The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-03-16

war department to which Congress
has confined the execution of its
wishes in all these matters. That
department has mapped out in suit
able geographical divisions the
work thus imposed on it, and placed
these under the control of officers
who are III charge of them. These
are again sub divided, so tha. while
The lake system, is in the charge of
one general superintendent, the sepe
rate works which at different places
are conducted under him have each
another engineering officer who has
special charge of these works.
For many years past Congress
has been in the habit OF passing an
annual appropriation bill, called the
river end barl,7. hill, a1-s~4e.A -
the " forks of this class exclusively,
end in these bills it appropriates
specific sums to specific works,
either already commenced and un-
finished, or for new works thereby
| authorized, or sums necessary for
the safety and protection OF works
already in existence. The money
thus appropriated is expended, as
we have said, under the direction
of the War Department. 1t cannot
be necessary to say that when a
public work Of this character has
been inaugurated or adopted by
Congress, and It's management
placed under the control Of its off
GERS, that there exists no right in
any other branch of the government
to forbid the work or to prescribe
the manner in which it shall be con-
Quoted.
With these observations we pro-
ceed TO enquire what the general
| government bas done in the matter
before as. As we have already
stated, it had for several years been
ct work under appropriations by
Congress, prior to the construction
of tie canal ct Duluth, in the effort
to deepen the channel at the mouth
Of the st. Louis river, but, we may
infer, with Ettle success, beyond
preventing it from filling up. The
rapid growth of the city Of Dnluth,
consequent upon its bel G made the
terminus of the railroad, had attract
ed attention to the necessity Of mar
Dor improvements at that point,
and Congress had made appropria-
tions for breakwater which had
been partially constructed outside
OF Minnesota point in the main wa
ter Of the lake. But this bad proved
a failure, and it was seen that nc
safe harbor for the vast commerce
which was expected to be created
by the Northern Pacific railroad
could be secured in that mode. The
city Of Duluth and the railroad com
pany, impatient OF relief from Con
gress, iuaugUrated, therefore, in
1871, the system of improving the
inner harbor in the waters of Supe.
rior bay, and edecting an entrance
into the har5or BY the canal across
Minnesota PORT The canal was
completed sufficiently tor use in
that year, and Inc dredging of the
ha Dor commenced. Tie matter
wasin this condition when Congress,
by the river and barber bill, approx.
ed March s, 1877 a. propriated for
the purpose of dredging out the
bay OF Superior, from the natural
entrance to the docks of Superior
and Du5,ttb and preserving both en-
frances from the lake thereto, one
hundred thonsaid dollars" The
whole sheet of yate,, as we have
said, from one te two miles wide,
and extending tlom Duluth on the
North shore to Superior City on the
scath, was Superior bay. There
was but one entrsnce into that bay
from the lake uniI the canal was
made. There we're no docks in
Duluth but those emade by the rail
road company and the city in the
inner barber at tie upper end of the
bay. We see then at once that
Congress, recognizing what had
been done by private enterprises at
Duluth determined to blace that
harbor and that canal under the
same protection and to provide for
them in the same appropriation
which covered the entrance and the
hs rbor at Superior City. Hence,
one hundred thousand dollars was
appropriated a. one item, for both
entrances and for both improve
ments, to be administered by the
same officers as their judgment
might dictate. The following ex-
tract from the report OF the officer in
charge of the matter shows what
was done under the appropriation:
|. Completing the pier az the natural
entrance to Superior bay $25, 900
9. Dredging between the piers at the
natural entrance ce----- IL $40
8. Dredging from natural entrances
10 docks at Superior City $4,000
f. Repairing pier at Duluth entrance Is, 500
5. Dredginn between piers at Duluth
entrance ard from the piers to the
docks of Duluth l6.0G0
This dredging was in the inner
] harbor, and the breakwater was
thenceforth abandoned as a govern
ment work. An estimate made by
the engineer department for the
next years appropriations required
for the maintenance of the Superior
City entrance $4,000; for the Du-
luth entrance $4,000, and for
dredging the bay of Superior, $780,
900; and for the appropriation bill.
am,,nU otho- itaoa bar Tor continu.