Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-08-14
OFFER TO PAPER MEN
Numerous Localities in the North
west After the Wisconsin
Manufacturers.
TROUBLE OVER WATER POWER
Gen Does Latest Order Has Dis
couraged the Mill Owners
7 ak of Removal

Oshkosh Wis, Aug 10-The fear is
expressed among those interested in the
growth of this city and the entire Fox
and Wisconsin river valleys, that the
recent agitation of the water question
here and at Appleton and the showing
made as to the lack of power, the de-
mands of the government and of the
steamboat men for navigation purposes,
will have a very serious effect on the pa
per pulp and milling industry.
As a matter of fact the mills in this
valley and this entire country have been
gradually getting further and further
away from their source of supply of pulp
woods for the past few years, until now
nearly all the wood used and ground in
the mills comes from long distances, much
of it from the Canadian country, and
from not less than 900 or 700 miles. The
cost of transportat ton, though by water,
IS no small item in the cost of pulp, and
will grow larger year by year, as the for
ests are gradually denuded. By reason
of this fact, and because of the showing
of poor power and troubles with water
rights that have been made of late,
number of ambitious points in the North
and Northwest have had their attention
called to the greatness of the industry
mere, and are beginning to take steps to
get 1t away if possible. Manufacturers
have had letters, it is understood, from
six cities at least, asking if there would
be any use in submitting propositions
and making attempts to get their plants.
The removal of any great share of them
would most effectually kill the steam
boating interests on the Fox and WiScOn-
sin rivers. There is abundant water
power at Munising falls, in the upper
peninsula of Michigan, to which the at
tentiOn of the manufacture has been
called many times. In Western Ontario,
foll IL,
Port Arthur, where is an available power
of not less than 10000 horses, the gov
eminent has stated that it stands ready to
aid in the improvement of the power and
TO lease woodlands. At Duluth the COM
Dany that proposes to supply head of
100000 horsepower above the city will
have a canal directly through the heart
of the finest pulp timber district left in
the Northwest, and has made offers to
the manufa cturers. On the ST. Louis
river. close by Duluth. the Philadelphia
company, owning all the water rights,
has plans for the erection of paper and
pulp mills on a large scale. At the falls
of the Rainy river at the outlet of Rainy
Lake, where there is available not less
than 10000 horsepower, the Minneapo-
lis owners have made overtureS to the
Depere and Menasha manufacturers
,kaukauna manufacturers are seriously
thinking of locating a large mill at Quin-
uesec Falls in Northern Michigan.
1t is likely to be a hard fight to keep
the manufacturers III this state unless the
steamboat men. who have the whole stu
alton in their hands, can be brought to
see the gravity of the matter, and what
they would lose were any general break
TO be made. Since the latest order Of
Gen. Doe has gone into effect the mill
men at Appleton and other points along
the river have become discoura ged. Many
are preparing to put in steam power, but
sonze of them will either wait for the pow
venient fields.