The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-22
Tho Power Company Presents
Their Side In q Very Strong
Paper.
Report Of the Consulting Ens'neer-Ths
Opposition Game Principally From
tho Great Falls People.

j.. II. hl0lnHchnAidt, VIM. Multi president
OF the Board Of Trade, II. n. Parchen, II.
II. Howey, Ex-Gov. Hauser, A. Weisephorn,
A. NJ. Hotter. j. A. Walsh. A. Lambeth,
James B.. Walker, G. w. Cannon, ]. u.
Sanders. Barnard Brown, I. l.. Martin, A.
nj. Thornburgh. J. p. Porter, w. b. Edgar,
W.. E. Cullen, j. w. Eddy, d. A. Cory, John
8. N. Noill, and William Harrison, Of Hel-
sna; Nicholas Hilger Of Hilger's Landing.
A. M. Spratt, and g. NJ. Webster, IL. o.
Chowan, NJ. II. Parker, and ]. Bookwalter,
Of Great Falls. Arguments previously pre-
pared and committod to paper were placed
in the hands OF Capt. Powell. Besides
there there was considerable talk and CROSS
questioning between those favoring and
those opposing the dam. Cart. Powell will
consider the written and oral arguments
and make his report to the war department.
at Washington.
At the morning session Mayor Klein
schmidt, William Muth and A. M. Hotter
made short but foroible statements in favor
of the government allowing the dam to be
built. A paper prepared by the Missouri
River Power company, and signed by A. NJ.
Hotter, president, and Barnard Brown, sec
rotary, was presented. II is as follows:
The main object of the Stubbs' Ferry
dam ia to supply electric power to Helena.
and all other points within its reach, that
cannot have a water power ut o more con-
venient point. Quite is within fifty miles
OF the dam site, and has no available water
power). Il is obvious What's great advan-
tRge this will be to many enterprises not
only at Helena, but at all other accessible
points. The only obstacle to this vast an
terprise, and its many benefits to SO exten-
tensive a section, is that tho dam would be
an obstruction to navigation on the Mis-
souri, river between Three Forks and Great
Falls. The latter ia a splendid city already
and we are proud to believe that she has a
great future, and admits that she gives
promise Of 1ivaling in enterprise, impor-
tanoe and size, any city in Mon
tana. Her great water power gives
her an advantage as a. manufacturing point
over perhaps all competitors, but in the
interest Of her fame, we deny that her pros
perity is dependent upon q monopoly of the
water power of the Missouri river. Her
short-sighted friends looking through the
glamour of selfshness, argue that the
future development Of the rich valleys OF
the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson, will
create a demand for boats on the Missouri
to carry their produce to the mills at Great
Falls. We claim that our scheme Of util-
izing tho water power available ut points
nearer to these valleys (other similar dams
as we'll as that proposed at Stubbs' terryl.
will bring tho market nearer, and be pro-
po%rtionately better for the producer, and
that the farmers, miners and lumbermen
will receive more benefit from our scheme
than by the navigation of the river oven
were that practicable.
There is undoubtedly a portion of the
river, from Great Falls to Cascade, which
ia navigable, which is also true of the Mis-
souri, river from Fort Benton to it's mouth.
19,< IN what ovtart 1c fhia T,tltizo1p nn tbo
placid water between Great Falls and CAS-
cade there is a boat, out its use is confined
absolutely to an occasional picnic or pleas
ure excursion, and it is now many years
since al attempt has been made to extend
such excursions above Cascade, for the ve>y
good and sufficient reason that it was long
since proven beyond question. that even
with SO light a load as a pleasure party it
was not practicable to stem the cur ent Of
the numerous rapids recurring AT short in
tervals on the upper river.
Before the first railroad reached our bust
ness %centers, we were dependent for our
freight almost exclusively, in this pa,t of
Montana. upon the boats of the Missouri
river. At that time many boats were de.
voted to the business of carrying supplies
to us, but the arrival Of the Northern Pa
citic railroad was the death knell of upper
Missouri river traffic. as it was of the mule
and OK trains. The scores, even hundreds
of boats engaged IN this traffic. have been
forced to seek occupation in ether waters,
and now it is questioned If q single boat
Montana this yenr. The convenience,
promptness and reliability of the railroads
had driven boats from all rivers as we'll;
indeed boats are now barely ablo to COM
pete with railroads where they ply in tide
waters; and it has been fully demonstrated
in many other parts of the country az we'll
as in Montana that boats plying mountain
rivers with rapid currents can-o live in
competition with railroads..
To return to tho anti-railroad days of
Montana when Helena received her sup.
plies bv boat at Fort Benton, and thence
by bull trains. the question of navigating
the river from Great Falls to Stubs Ferry,
the very point under consideration. was of
vast importance to every business mai in
this vicinity, as we'll as to every boat
owner interested in the Montana trade, and
then was the navigation Of this part of the
Missouri river carefully canvasspd by en-
ternrising men with n view of cheapening
the rates and shortening the time of de-
livery of their goods. In 1878 a number of
such men with considerable capital to in
vest in the enterprise and sanguine of fay.
orable results joined together to render the
Missouri river, above Cascade. navigable
for boats of light draft. They spent nearly
$50, coo in blasting out obstrueting rocks, but
finally were forced TO abandon the attempt,
being convinced hat a loaded boat could
uOb htctu VIC EApluH 6VoH WueTo unOD-
structed, and that to Put q dead man.
and 'cordel" boats over these rapids would
be so expensive and SO slow that they
would not be able to compete successfully,
in rates or time, with good mule trains,
and in any event their expensive boats
would be left without occupation as Hoon as
q railroad would reach them.
Within a few years two boats have been
built at Townsend for this part of the
river which we are considering. One was
taken down to Great Falls and there it re-
mains idle, except as heretofore stnted.
The other was built at considerable ex-
pense for the nse OF pleasure parties,
shooting, fishing, etc. II may DO seen now
near Stubs Ferry gradually falling to
pieces, it having boon found utterly i'm
practicable to run it.
If the Missouri were as easily nnvigable
between Townsend and Great Falls as IL il
between Bismarck. N. d., and Pierre, S.
D., or between the latter point aud Yank-
ton, of what consequence would its naviR-
ablo properties be, CROSSED as il is at Town
send by the Northern Pacific and pnral-
leled from Helena to and beyond Grent
Falls by the Grent Northern line. with the
assurance that 1t will be crossed also ut or
near Stuhbs' Ferry in the immediate flu
ture by tho Castle railroad. the construc-
tion Of which in but u matter of u few
months at the mostp
Ii 1t necessary to 90 further and Invite
attention to the many bridges ACROSS the
river which are now in existence md use,
which absolutely prevent nayigationp Did