The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-06-30

ries of years show that $500 inches
of water per second represents the
flow of the water during the low
water season, and this flow will
he increased 5000 inches, making
the flow nearly 1900 inches per
second, which means a depth of
from 4 to feet of water, sufficient
for any ordinary river steamer.
The work is being done as the
Government always does it, in a
most substantial way.n
"How are the dams constructed,
Mr.. Washburn :" queried the re-
porter.
"The dam at Lake Wmneba-
gOshish is constructed by driving
six-inch sheet piling into the solid
clay which forms the bed of the
river. On each side Of this is con-
structed q clay wall, half above and
half below the piling, nine feet
thick at the base and five feet thick
at the top. The dam is built five
feet higher than high water mark,
the whole being supported above
and below by an immense bank of
earth from GO to 75 feet through
at the base. Then 30 sluieeways
or gates, each 4 feet wide, making
an aggregate width of 100 feet, are
constructed upon the piling, with
five different lines of sheet piling
running underneath the dam. The
Winnebagoshish dam will cost
$l30,00O, that at Leech Lake $780,
600, and the others will aggregate
somewhere in the neighborhood of
100000 or 100000. AS l said
before, this scheme has been talk
ed of years ago, and these dams
will, in my opinion, do more for
the Mississippi Valley than any
other similar sum that could be
expended. This system embraces
the st. Croix and Chippewa Rivers,
and part of this money would have
been spent on the Chippewa River
could the Government have oh.
tanned a title to the lands which
the building of the dams would
have 0verhowed. Our water sup.
ply, supplemented by these two
rivers, would affect the river to
Dubuque. On no other point OF
the continent could such an expcr-
iment be made. Nowhere else are
there such natural locks or basins
or such vast regions of low and
comparatively speaking, worthless
ground which could be overilowed
Lake Winnebagoshnsh is 12 miles
around. The dam raises that vas
amount of water II feet, and it nat
urally overflows the adjacent coun
try, which is of no especial value
but if the banks were high, ther,
would be, of course, no room fol
the storage of water. Gen. Wrigh
is very favorably impressed will
the situation and is confident tha
the dams will produce the results
claimed for them"
"Will Minneapolis and st. Pau
be especially benefited by this sys
tent" asked the reporter.
Both cities are deeply inter
ested in it, Minneapolis especially
because it will equalize and i'm
prove our water power. The da,
of river navigation has, to a grea
extent, gone by in this cold eli
mate. but so long as we have th'
river we are safe from all railroa,
combinations which might pool t.
raise freight rates to an unfair fig
ure. We could use the river as |
club, so to speak, because If at an.
time the local railroads shoul'
pool at our expense, we could sent
our -four down to st. Louis or t
any railroad crossing the river
This system of dams, therefore, !
of great Importance to both, bu
especially to Minneapolis, becaus
it gives her an improved waite
power and because her shipment
greatly exceed those of st. Paul.
The Boston Traveller tells |
story about man who saw Nh
Lincoln after ex-President JEFF
Davis's capture and asked hin
what he would do with him. MI
Lincoln replied by telling a stor,
of boy, whose mother had order
ed him to dispose of a pet coon
and he was terribly broken up be
cause he could not sell it, am