewa river,
stay of proceedings until
THE SPRING RUN OF LOGS
shall have been finished, His object in
doing this was to prevent an injury to a
large number Of poor lumbermen who
have logs on hand, and might be embar
raised by being compelled to raft them
without previous notice. This stay wa;
procured from Judge Dixon, at Mil
waukee, several days before the instruc
tons of the department Of justice order
ing the withdrawal of all proceedings til
the first Of May reached him, but tho Bee
Slough people are confronted with a serious
danger, They see that if the prosecution,
ordered by the department Of justice are
carried out they will lose large sourct
of revenue in their extensive booming
operations, aggregating upwards Of 1000,
900 feet Of lumber in logs per year. The,
have discovered that
THE PRIMARY OBJECT OF P6ND
is to make war upon them, and through
his order for the prosecution Of all NUS
ances on the Chippewa river, their wing
dams and booms, which divert from thei
true channel part of the waters Of tn
Chippewa river into the Beef Slough, ar
in danger of judicial condemnation. Thei
dams and booms iudicially condemned
their occupation is gone, or partially SC
They have determined, therefore, to max
their preliminary fight upon the new phas
Of the contest against them before the at
torney general This policy, it is sur
missed, will be one of procrastination,
they find themselves beaten on the squar
issue Of prosecution or no prosecution
Pending this difficulty they will continu
their immense logging business as the
did pending the action in the Wisconsi
legislature authorizing them to coDstrut
Improvements for conducting that bus
ness. 1t is said that they will be able
postpone the final condemnation of the
dams and booms for three or four veal
nt least by going to the appellate cour
should they be defeated in the preiminar
stages of
THE RENEWED CONFLICT.
One Of the main grounds upon whic
Pound and his friends propose to pros
cute the gigantic loose-log nuisance is TIL
it is antagonistic to the plans of the fe,
eral government, as reported upon by OK
Farquahar, Of the United States engine
corps, and agreed to by Gen. Humrh rey
chief OF the government engineers for Il
Improvement Of the Chippewa river, as
national enterprise. The execution of ii
plan was never commenced on account
Gen, Grants refusal to permit an a
preparation Of $4,000 procured by Gre
Jerry Rusk at the first session Of t
torty-third congress to be expended. I
basis OF Grants prohibition, as was t
case with large number Of other Apr
priations, was the lateness of the seas
in part, and to some extent merely Loo
character Of the improvements propose
Col. Farquhar recommended that Il
stream be improved with a special view
increasing its suitability for lumber navip
ton by
A SYSTEM OF WING DAMS.
and sluices. The diversion of part
tie water Of TIE river at the head of Be
Slough is alleged to form a serious hin
rance to the navigation of the Chippewa
low that point, while the practice offioati
logs loosely and booming them at Be
Slough constitutes a second and mo
serious obstacle to navigation. In CO
demDlng these features of the Beef Sloui
business both the Eau Claire and Chi
pewa Falls interests unite, but despite t
intense jealousy of the former again
Chippewa Falls it is willing to join ham
with the Beef Slough men, and detect til
whole movement, rather than have Chi
pewa Falls recognized as the head
navigation on the Chippewa. The reco
milton of Chippewa Falls as the head
navigation lays Eau Claire open to pros
cutlon for its pet nuisance in the shape
the Dells water-works improvement,
enterprise ostensibly set on foot for &
purpose of furnishing Eau Claire wi
water and milling facilities, but really,
the Chippewa Falls men claim, to shut
their place from
THE BENEFITS OF NAVIGATION.
To prevent this recognition, therefore, al
secure the insertion of the words, 81
confning the inquiry as to the nuisanc
between the mouth of the Chippev
river aud the city of Eau Claire" JUDI
HUMPHREYS and Col lngraham, of Il
Dells or Eau Claire company, came
Washington and laid seige before ii
walls of Atty Gen, Devenss frau fortres
As duly noted in the Times dispatche
they did not secure the insertion of ii
proviso, but did.secure stay of the pre-
ecutior, as before noted. Gen. Humphri
has notified the Dells improvement peoE