St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-21
LOGS In THE RIVER.
Wabasha People Don't Consider
Them a Nuisance.


Them a Nuisance.
To the Editor of the Globe.
WABASHA, March 19.-Referring to
an article in the Pioneer Press of March
16 concerning the Mississippi River
Logging company filling the river with
loose logs, driving piling, etc., to the
disadvantage of steamboat men and cit
liens in general. we think the charges
are not facts, and at meeting of eX-
perienced steamboat owners, river men
and private citizens, those present eX-
pressed themselves as DESTROYS of the
public getting the advantages as wellias
the disadvantages caused by running
loose logs in the Mississippi. ~
It is true at times the river is full of
loose logs between the mouth of the
Chippewa and the head of West New
ton slough, a distance of about ten miles.
This occurs in the spring on the first
rise, and lasts about two days, also
about once per week during part of the
summer, usually Sundays. The logging
company aims to let the logs start from
above so they will reach here Sunday,
thus causing the ferry no inconvenience,
as but little, If any, crossing is done on
that day.
Very seldom are there any teams to
cross except during the working days,
and in summer the travel is very light,
the business being largely done in
winter. as the ferry here can run nearly
the entire year. The ferry has taken
teams across Oil one occasion, on one
occasion especially, when the river was
full of loose logs. OF course the logs
bothered them to some extent, but if
properly handled and managed they can
cross about all who desire, at nearly all
times.
The piling referred to were put in to
keep the logs in the channel and from
grounding on the sand bars, and are
not an impeachment TO navigation. If
anything, the boomS held by the piling
benefit the channel.
There is no perceptible damage done
to any one excepting slight annoyance
to the ferry, as above stated.
AS to the benefits this city derives
from allowing the logging company to
run its loose logs to its rafting works
at West Newton, few items will show
resident steamboatmen of WabaSha
own and operate six raft boats that find
employment from West Newton raft
ing works. Each boat carries from ten
to twenty men as crew, mostly from
this place, and careful estimate shows
that they bring into the place annually
in the way of supplies, wages, fuel. re-
pairs, etc., from forty-seven to fifty
thousand dollars. In fact, the steam
boat business is the largest and most
important here. The Wabasha boat
yard employees from twenty to forty
men building and repairing boats.
AS Beef Slough has become useless
on account of filling up at the head, so
that logs cannot be run in. it is neces-
sary to run them loose to the company's
rafting works, which are few miles be-
low here; otherwise the steamboat
business OIL the upper Mississippi would
be thing Of the past.
At present there are not less than sew
enty-fiye splendid steamers in this bust
ness, employing about 1850 men, repre-
senting cost of about 100000, that
take large lows of lumber and logs to
doWn-river points at less than one
fourth what railroads would do it for.
Another item as to the advantage this
city gets from the loose logs being
flooded down is that many hundred
cords of drift wood comes with the logs
every season. Many poor people, as
we'll as others, secure enough wood to
last the year. One party last season
sold over 5000 worth of wood taken
from the river; many otherSScaught as
much. These people do not think the
logging company causes them untold
damage"
AS to the bridge mentioned. that the
city claims the logging company prom
ised them, we know nothing of, but we
do know by years of business dealings
with the logging company and its mem
bers, that their word or promise taken
for many thousand dollars by us was
always fulfilled. Ell
The steamboat men and owners have.
no fault to find. They can see she BEN
efts derived by all parties by the logs
being run loose to West Newton and
RATED there, VIXEN. if it was discon-
tinued, several thousand men would be
out of employment, and 100000 in
steamboats, would be worthless. The
consumers would pay 81 to IS more per
LOCO for lumber from the Chippewa
valley, as the steamboats, carry it for SO
much less than the railroads.
BoATiAN.