St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-13

ervOir, from which to feed the voracious
Red river and maintain a sufficient
depth of water to admit OF the passage of
boats of greater capacity than those in
use at present, for service in the grain
carrying trade. With the object or Sc
curing reliable information as to the
practlcability of this plan, Maj. w. A.
Jones, OF the United States engineer
corps, dispatched an expedition last
June. The engineer in charge was AL
fred jackson, who was assisted by En-
gineer f. l.. Douglas. The remainder
Df the party was made up of nine men
selected by Mr.. jackson for the work,
md the special correspondent of the
GLOBE.
The actual features of the expedition
did not begin to present themselves
until the departure of the explorers
from FOsstOn, on the Great Northern
line. in Polk county. for the Chippewa
reservation at Red lake. the enormous
tract OF country relegated TO the use
Df the native red. The reservation eX-
tends from the borders of the White
Earth reservation 10 the Canadian line,
distance Of eighty miles, comprising
Mt the same time some of the most mag
nihcent and some of the most wretched
rountry on earth. Above the watery
isthmus connecting the northern half Of
the lake with the southern. the country
has never been explored except by In
Gians and few traders 1t is lust as
wild to-day, but for the marks Of Indian
habitatlon, as 1t Was when Columbus
first set foot on American soil.
FIVE prairie wagons ana ten horses
were pressed into service at FOSston,
and, having loaded in the provisions
brought along, together with guns and
ammunition enough 10 last a year. the
start was made for Red Lake agency,
sixty miles across country OH an Indian
road through heavy timber every yard
of the way. The writer, III a somewhat
extended career as news hunter, has
ridden over some rough country, but
The ROu&E.est Wheeling
he ever encountered was in that eighty
miles between Fosston and the agency.
The engineers, though. took 1t as a mat
Ter of course, and smoked their pipes
complacently in spite of the discomfort.
lamp waS'Struck al sun down with thir-
~ miles of the distance yet TO 90 1t is
only necessary to say Of that camp that
ii was the most mOsquito-ridden spot
ever selected, as even temporary rest
ing place Tor any human being but an
indian. Smudges were built, but even
the smoke from these failed to deter the
pernlcl0uSly active insects, and there
was nothing to do but grin and bear
their attacks. A new start was made
at sunrise, and from that time the road
improved little. BY pushing ,on until
dark the agency was reached and the
experience Of second night in the tim
Der obviated. Agent Brown, who
has control of the LOO Chippewas on
the reservation, received the expedition
and conveyed all the information he
possessed as to the lake and its sur
roundlngs, Which information, however.
was surprisingly meager, considering
that the agent lives there all the year
round. The Indians eyed the new
Comers distrustfuly. evidently connect
ing them with the commission recently
engaged in making the treaty with
Them, which is the basis Of their pres
ent discomfort. The exploration of the
lake, It's lnletS and outlets, was begun
promptly on the day following the ar
rival. Canoes were secured, and a
journey was begun up the Red Lake
river. This is the natural outlet of Red
lake to the Red River OF the North. and
the only outlet it possesses. Red Lake
river was found to be shallow, with a
width for ten miles of its course of sixty
feet, and a fall Of two and half feet to
thick growth of rank weeds reaching
height Of twenty feet. Tenmiles from the
rivers mouth the attacks from mosqui-
toes became so unbearable that the faces
and hands of the explorers were swollen
out of all proportion TO nature, and
further progress in the direction of the
Red river had to be abandoned. En-
gineer jackson states for the GLOBE in
advance OF his official report, that the
problem of converting Red lake INTO
reservoir for the supply of the Red
River OF the North may be solved by
dredging Red lake river to any depth
1esired to increase the flow OF water,
adding that the inetS are entirely
adequate 10 withstand any draggit
thus made on the lakes resources.
This decision was arrived at after. a
careful exploration and sounding Of the
tributaries, Of which there are seven.
Returning to the mouth of Red Lake
river, the observations We're continued
IN northerly direction until Oak river
was reached. This is one of the small
est Of the feeders OF Red lake. Its
banks were found skirted with oak and
elm timber. while further back were
Thick Forests of Pine.
Then came the straits, as some one