St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-08
HILLS SCHEME FRUSTRATED
IfViiiard's Goes Throug h-Engi-
neers Doubt the Water Power.


'sIf the Willard scheme materializes,
as 1t seems probable" said city off,
cial yesterday, the Jim Hill scheme
will, of course, be Knocked OUT
q Some time ago Mr.. Hill gave the out
lines of plan by which he intended to
accomplish just the ends aimed at by Mr..
Willard. He proposed to utilize the falls
OF the st. Anthony Water Power COM
pany to furnish electricity for light and
power to the Twin Cities, but there was
9 condition by which st. Paul cedes to
minneapolis certain portion of the in-
ierurOan territory acquired I'm 1885.
~ lille Mr.. Hill was preparing his plan
II is evident that Mr.. Willard had his
scheme entirely under way. But there
IS not the slightest probability of the
ceSsion OF territory being made.
All OF the local hydraulic engineers
are IN quandary as TO how Mr.. Willard
proposes to get his power at Meeker
island, especially in the winter time.
MAJ. Jones, who succeeded Mai. Allen
In the Immediate charge of the govern
ment works here, has been studying
over the situation, and finds that the
distance from st. Anthony falls to Kan
Sas Clty's bridge is 10 miles I.51O feet.
At mean low water stage the fall from
the crest of the rolling dam at the falls
to this bridge is 9S.617 feet, and from
the foot of the falls it Is 55.s5 feet. The
distance from the foot of the tails to
Meeker island is 2.524 miles. and the
fall is 1866 feet. The distance from
the foot of the falls to Fort Smelling
bridge is 1896 miles. In this distance
there is fail of 50.1T6 feet. The dis
charge at st. Paul is 5000 cubic feet per
second at zero stage, Il, 100 cubic feet
second at f0ur-foOt stage, 1920 cubic
feet at slX-foot stage and 26900 cubic
feet per second at an eight-foot stage.
The major gagged the river at Fort
Smelling few days ago at section
closed by ice. The discharge was 1,S17
cubic feet per second. This discharge,
II wholly USED, would, on a twenty-foot
fali, produce 1890 horse power; on
forty-foot fall it would produce
5000 cubic feet per second on
twenty-foot fall, If wholly used, would
produce Is, 455 horse power; on forty
foot fall it would produce &c, $40 horse
power. A dam in the neighborhood of
Fort Smelling and Minnehaha creek
VIII furnish the most power in proper
ton to cost. But an increase in the
fail produced will involve considerable
extra expense in securing the bottom
anu the river bed below. Maj. Jones
thinks that Willard goes to Meeker's
island because the franchise at that
point is more easily obtained. The
river could not be damned at Fort
Smelling without going to congress
and that would make great delay. 1t
Is the opinion of the major that the best
way to pass steamboats, around such a
Gam is probably by means of a n.y.
draulic lift. In referring to the question
whether such a power would pay, he
says:
1.-The cost of water horse power per
year at Minneapolis is about SI3 So; that
OF a steam horse power Per year is
about S2S. The main question, however,
is NOT SO much what horse power costs
per year as what it is worth per year in
the locality where used to the industry
which uses it,"