The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-08-22

The harbOr comm ssion and its pow
ers are matters that are evidently not
very well understood by the majority
of people, Judging by the discussion of
the subjects since the bill empowering
the city council to establish harbor
districts became law and the appoint
ment of the members of the commits
sion was made The bill was original
ly intended to establish harbor dis
trictS on Superior, st. Louis and Al
louez bays, and the purpose of it was
to make it possible for the property
owners 30 have dock improvements
| made on the assessment plan the same
as street improvements.
According to the provisions of the
BILL there are now seven districts which
are included in the water front extend
ing from the lower end of AlloueZ bay
to Pouillot avenue. All that is now
necessary to do is to petition the har-
Dor commission to make certain dock
improvements, and the same will be
AiiIC IL liiC llilliCS VI TIC
number Of property owners appear.
1t is required that 60 per cent. of the
property owners join in petition for
improvements where none have been
made. Twenty per cent of the prop
erty owners is sufficient where proper
ty has been partially improved, while
! only ten per cent. is required to secure
the improvement of any one slip. \
petition is already III calling for the
improvement of the harbor facilities
in the Seventh district, which lies be-
tween Pouillot and Thompson avenues,
a distance of eight blocks.
The petition specifies as is required
just what is desired by the property
owners in the way Of improvements.
In this case the petition calls for dredg
ing the channel along the harbOr line
$50 feet in width and dredging the
slips and repairing piers.
| II Is. Dear, enc of the harbor COM
missioners, was seen by an Evening
Telegram reporter and in course of an
interesting discussion on this subject
said:
lone of the principal things sought
in this connection is to get Il channel
established along the dock line. At
present the government channel in Su-
pcrior bay does not strike the dock line
until opposite Connor's Point. 1t
would be hardship for property own
ers to dig slips 300 feet into Superior
| bay to afford an entrance for vessels
| to their docks. They could not nor
would they, in my opinion, do this.
! Now the idea is to secure a channel
800 feet in width the whole length of
! Superior bay right outside the dock
| lire. Property owners will provide
| fer the inside half of this work and, We
| are assured, the government Will meet
! the city half way and dig the other
half of the channel All property
within eco feet Of the normal head
of the lake is considered benefited by
the harbor Improvement made i'll this
way and is subject TO an assessment
! propoTtio.iate with such benefits /
! consider This bill one of the best things
! that could have been enacted. 1t is
now possible to go ahead and make
dock and llarbor improvements wharc
they are needed and this regardless
OF such persons who might otherwise
prove effective ObStructl0nlStS. | think
f.! the council should be encouraged to go
! ahead and district the rest OF the har
Dor front at once. TDcre are many
improvements quite necessary i'll St.
Louis bay and the entrance to W est
SIperior's harbOT. These should be
taken hold Of and pat through i'll no
uncertain fashion 1t is Lot enough
that boat can squeeze into
| Tower slip dock She should have
enough sea room to make the entrance
anything but hard. 1t is optional with
property owners whether they make
their share of the improvements them
selves or whether they allow the work
to be done by the lowest bidder.
Superior has been working at dis
advantage, but nov that it is COM
p;.ratiyely easy to have improvements
made, | trust that Superior people Will
see the benefits which are possible and
find reason for congratulatlon that
such q bill has been enacted