New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1893-09-20
NAVIGATION PAST NEW ULM
Congressman McOleary's Big Scheme Gulf
of Mexico to Hudson Bay.

Recent information from washington
announced that Congressman McCleary
had been in consultation with the engi-
neers of the war department relative to a
proposal to improve the navigation of
= the Minnesota river by utilizing the sur
plus waters of the Red river and divert
ing them by dams and locks. Theaidea
is by no means new one and has been
agitated at various times ever since the
country was first redeemed from the con-
troll of the wandering red man. Its i'm
portance commercially to the sections of
rich agricultural country contiguous to
the waters of the Minnesota and to the
farmers in the Red river valley as a mat
ter of protection from the frequent fresh-
cts of that stream, is incalculable, yet
the natural obstacles in the way of the
improvement have always precluded any
serious consideration of the work il; the
past. There is no doubt but that the
money expended would be returned
many times over in the increased pros
perity of large section of the North
west, including the finest farming region
in America, and with sufficient appro-
priation the work could be accomplished
= A quarter of century ago the Minne-
70 o1>1o e., Vo11
Medicine, about IS miles northwest of
Mankato. In fact, about that time a
.'freighter' very nearly succeeded in 60
ing from Mankato to the Red River of
the North by water alone. Steamers
Piled up and down the river regularly
past Mankato, and many of the early set
tiers and all of the merchandise in early
days came by steamer from St. Paul.
The last time that the hoarse whistle of
L steamboat was heard at the levee was
Turing the high water of the spring Of
1881. A steamer then forced it's way up
the strong and smaller current through
Z the snags and floating debris, but i. was
the only steamer that had been seen in
years.
A few days ago pleasure steamer was
launched on the river by S. V. Perry of
Mankato and it is now making regular
trips up the river, starting from land
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river. 1t is capable of holding SO people
and is daily feeling its way further
up the river With clear and safe
channel, it would be the first of system
of passenger and freight boats that would
ply the entire length of the river. All
kinds Of building material and fuel could
be much more cheaply transported by
water than by rail. and grain and other
farm produce would follow the current
loWn to the elevators at St. Paul and
Minneapolis and causing healthy COM
petition that would not fail to reduce
ruilroad rates.
AS early as 1878 it was proposed to
improve the river as far up as Yellow
Medicine by series of dams and locks,
lnd a survey Of the river between that
-,lace and point 235 miles below was
made by Gen. G.. X. Warren, of the Uni
ed states engineering corps. In the lat
er part Of January, 1874, Senator Cox
rom a special committee on Minnesota
iver improvement. reported to the leg
Stature of the state that the govern
mental survey under the direction of
zen. Warren exhibited not only the prac-
.icability but proved beyond the shadow
Of a doubt the feasibility of the proposed
Improvements at trifing cost as COM
pared with the great advantages to be
: -erived therefrom. He maintained that
Il would double the value of land and
the wheat production in that portion of
he state, and he presented number of
statistics to prove his position. At that
time Senator Cox had estimates Of the
lost of dams, locks, etc, etc., made which
amounted to $775,5OO but these did
lot include the Red River connection.
senator Cox stated that the savingin cost
If transportation of grain in one year
would equal the cost of the proposed i'm
orovements. If this was true at that
lime, the advantage must be several
ines as great at the present time. when
he country is so Vastly more developed
md profits of farming smaller In proper
ion. The Improvements have never been
made, however and the river has long
-oeen dropped from the list of rivers
meriting improvement by the general
government. The reason for this was
hat the river had become unnavigable
through neglect, widening channel and
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