The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-08-28
Henef,ting Navigation.


One of the subjects that will be consid-
cred in the river convention in st. Paul
on Sept 8, will be the reservoirs at the
headwaters of the Mississippi river. In
these projects all who desire to see the
navigation of the upper Mississippi im>
proved are greatly interested. In his res
port to the war department, Major Mac>
Kenzie, of this city, says;
In order that navigation may be benefit
ed upon the Mississippi above the mouth
of the st. Croix, upon the st. Croix. the
Chippewa and the navigabe reaches Of
the Wisconsin, the system of dams pro-
posed for each must be carried out, and
no benefit of consequence to the Missis>
sippi below Lake Pepin can be predicted
unless the entire system is built. Pre-
| liminary work upon the Pine river res
ervoir dam at the outlet of Cross
lake, has commenced. Operations, how>
ever, were much delayed pending the set
Element of land damages to adjoining
lands, expected from operations of the
dam. This dam is to be seventeen and a
half feet high, and is more than half com
pleted. The reservoirs have been ordered
by congress in the interest of river navi-
CATION and they should not be diverted
from that purpose. Some action of cons
gress hearing upon the full control of the
water for navigation will undoubtedly be-
come necessary at an early day. The
drainage area tributary to the Mississippi
river at the falls of st. Anthony is about
10000 square miles, the river furnishing
the means of floating hundreds of mil
lions of feet of logs to the market. For
driving their logs the lumbermen con
struct dams upon the tributaries of the
Mississippi in order to accumulate water
for flushing. Some of these dams
are permanent structures; Others
are temporary. Their exact nun
Der is not known, but about
twenty of various sizes were reported
this spring, and that number was stated
as being far below the actual number
One of the dams impounds enough water
at times, to represent discharge of 800
to 1000 cubic feet of water per second
for many days. Other dams have equal
or greater effect. The water is impound
ed or released at the will of the operators
without system other than to get the best
I results for their own drivers of logs The
balance from available appropriations
will be applied toward the completion of
the Pine river reservoir and to the main
tenance of existing works. The next
work proposed is the dam at Gull river,
increasing the lift of the Pokegama
reservoir THAT being found practicable,
and much less expensive than constructs
ing dam below the Vermillion river),
and incidental repairs.
Undoubtedly the convention will be
asked to consider this matter Major
Mackenzie is in St. Paul, and will be
present in the convention.
The delegates appointed by Mayor
Murdoch to the convention are Messrs.
Morris Rosenfield, j. NJ Beardsley. w.
, II. Marshal, Aid F. NJ Sinnett and Fred
Hass; while those from the Business
Mems association. as already published
are Hon. H. c. Cieaveland. W, H. Gest,
Esq, x-Mayor Henry Carse. DR.. j. W
: Stewart and Oliver Olsen, Esq, while
Congressman Niece has named Messrs
August Huesing and W. II. Lundy, OF
this city, as two of the three, whom he i.
t allowed to appoint from this cong ress-
ional district. This makes the number
. that the city is entitled TO and as repre-.
sentative and influential delegation a.
e could have been chosen. The delegates
have all signified their willingness to at
: tend