Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-17
HEARD FROM AGAIN.
Mr.. Fred weyerhauser Replies t.
charges that He is Obstructing Up.
per Missfssippi NAVIGATION.

Mr.. Fred Weyerhauser Replies q
charges that He is Obstructing Up.
per mississippi Navigation.
1t is not very often that Mr.. Fred Wey,
erhauser. of this city, the acknowledged
logging and lumber king of the north.
west, permits himself to be heard on the
extensive operations in which he is inter
ested. Nevertheless he speaks out some.
times when called upon in his own de
Tense. Lately he has been endulging 10
some very plain talk in reply TO accusa>
lions that he is obstructing navigation on
the upper river and also traffic on the c.,
M. & st. P. road at Wabasha. Mr..
Weyerhauser says all the grumbling en-
anated from Eau Claire and not from the
railroad company. The mill men at that
place desire all the logs cut on the Chip
pewa to be manufactured at home; that
is, at Eau Claire. Their wish has never
been granted for two reasons: First,
there is no place which has storage ca
pacity sufficient to accommodate great
body of logs. and. secondly. Mr.. Weyer-
hauser intends to keeps to keep his mill
on the Mississippi supplied. Since they
cannot obtain what they want they have
made it very unpleasant for the Missis-
sippi River Logging company bp placing
difficulties in the way and causing unnec
essary expense. Says an exchange:
When the company first chose heads
quarters on the Chippewa. they were
placed at Eau Claire. but trouble soon
arose over the taxation of the company 8
logs, which amounted to about $40, 900.
Prolonged litigation was begun and the
company removed to Chippewa. where a
handsome block was erected and the bus.
mess of the company has since been trsn-
sacted. To lose this company created a
great deal of hard feeling ON the citizens
part as it took from that city a vast caps
ital. The lumbermen were also sore over
the move and have harrassed the company
in every conceivable way. Since they
could not have the logs manufactured
there they have wished that the Beef
Slough Rafting works should be located
there and when that was refused they
placed every difficulty in the way so as to
interfere with the Mississippi mills, and
now they realize their great mistake.
Nature has provided an excuse for
removing the works. For years the
channel of the river has been changing
and filling the slough with sand, and
has rendered the process of rafting logs
slow and expensive one. When the
removal from Beef slough to West
Newton slough, on the Minnesota side,
was announced the Eau Claire men were
amazed as they had not counted on the
removal of the works to another state.
In regard to the removal Mr. Viewer
hsuser says that 1.-THE Eau Claire men
had been so dissgreeable and had placed
so many difficulties in the way and the
Minnesota men were so pleased to have
them on their side that he regretted the
change had not been made four or five
years ago" Mr.. Weyerhauser signifi
csntly states that the Chippewa will con-
tinue to supply the mills in Minnesota,
Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, and indicates
that no amount of kicking will alter his
determination
As to the matter of running logs down
the Mississippi and obstructing naviga-
ton. he is protected by acts of congress,
and it is held by all the courts that saw
logs have the same right of commerce in
the river as steamboats,. The companies
in which MIR. Weyerhauser is interested
own seventy-five per cent of the steam
boats which pass through the bridge, and
there is not likely to be trouble from
that source.
Inquiry elicits the fact that the gov.
eminent appropriates annually $25 900
which is expended on the Chippewa
river.