St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-20
rHELEyEE IMPROVEMENT.

At time when the people of ST. Paul
are uniting with the people OF the entire
Northwest in demanding of congress APP
preparations for the improvement OF our
waterways it is q singular fact that Oppo-
sition should be found in this city to an inn
provement and enlargement of the levee
facilities in order to accommodate the in
creasing business of the steamboat lines.
1t is possible that the city has been negli-
gent in not reserving sufficient ground
along the river front for levee facilities.
Its negligence in this particular is now past
remedy, but it is not too late to utilize what
is left. When we take into consideration st.
Paul's large jobbing interests, and the adj
ditiOnal fact that this is the head OF navi-
gatien on the Mississippi river, we feel war
ranted in saying that the city would be JUS
titled in preserving and protecting its levee
facilities if there was not steamboat on
the river or pound of freight transported
by water. The fact that the river is here,
and is navigable, and that the city owns
land ON the river front suitable for wharveS
and landings, would itself be lever to con-
troll rates of railroad transportation and
protect the community from eXtortiOn.
But, when there are two important steam
boat lines established which are already
doing heavy shipping business with GER
tainty of rapid increase of business,
it becomes all the more important that the
city government should at once inaugurate
system of levee improvement designed
not only for present uses and purposes, but
one that will answer the requirements of
river traffic for long time to come. The
demand made at this time by the Diamond
10 Steamboat company for the priv
ilege of extending its warehouse ac-
commodations affords the city council a
good opportunity to take up the matter.
1t is evident to those who are familiar with
the condition of the wharf that the freight
accommodations are not at all adequate to
the requirements of the river traffic.
st. Paul has been exceedingly lib
eral in granting railway privileges along
the river front. That part is all right. The
city should be as liberal towards the rail-
roads as the safety of its own interests will
admit. But the limit has been reached so
far as the levee is concerned. 1t is even
possible that in this respect we have been
liberal beyond our means But, be this as
it may, there is no denial of the fact that it
is to the interest of the city to husband well
the little levee privileges it now retains.
There is no reason why the Diamond 10
company should not be permitted to erect
its freight building on the strip of land
above the present freight house, with the
arched passageway at the foot of Jackson
street to public wharf, provided that the
company shall agree to erect such
building as the city shall require.
In granting this privilege it would
not be amiss that the city council should
require such building to be put up as will
accord with general plan for the improve
ment of the levee as the council should now
determine upon. The old rookery which
now stands on the river bank, and now pO-
litely called a freight-hOuse, should be torn
away. and building of ampler accommo-
dations and one more slightly should be
erected in its place. Inasmuch as the Mil
waukee company owns large tract of land
lying along its track on which it could erect
all the freight buildings it would ever need,
it might be a good idea for the city to
acquire the building which that COM
pany now occupies on the river
bank and convert it to the uses
of the river trade. The basement which
is now used for that purpose is unsuitable
for storage, as it is dark and damp and can
only be reached with wagons by steep
declivity. If st. Paul expects to reserve
for itself and for the great country lying
back of it the benefits of river competition
with the railroads, the city cannot lay too
strong a clutch upon the strip of little
over one thousand feet of land lying along
the river front and which is all that is
really available for levee purposes on either
side of the river. Nor can the city act too
promptly in the matter of asserting its
claim to this land and giving an expression
of its determination to hold it for levee pur-
poses exclusively and forever. The quickest
and surest way to do this is to commence at
once with system of improvement.