St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-15
TEMPORARY INJUNCTION
Awarded Against the Bridge--Ex-
pected Action by the Court.

strainng the city from proceeding with the
construction of the stone arch bridge The
order made reads substantially as follows:
Minneapolis Mill Company ct al. VS.. The City
of Minneapolis.
The above action having been brought by
the plaintiffs for the purpose Of restraining
the defendant from proceeding with construc-
ton OF stone-arch bridge on the ground that
such construction, in the manner proposed,
greatly endangerS the rights and property of
the plaintiffs and threatens to work great and
lrreparable damage thereto; and the plaintiffs
having applied to the court through their
counsel for a temporary injunction restrain
ing the defendant during the tendency with
the action, and it appearing to the court that
defendant is about commencing the construc-
ton Of the said bridge across the main chan
mel Of the Mississippi river, from the lower
end of Hennepin avenue to Nicolet island.
Immediately above the present location of
the suspension bridge; and that as part of
the plan Of said bridge defendant proposes to
place five stone piers in the bed of said stream
10 support the arches of said bridge, greatly
narrowing the channel of the stream: and
also that the Minneapolis Mill company, plaint-
iii, Is the owner of valuable water
power and shore rights extending from
above the proposed bridge location down TO
and below the falls Of St. Anthony, and that
the other plaintiffs are largely interested in
the maintenance of said water power in Sc
curity and undiminished, and that from the
peculiar formation of the bed of the stream
and the strata underlying the same, and the
liability of disastrous changes of the same
and in the case of disturbance the water
power and property OF the plaintiffs would be
Greatly endangered, and that any delay of the
Defendant can be fully compensated for by
Rayment of the damages suffered. Therefore,
in consideration of the execution by the
plaintiffs of a bond in $4,000, it is ordered
that a temporary injunction be issued, re-
straining the defendant, its counci officers
and servants from doing any act in connec-
ton with the construction of the bridge that
will tend to narrow the main channel, or dis
turb the bed thereof until the final trial and
determination of this action.
A bond in $40, 600. signed by Dorillius
Morrison and Charles NJ. Loring, was forth
with filed, and a copy of the injunction
served upon Mayor Pillsbury by the sheriff.
Accompanying the petition for the injunc-
ton are
SEVERAL AFFIDAVITs
which describe at length the geological for
nation of the falls and the river-bed together
with the probable injurious effects of the
proposed bridge. The most elaborate is
the affidavit of George w. Conley, in which
he sets forth the result of his surveys, made
at the time the water broke through the
Eastman tunnel in 1870 and threatened to
destroy the falls. After describing the
geological formation of the falls Mr.. Conley
in the nature Of a bridge pier at the site of
the suspension bridge would be detrimental
to the interests Of the water power on both
sides Of the river; that all obstruction
placed in the stream on the sand rock
foundation would result in securing the
bottom to an extent that can only be meas
ured after the injury is done. If this scOur
extends down as far as any Of the water
bearing seams these scours will be fed by
head of water varying from twenty-five to
fifty feet.
All examinations of this sand rock show
horizontal water bearing seams at different
distances below the bottom Of the ledge,
through which water finds its way from the
river, above the ledge, to any outlet that
may be made below, and while these differ
ent seams all act as conduits for water
which may find its way into them. The
proposed piers will stand about 13 de-
grees out of the line of the current,
thus increasing the width of the Obstruc-
ton to about 35 feet at each pier at the
water surface. The width of the obstruc-
ton at the bottom. due to the riprapping,
will be at right-angles to the thread of the
current, between IS and 100 feet. A few
years ago spoil bank deposited near the
head of the log sluice DETECTED the cur
rent toward the east side and caused serious
OIOSlOn III lIle DBU DelOW Tie 1dllS. Il OllOW-
ing the analogy prevented by the spoil bank
and the proposed piers. the deponent finds
that, owing TO the Obliquity of the piers
the current will be DETECTED toward the
west shore, but it will certainly be again
detected in direction similar to that
caused by the spoil bank. that this cross
current will be dangerous cannot be
doubted.
GEN. RosSER's STATEMENT.
The affidavit of Gen. Il. L. Rosser, who
was city engineer in 1876, states that in his
opinion the building of piers would disturb
the silt and expose sand rock to the current
of the stream and produce liability of the
water finding seams through the lime rock
and around the edge of the government
wall. The construction of piers would
greatly endanger the integrity of the pres
ent water power of the Minneapolis Mill
company and the st. Anthony Water
Power company. In his judgment the
character of the bridge proposed is entirely
unnecessary. A bridge of all the capacity
needed can be made in a single span or by
widening the suspension bridge to meet all
demands of travel of the city and be equally
efficacious with the stone arch bridge.
William de la Barre, engineer of the
Minneapolis Mill company, states that the
sand rock when saturated with water is soft
and easily gives away. He recites evil
dence of extensive cavities existing in the
sand rock, and makes a statement Of the
eXcavating for turbine wheel at the Wash
burn A mill, where he found sand rock hard
and firm, but after digging down five feet
streams of water appeared. and after stand
ing one night a noticeable increase in the
water was seen. He refers to the fact that
damage to the water power would entitle
those to whom there was guarantee of
water power to recover damages. He be-
heyes the silt should not be disturbed by
Golfer dams, PIERS ETC., as said deposit fur
niShes an armOr for the sand rock.
w. Ii. johnson, who has been engaged
about the falls for twenty-one wears. and
who was formerly superintendent of water
works, says he considers it unsafe to re-
move the sandrock anywhere in the vicinity
of the dam, for the reason that there has
never been tunnel made below the falls
but what water made its appearance from
the bottom or sides of it, showing clearly
that the sand rock was not of sufficient
hardness to withstand any washing.
Franklin Cook, civil engineer, saws he
was in charge of the building of the East
man tunnel, and that 1t was constructed
through the soft sand rock. He observed
that every time water came in contact with
the rock there was sudden erosion. He
thinks also that the piers would form whirl-
pools, raising the water on the current side.
The deponent says that TO his knowledge
where boom piers have been located just
below the suspension bridge the securing of
water has made cavities in the bed of the
stream to depth of sixteen feet.
Charles A. f. Morris, civil engineer for
thirty-five years, SAYS he constructed a
b,.id0o aoracc tho Micciccinri and after fhp