Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-28
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE..

Outlet at Duluth Congressional Appro-
priation Asked-Cutting Down the Clerk
of the Court and Sherif"s Fees-Miscel-
laneOus Business. "a 5At
The Chamber of Commerce held its
regular weekly meeting yesterday morn
ing. The first business transacted was
the presentation of resolutions adopted
and forwarded by the Duluth Chamber of
Commerce, Upon their being read, Hon.
II. NJ. Rice. said --..r,
Mr.. President, on the 2Sth of November,
1879, Maj. Gen. G. Weitzel, U. s. A., in
charge OF the st. Mary's river and canal, ,
wrote to Hon. Horatio Seymour, engineer and
surveyor for the State of New York, as fol-
lows:
4" In general, it is proposed to improve the
water way from Lake Superior to Lake Erie,
SO as to have, at all times, sixteenth foot chan
mel. The canal itself has been widened and
deepened. 1t will probably be in operation
early in the season of 1881" -
Thomas Evershed, division engineer of the
Welland canal, in his report says: "This
canal is being deepened to fifteen feet of water
with fourteen feet on the mitre stills. OF this
| canal it may be said that&the fnishingiof only
one structure atands in the way of its speedy
| completion; this is the aqueduct across the
Welland river. 1t will be opened in 1881"
Thus it will be seen that the coming season,
now near at hand, vessels drawing fifteen feet
of water can pass through st. Mary's canal
into Lake Superior. Also that Welland
canal will be deepened to fourteen feet on the
mitre stills its entire length, so that vessels
drawing that depth of water can pass from the
| ocean through the water ways to Duluth. As
from Duluth, it was light in
comparison to what it will be
| the coming season if proper har
| Dor facilities shall be furnished The trans
| portation of steel and iron rails alone for the
Northern Pacific and other roads, will employ
many of the largest vessels the entire season.
The wheat crop tributary to Duluth, now
large, will be doubled the coming season.
| Coal, salt, and other commodities will swell
the aggregate tonnage to an amount far be-
| You'd the anticipation of the casual observer.
To enable this large commesre to be carried
on at reasonable rates of transportation, the
| largest vessels must be employed, and for such,
the water ways will be prepared, and nothing
| remains to be done that is not under way, but
reasonable appropriation for the improve
| ment of the harbor at the head of Lake
! Super Tor. therefore, Mr.. President, offer the
| following:
| Resolved, That this chamber unite with the
chamber of commerce of the city of Duluth in
respectfully requesting our Representatives in
/
its present session an appropriation of one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars, to be eX-
pended as specified in the resolution, copy of
| which is hereto appended and be it further
| Resolved, That the president of this cham
Der be requested to forward a copy of these
| proceedings to the Hon. A. Ramsey, secretary
of war, and to each of our Senator's and Repre-
sentatives in Congress
| The following are the Duluth resolu-
tions referred to:
| WHEREAS, The rapidly growing commerce
at the port of Duluth demands that CORE
| spondingly rapid increase of harbOr facilities
| should be promptly provided; therefore,
Resolved That our Representatives i'll Con-
| gress be requested to use their earnest cndeav-
| ors to secure from the present Congress an
| appropriation of $4,000 to be expended in
dredging channel down the casterly shore of
Cice's point to a connection with the st. Louis
| bay and in charging the basin of the bay of
| Duluth and in maintaining the canal now
| across Minnesota point with railroad bridge
across said canal if deemed necessary.
On motion the president was instructed to
| forward copy of this resolution to the board
of trade of st. Paul, Minneapolis, Crookston,
| Moorhead, Fargo and Bismarck, and request
| them to endorse the same.
MIR. Rice'S resolution was unanimously
| adopted.
THE FUEL QUESTION.
The executive committee and commit
tee on transportation submitted the fol-
| lowing report, which was laid over one
week:
| The executive committee in convention with
the legislative committee, to whom was re-
ferred the subject .Qf fuel and transportation
thereof in Minnesota, beg leave to REPORT that
they have had those subjects under consdera-
ton and find that the coal fields of northern
Iowa, and the vast forests covering northern
Wisconsin and nearly all northern Minnesota
| and including the Big "Woods," which ex-
| tend nearly across this State, from north to
| OF the whole State, furnish eXhaustless sup
plies OF cheap fuel for all the present and flu
| ture inhabitants of Minnesota
| Both of these classes of fuel are easy of ac-
| cess by railroad, and transportation facilities
are now adequate to supply the same in proper
season to all our people, SO that with ordinary
care on the part of consumers, dealers and
| transportation companies, no deficiency of this
| essential article to comfort in winter would
| ever exist in any portion of this State
The deficiency and scarcity of fuel in the
prairie region, east of the Big Stone Lake and
| Lake Traverse during the last two months
| was the result of carelessness, which in the
| opinion OF your committees amounts to legal
! negligence on the part of consumers, dealers
| and railroad companies, and that greater de-
gree of the carelessness attaches to the dealers
| and railroad companies than to the other
class
This carelessness consisted in failure to
have the proper amount of fuel for the va
rious stations along the lines
of the different roads traversing this
| region, estimated for by consumers
purchased by dealers and delivered by the rail
| road companies prior to the first day of No
vember, 1850.
This carelessness was induced by several sue
cessive mild autumns and winters, and the peo-
pie, dealers and railroad officials alike acted
with reference to the probabilities of the eli
| mate and weather, instead of its possibilities.
Once before in the last twenty wears
has the weather been as severe in November as
this year. But this demonstrates, that in this
latitude and climate, it is possible for the most
severe weather of the winter to occur early in
November. And when it is known that such
weather is possible in November, ordinary pru-
| dence requires that each family and nllabitant
in the prairie region should have on hand
good proportion of the winters supply of fuel
on or before the first day of that month.
The complaints of scarcity of fuel in the
prairie region above mentioned, commenced
this year about the Goth of October and con-
tinued until about the first day of December,
since which time no complaints have been
made that have come before your committees,
and we are credibly informed that fair sup
OIy is now on hand at all Tho r.iIrO,d Of t.,,