St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-29
WHO OWNS THE LEVEE!
A Report and a Discussion IN the
Chamber of Commerce.

Report and a Discussion i'm the
Chamber of Commerce.
The meeting of the board OF directors or
The chamber of commerce was quite lively
yesterday morning. The communication
from the Maritime association of the port
of New York in regard to the signal sery-
ice. was referred to the mercantile commit
lee. The communication OF BID. Temple
ton as to a hearing before the chamber IN
favor of the railroad extension from Water
TOWN to Pierre, Oak, was referred to the
committee on transportation. The COM
munication of J. II. Flagg in regard to re-
turning to the importer all the duties orig
inalIy paid on tin when he exports it made
nm into boxes was referred to the commit
tee on manufactures. The communication
of ID. E. Bailey, in regard to making
another exhibit at New Orleans. was re-
ferred to a special committee consisting OF
Messrs. Bryant, Fogg, Hall and lngersol.
THE ST. PAUL LEyEE.
After having disposed Of the above, on
motion of Mr.. Delano, the rules were sus-
pended for the purpose of taking up the st.
Paul levee business. The matter was
brought up on written report OF special
committee. which was very long. The fol-
lowing very full abstract of the report viii
give a good understanding OF the situation.
1t is well understood that entertainments
have been made on the st. Paul levee during
a number of years, so that it has become
very important indeed that the city should
take some measures to see precisely what
the city owns on the levee, and
how much. if any, it has lost.
The committee consisted of Gen. John d.
Sanborn Hon. W. p. Murray, Peter Ber-
key. City Engineer L. W. Rundlett and w.
S, Norton 1t was to investigate and re-
port on the condition and legal status of the
St. Paul levee; what amount of levee room
we have and what encroachments have
been made on it: whether the filling in of
the river by the Milwaukee & St Paul Rail-
way company has been done under such re-
strIction and in such manner as to preserve
intact the rights of the public and the
proper facilities for the river commerce;
what, if any, action is necessary on the part
Of the city to provide proper levee accom-
modations for the river business of the flu
ture by the condemnation of additional land
Of otherwise.
THE REPORT.
On the first point the committee reported
that the levee extends through the city, about
one hundred feet wide. Its length is little
more than one mile, and, in addition, the city
mas condemned leVee on the West side,
along the entire river front, distance of
i've and one-haf miles, and the
board of public works has under
consideration a proposition to condemn a
evee from the westerly line of Rice street to
the city limits on the west. The riparian
owners on the Mississippi have no right be-
yond the line of high-water mark, except as
against private parties, to restrain them from
using the river or its bed for purposes other
than navigation. The city has the right, as
against all parties except the United States,
to improve any part of the bed of the river
in any manner that shall best promote the in
terests of navigation and the general public
interests of the city. The report then quotes
at length from the city charter and ordi-
nances, wherein the following rights
to use the levee have been granted
To the Omaha and the Milwaukee rail-
road companies to use the levee for tracks
provided that they maintain warehouses
there, leaving the actual river front open to
the public: TO the Minnesota & Northwestern
TO run across the leVee on tracks now laid.
This was granted by an ordinance that al
lowed fifty feet for use on condition that
$1,000 was expended during year from June,
1884, and the road complete to the Iowa line
in two years. The union depot company also
has the right to construct roadbeds and tracks
according to the provisions of the ordinance
These, the committee believes, are the only
servitudes and franchises that the levee in ST..
Paul proper is subject to besides the re-
luired for navigation purposes. The St.
Crox lumber company has the right to use
and occupy the public landing or levee in the
Sixth ward for its business between the west
line of Amb's addition prolonged to the river,
and east line of Dunwel IL Spencers adj
dition prolonged, provided that the lumber
company's use does not interfere nor Obstruct
the free use of the levee by the public.
The city reserved the right to grade
and improve the strip of levee in question. and
to allow its use by any railroad. The st.
Paul Coal and Fuel company also has the
right to pile coal and wood on the levee in
Rice & Irvine'S addition. The interests rep
scented by the corporations to which the
above grants have been made. are of u public
or quasi public nature. Reservations have
been made Ivy the council i'll the interests of
navigation and such other interests as may
from time TO time require the use of the
property. The committee says: 1--WE are of
the opinion that the
FILLING IN OF THE RIVER
by the Milwaukee & st. Paul company has
been done under such restrictions and in
such u manner as to preserve intact the
rights of the public and the proper facilities
for river commerce, if these facilities shall
now be improved and made available The
river bed as it existed before any improve
ments were made upon its banks, was
rs it rms through the present city of st.
Paul was upon al average about one thou
sand two hundred feet wide with the West
st. Paul flats upon the west side and the low
grounds of Kittson's addition on the east side
that were subject to be oyerfiowed. the water
often overlooking to the depth of from six to
ten feet in periods of high water. The ques-
ton of most Importance to be determined at
this time is the standard width of the river
channel, that shall under all circumstances
be maintained through the city of st. Paul
The low land on the east side of the river
that was formerly overlooked by high water
has already been filed above high water
mark. Work is going on on the west side
which will soon produce the same result
there. The channel has beeu narrowed by
the improvements which have been made on
the east and west sides of the river, and by
piers constructed in the channel of the river
to ], 100 feet, at point opposite Robert street.
and to about $50 feet at Il point directly CD
posite Dayton's bluff.
The estimated amount Of water that flowed
past the city II the river at the highest
point of the flood in 1881, was $4,000 cubic
feet per second through across section of
$1,000 square feet, with a velocity of Al feet
per second. This would fill channel !, ZOO
feet wide, flowing with velocity of five feet
per second, to a depth of So feet, and chan,
mel 200 feet wide, flowing with the same vel
ocity, to a depth of so feet. Such a flood
confined within the channel mentioned.
would undoubtedly cause greatly increased
velocity, and a scour on the river bottom I'M
I'll a sufhclent area was obtained to carry the
water. Just what additional rise this would
occasion, at any particular point, above the
present high water mark. or what
the scour would be the committee does not
determine, but recommends the subject to
the serious consideration of the engineers in
fixing the river limits. From this and other
data the committee has reached the conclu-
sion that the public interests will not permit
the permanent channel to be reduced to a
less width than 500 feet, and upon critical
examination the engineers may find that it
must be maintained at width of from 1,OOC
to 1900 feet.