Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-02-18

by -cedars, alders and box-elders. where
delicate moses and fairy grasses deco
rate the peaceful nook. Although the
Great Falls are not so beautiful as the
Rainbow, they are certainly more rug
| gedly grand and wild than any of the
others. The river now rushes between
the walls of a rugged canyon huge
blocks from the walls of which skirt the
waters edge in irregular groups, or stand
out IN the river. continually washed by
tine hurrYing waters. Large trout, such
as are called salmon-trout, at the west,
here revel, darling up the little cascades
which continually break the surface of
the river from the falls to the mouth of
Belt creek, or diving into the deep pools
formed around huge rocks, lie in wait
Tor prey. But we have no time for fish
ing, so we wend Il way homeward i'm
pressed with a sense of the wonderful
beauty, magnitude and power of what we
have seen. On the way back to town we
discussed the utility of the falls.
ENORMOUS MOTIVE POWER.
Evidently 1t is no visionary dream of
enthusiasts which leads the proprietors of
Great Falls to feel that These great cata-
racts were not meant by nature to lavish
their magnificence forever Upon the gaze
of wild animals and birds, and spend
their strength in slowly wearing away the
river bed, (Which, by the way, is exactly
as high now as when Lewis and Clarke
measured it)but rather to be used by ener-
getic men to further the development Of
the country, and help enrich thousands
OF worthy persons who shall come here
to stay. The practicability of such devel
opment is unquestionable. Any one can
easily see that the falls are easily availa-
BILE as sources of motive powers. Even
now a substantial dam put in at the first
provides water power for a large
roller process Touring mill, which has
been IN active operation for three
years. Right here Ito say moth
of the rest of the faIls) there is
power enough to propel the machinery of
a great number of mills Of various kinds.
while the heavy-draft cataracts below
ponderous machinery of reduction works
1Aiu vi requiring I'LL
.ense motive power. There is a descent
% feet along the townsite proper, and
Immediately adjacent thereto The de-
scent for a little over three miles, includ-
Ing Black Eagle, Golfers, Rainbow and
Crooked Falls is nearly 200 feet more. |
These four falls furnish an available |
bower many times greater than that of
world-reneWned st. Anthony Falls of
Minneapolis. From the dam at the first
'apids to the base of the Great Falls, a
of IL miles, there is a pitch of 512 |
eet. 1t will doubtless be remembered
hat the water insinuated itself into the
of the underlying rocks at the st.
anthony Falls, and it was only after large
ums had been expended that its water
owe was saved from utter destruction.
5ut at the falls of the Missouri no such
alamity could eve occur, because the
iver bed is formed of hard, solid sand
tone, varying in thickness from 400 to
w feet, while the river bed at st.
lnthony Falls is formed of limestone,
rannied in almost every direction. An
TACT OF vast importance is that even
1 seasons of drouth the Missouri has
ountless faithful little feeders constantly
supplies. Then too, the noun
liz SHOWS melt reluctantly, gradually
eplenishing the river throughout almost
lie entire year. Thus the volume of
alter at the falls of the Missouri can
be SO reduced as to necessitate the
of steam in keening the mills going,
hereas, the mills at Minneapolis have to
Sc steam engines every autumn and win
. on account of the lowness of the river.
With all this matches water-power,
oundless agricultural, stock and mining
sources tributary to Great Falls, its pos
bilities as a city of importance are ines /
mable. F. v. A.