Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-27
" HnLf.o

I" Halt"
Under the above startling caption the Min
neapolis end of the Pioneer Press yesterday
contained leading editorial, casting discredit
unon the men who have been foremost in max
ing Minneapolis what it now is, and warning
them to desist in the future from pursuing a |
course which would bring into greater utility
the water power of st. Anthony's Falls. The
article is based upon the break that has recent
ly occurred on the East side, and owing to
that accident, which is really insignificant
when the magnitude of our water power and
tunnels are considered, the Pioneer Press de-
mands that the tunneling of our river banks,
or constant tampering with our river walls"
as it styles it, shall be Immediately stopped
The following is an extract from the article in
question:
4 At first the attempts to change |
and improve the courses and habits of nature |
by opening and directing into new and arti-
fetal channels the waters of the Mississippi, |
were prompted by spirit of business enter |
prise altogether worthy and cOmmendable. |
But, with all the sharp warnings |
we have received on this question, the prac-
tice of constantly digging and tunnelng into |
the banks of the river is still persisted in EX-
cavations of almost every kind and character |
are constantly being made. X The |
last disaster, fortunately so limited in extent |
is serious enough to warn all of our manufac-
turing industries which rely upon our great
natural waterfall for power, of this constant
digging and tunneling into the banks, and in
viting into unseen and hidden paths the cur
rent and flow of water which finally make
themselves known by the terrible work of de-
struction which follows. That that magnifi-
cent monument, which rises so high
upon the eastern shore of our great
river to tell of the enterprise and courage
of those pubic-spirited citizens, whose names
will be for all coming time so inseparably
identified with our manufacturing greatness,
should even now he considered within the
limits of danger by reason of these wanton
assaults upon the natural barriers of the river
forces, is of itself enough to arouse the atten-
| ton of every citizen of Minneapolis to the
| necessity of putting an immediate and effec-
| tive stop to this constant tampering with our
natural river walls And if it be not stopped
| the day is not far distant when Minneapolis
will have the opportunity of sitting down to
| figure the cost of its continuance by estimat-
ing the value of destroyed mills and factories
and ruined industries. Is it not high time to
cry '.halt' in this matter?
| 1t is doubtful If there are dozen citizens in
| this city who would dare to utter such senti-
ments as the above. Simply because little
break has taken place, and Main street for a
space of two by three rods has settled from
one to eight feet, the P. p. condemns our
| whole grand system of canals and tunnels,
and characterizes them as "wanton assaults
upon the natural barriers of the
river forces" Man can make
nothing absolutely perfect, and the
mighty stationary steam engine, which moves
| as smoothly and nOselessly as watch, is
liable to burst and cause the loss of property
and life. But that is no reason whatever why
the steam engine should be condemned, and
| designated us a wantOn assault on the natural
| power of steam. Our great canals and tunnels
| cannot be expected to always remain perfectly
intact, and work with percison without occa-
sional danger and accidents Trouble must be
| expected in the government of so unruly and
powerful force as the falls. But what has
| this very system of tllnneling accomplished?
| What lies at the foundation of our city's
growth and prosperity? What has caused the
| place to grow from 5000 inhabitants in 1860,
to $4,000 in 1880? What has made Minneapolis
a mighty lumberiag center? What has built
the greatest Touring mills in America,
and made the city the wonder almost
of the whole world? 1t is nothing more nor
less than diverting the flow of the Mississippi
| from its natural channels and subjecting and
revolutionizing the rush and roar of the falls
| to the rush and roar of million wheels. Let
| not the "wanton assaults cease, lest the
height of the prosperity of the city is reached,
and this day would be to the city what the
reign of Augustus was to Rome. Let not the
tunneling be stopped lest that magnificent
| monument, which rises SO high upon the
eastern shore of our great river" should be d.
vested of the power which is to turn its wheels
and be nothing but "magnificant monu-
ment' of folly. By all means let the tunneling
proceed, and the great natural power which is
the main spring OF our prosperity and an ever
| lasting source of wealth be fully developed and
| under control.
Let us have no selfish policy. Let us have
no leaders in the development of our indus
| tries who are SO cOwar(py as to shrink from
this spigot hole of danger More canals and
more tunnels is what we want and what we
are going to have. Occasional breaks are ex-
pected; they are part of the nature of things.
But they are soon bridged over and forgotten,
and serve only as healthful check upon the
| plans of those in charge. What the fP. p.
styles the ''wanton assaults and the constant
| tampering' is the life blood of our wealth and
prosperity, and the larger the assaults and
| the more incessant the tampering the
Like any other great undertaking, there is
more or less of dangers, and the projectors arc
| temporarily hindcred and baflled. For several
days the p. p. has been filled with glowing Ia
blcs of the wealth and prosperity of this city.
| The conditions that have brought about SO
| happy a state of our affairs are nothing more
nor less than the improvements that have
| made available the forces of st. Anthony. The
P p. has gloried in these statistics and tables
1t now wheels about simply because a little
| accident has happened and condemns the
| building of those very improvements. The
men who are engaged i'll these undertakings
are stgmatized as committing "wanton as
sauts," and constantly tampering
with the river walls" Away with
such nonsense. Unless the work
goes on and the canals and tunnels are extend
ed and multiplied and made more effective, the
day will come when Minneapolis will have to
Figure the cost of destroyed mills and fac
tories and ruined INDUSTRIES as it not high
time" that the 2. p shalt in this matter?'
Mr.. Ha1cOOd EOtfOtcs Sujt.
II has transpired that Mr.. Y. b. HARDWOOD