Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-10
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

report OF the Committee on the SaW0uSC
Trip-Abundant Proof of the Evil Effects
Plan of Minneapolis Mill Owners-The
Tax Levy-Debating the Question of
TwentY-one Mills.
At the chamber of commerce yesterday
morning Mr.. McClung, chairman of the
Mississippi River committee, made the fol-
lowing report of the trip on the steamboat
Longfellow to find out whether the saw
dust that is thrown into the river is or is
not an obstruction to navigation.
The steamboat excursion rendered to
this chamber of commerce and the Mime
apolis board of trade was undertaken on
Wednesday, Oct. 4, but failed to develop
any important results, owing to tho
grounding of the steamer at an early hour
in the day at Pigs Eye, which prevented
any examination of the river below that
point. The river at that point and above
st. Paul was examined, and abundant ev-
idence was seen of sand bars, islands and
snags formed of the sawdust, mill refuse
and slabs, which filled the river at all
points filling the old channel entirely at
some points and turning the river in
new channel. The board of trade of Min
neapolis fitted up separate expedition of
their own, made up of three sawmill men,
one editor of the Latmberman,r representing
the lumber interests of Minneapolis, and
one other citizen. At the board of trade
meeting providing for this committee, it
was announced that the expenses of the in
yestigations this committee was expected
to make, would be paid by the sawmil
men of Minneapolis. A portion of this
committee accepted our invitation and &C
companied US as far as Pigs Eye and made
joint examination of the river. Our in
terviews and meeting with the Minneapo-
lis committee was of the most pleasant and
friendly character, and all the Minnaepo-
lis committee expressed an intention to
make thorough examination of the river,
and take ten days to do it. We ascertained
from Col. Plat B. Walker of that
committee that he and the company he
represents had offered to take all the
sawdust to be manufactured at Minneapo-
lis for the next ten years, compress it, and
make it into fuel by a patent process,
without charging them dollar, thus
saving them all costs for machinery to
burn the sawdust, and thus settling the
question of the injury to the Mississippi
river, without the loss of dollar to the
mill-owners, and his offer was declined.
This was about the most important devel-
opment Of the excursion, as it takes away
the only excuse ever offered for dumping
mill refuse into the river, and destroys the
last vestige, of any moral basis for the OPP
position of these mill Owners to the uni
versal Judgment and demands of all river
men and all government engineers in the
United States and Canada, for the abate-
ment of a practice condemned by
all scientific and practical expe-
rience as detriment and only
a detriment to the navigation of the rivers
and harbors of the country. The public
can now understand with how little sim
cerity the plea is made that this whole
sawdust agitation is designed to cripple
and ruin the lumber interests of Mime
apolis, or that it will have any such effect.
1t leaves the mill owners without a single
reason to throw sawdxst into the river,
unless it is the patriotic desire to benefit
the river. as they claim it does. Their
committee as now constituted is a COM
mittee of mill owners, and accompanied
by other mill owners, to make a report
which will be satisfactory to the mill
owners who pay for it. It is about the
only instance on record, where those
who are charged with an offence
insist on being the witnesses, the jury and
the judges and of tn cir own case. And it
will be the only case on record where a
true bill and verdict Of guilty was ever
found under such circumstances, if they
find q verdict against themselves.
The only proper judges of the condi-
tons of the river and the effect of the mill
refuse, who we're present with our commit
tees, were the steamboatmen-Capta
Hatcher, Gray and jerks, and the engineer
of the government who has charge of the
river improvements from St. Paul to Ian
Gillespie. 1t is important to
report that these judges unanimously re-
pudiated the theory of the mill owners,
that no damage had been done the river
from Minnehaha to Pigs Eye, but all con-
Cured that the reverse was true.
Maj. Gillespie pointing them to the fact
that the bar at Pigs Eye, made up of mill re-
fuse and sand, extended across the channel
last spring and had to be removed at gov
eminent expense before boats could pass.
And Capt. Gray illustrated the correctness
of his judgment by grounding the Long
fellow on bar at Pigs Eye from which
sawdust rose from the bottom Of the DO It
to the waters edge in large quantities, and
by breaking a portion of his machinery
with slab which cost $75 to repair
The committee reports progress as above
and asks leave to sit again.
j. w. MoCLuNa,
Chairman Com. on Mississippi River.
The report was adopted without discus
sion. In this connection DR.. Day offered
resolution that the committee on legisla-
ton be required to ask the next legislature
for the enactment of such laws as will
prevent the throwing of sawdust and mill
refuse into the Mississippi river. At Mr..
Oppenheim's suggestion the committee
was increased to six, and the resolution of
DIR. Day was adopted.
THE MATTER OF TAXES.
Capt. Berkey did not desire to be re-
garded as an alarmist, but he did wish to
call the attention of the chamber to the
facts stated in the tax levy and report of
the city comptroller. The report had been
published in the papers, and he thought
it would not be necessary to restate all
the items. The assessment had been fixed
at twenty-one mills and 33 per cent. higher
than that of last year. The state assess