St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-08
river valley, and at the same time prac-
! ticaIly prevent great

river valley, and at the same time prac-
tically prevent great
Flood Losses In the Future.
Congressman Johnson and Senators
Roach and Hansbrough, as well as the
South Dakota senators, PettigreW and
Kyle, and Representative Picker and
Lucas, can also be counted in for the
work. With such an array there Is no
doubt of success, and St.Paul, Mankato,
Shakopee, st. Peter, Ortonville and all
other towns on the Mississippi and Min
nesota should join hands with Fergus
Falls, Moorhead, Fargo, Grand Forks.
Crookston and the farmers of the Red
River valley in the movement.
But now word as to Maj. jones' sur
vey of the Red river and Its tributaries.
1t was complete, clear, and so ably pre-
scented the advantages of the scheme
that. without regard to the Minnesota
or the Mississippi, Col. 0. NJ. Poe, di-
vision engineer Of the Northwest di-
vision, in transmitting the report of
Maj. Jones to Gen. Casey, Endorsed it
in the following words:
Endorsed by Col. Poe.
with view to securing the surveys
and examinations which | deem neces
sary before reaching a conclusion, l eX
press the opinion that the river in queS-
ton Is worthy Of improvement by the
general government"
The plan for the improvement of the
Red river as suggested by Maj. Jones
contemplates the formation of two res
ervoir systems at Red lake and l axe
Traverse, at the headWaters of the trib-
utaries to these rivers, for the purpose
OF diminishing the effect of floods, and
| T0f nr fon In.
the Red river system. AS to the Red
lake reservoir Maj. Jones states:
Red lake can probably be raised two
feet by dam on its outlet. and also it
can be lowered about two feet by dredg
Ing across the shoal at its outlet, and in
closing the cut between dikes to prevent
It's filling up from wave action. This
would afford ample accommodation for
about.tWo years. rainfall, and would
possibly
Relieve the Red River Valley
from effects of floods on the Red Lake
river. The output of the reservoirs on
the Mississippi river above Pokegama
| during the year 1891 was, rudely, at the
rate Of 100000 cubic feet per square
mile. There was rather less than an av-
| erage precipitation. Now, assuming
that the precipitation in the two water
sheds before US is 80 per cent of that of
Northern Minnesota, we have 100000
as an approximate output per square
| mile i'll year Of average rainfall, which
| simply means that half the time the
output Will be more than this, and half
the time it will be less.
We will then have, for the Red lake
| reservoir, $3.50 square miles X 100000
II, 370, 000,000 cubic feet for the average
output of water in one year.
TINS will permit supplying the river
as follows:
Cubic Feet
500 cubic feet per second for 2f4
$50 cubic feet per second (abou0
1or l52 days. 2,576, 1920, 004
1Ctdl. Observation-Disclosures. ~, 81, wv, UUU
1t is here assumed that the river is
free from ice and open for navigation
from April Is to Nov. Is, being 214 days,
and that during the remainder of the
year, 1872 days. it is closed to navigation.
The effect of this reservoir would be to
maintain uniform stage during the
boating season.
Lake Traverse Reservoir.
By danming the river the waters of
the Otter Tail can be diverted in canal
across the flat marshy country southeast
OF Breckenridge, and brought into the
Bots de Sioux via the Rabbit river. The |
approximate line is shown on the map
herewith. The distance is about eight /
miles. Then by placing a reservoir |
dam on the Bots de Sioux just below the !
mouth OF Rabbit river, sufficient height |
could probably be obtained to back the |
waters into Lake Traverse for a reser-
voir. The quantity OF water which !
could therein be impounded can not |
reasonably be estimated without more
measurements to determine the areas
oyerHOWed at different heights, but the |
quantity obtainable from the watershed |
may be approximately stated. Its area
IS about $3.50 square miles: $3.50 x :,
5000, 900 - $50, 100000 cubic feet. This
would permit
Supplying the River
as follows:
Cubic Feet.
1000 cubic feet per second for 214
$50 cubic feet per second for 1872
Oyerplus for minnesota river. 6,079 $4,000
31,G50 900 000
Thus maintaining in the Red river
uniform naYigable stage during the en-
tire boating season.
The Lake Traverse reservoir would |
have an approximate capacity of 10000 |
100000 cubic feet only, but the re-
mainder of the gathered waters would |
probably be easily held in the extensive
lake portion of the watershed.
And now for the cost of this elaborate !
improvement OF the Red river and the |
creation of the two great reservoirs. The !
figures given by Maj. Jones follow:
NEsIo
In the absence of the proper surveys |
only approximate estimates can be sub
mitted.
Red lake dam and lock ......... .$15O.0O0 !
Rabbit river dam and lock ~ 10000 |
Canal to divert the Otter Tail river
across the Breckenridge flats
length, s miles Q4,OS0 yards)
breadth, go feet; depth, 6 feet-say
COCOON cubic yards, at 10 cents 49,. $4,000
Dam across Otter Tail river. 10000 |
Dam at foot of Big Stone lake. ...... 10000 |
Canal between Big Stone lake and
Lake Traverse miles, at $15, 000.. 10000 |
Dam and lock a: Thief river. 100000 |
Surveys .......... NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $1,000 |
Contingencies MISREPRESENTATION. 100000 |
Total. ................ .............S $3.50, 600 |
That is to say. for the sum of $3.50, 200
we may reasonably expect to create |
water transportation lines as follows:
Miles.
Lake Winnipeg to the foot of Big Stone
=, I9ke ;...................... 90 |
Red Lake river. Observation-Disclosures. 325 |
Red lake Observation-Disclosures. 90 |
Total NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 990 |
That is to say, something like LOCO |
miles Of transportation line would be |
created, at a cost not exceeding 81 900 |
per mile.
The cost of improving the Minnesota
river from the reservoir at Big Stone |
lake will not be great, as nearly hun !
dred miles is already open with the in
creased volume of water that would be |
secured. Thus it will be seen that for
less than S1,500,0O0 Minnesota can be |
given 1900 miles Of navigable streams, |
and at the same time better the naviga-
ton on the upper Mississippi and save
untold damage in the future to the peo-
pie of the Red river valley. With the |
development of the state the value of |
this great system of water transporta-