The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-08
SAYS ID. S. b. JOHNSTON OF THE
RIVER BETWEEN THE TWIN
CITIES:
EXPERTS SHOULD EXAMINE.
QUESTIONS OF HIGH OR Low DAMS
orr OF LOCATION NOT MOST
IMPORTANT.
THREE IMPORTANT
POINTS,
Which He Thinks Twin City COM
mittee Should Look
Into.

speaking regarding Twin City indus
tries paying special attention to the
| present agitation regarding the new
dams, says:
Il believe Minneapolis belongs to st.
Paul, and St Paul to Minneapolis,
just as firmly as | believe ST. Anthony
| belonged to Minneapolis and Mime
| apolis to st. Anthony when | went
! there in the early fifties. The Twin
! Cities are destined to form one future
great city, and whatever may be said
or done, children are now going Sto
school in both cities who will see 1T.
| There are. two ways to grow a, tree.
t One is to set it out in an open pasture
and let cattle tramp around and rub
against it. The other is to fence and
/ take care of it. Much of the growth
of the Twin Cities comes from favor
able location, but more from early
| protection and care. Each, however,
has thus far depended upon it's own
| unaided eXertions.
| I'VE now have an object lesson in
! viting combination of effort. The cap
stones of the great Pillsbury-W
burn dam at Minneapolis had hardly
| Twin City Street Railway company
leased the 10000 horse power made
possible by it, to run the street cars
of both cities, using 5000 horse power
for the purpose, the remaining 1900
to be wired where there is demand,
and whoever in either city speaks first
will probably get it.
THE ITUATION.
Maj. Jones, who succeeded Maj.
| Allen as government engineer at this
point, not long since estimated that a
| forty-foot dam at Fort Smelling, con-
structed for power and navigation pur
poses, would generate 10000 horse pow
| er at low water and $4,000 at high wat
er. He estima ted that such a dam
could be built and equipped with
! hydraulic lift for passing steamboats,,
| a sluiceway for logs, with ample ar
engagements for carrying off floods, and
with assurance of navigation to Min
neapolis at all river stages, for the
sum of 81 250 600. He also estimated
that for navigation purposes three
dams could be erected at different
points in the river between Fort Smell
Minneapolis with a combined lift of
thirty-nine feet, for 81 1929 06.
"Since that time, Maj. Mckenzie has
| made report to the war department,
showing where these three dams should
be placed, and what the lift of each
should be- He says: TO provide nav.
| igation to the old steamboat landing,
| below the Washington avenue bridge
in Minneapolis, two locks and dams
will be required. Lock and dam No. J.
is placed just above Minnehaha creek,
with life of 1873 feet. Lock and dam
No. 2 is placed about 1000 feet below
the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul
railway bridge below Meeker's island,
with a lift of 1873 feet. To provide
navigation to the Pillsbury Washburn
dam, about 1900 feet below the Fails
of st, Anthony, will require third lock
and dam, placed at the head of the
rapids, about half mile delow the
| steamboat landing, with a lift of 10.l
feet.
ITO give a better understanding of
this subject, 1 submit the following
| table based upon survey made Ill
| the summer of 1887, by Maj. Allen,
| then government engineer at this point.
| Distance Fail Of
| by River Wafer
| From Channel Surface.
Chicago, St. P. NJ & O. rail-
way bridge to Fort Smelling
bridge .........................4. 151 $40
Fort Smelling bridge to Mime
haha creek ....................1 lS0 2.0U0
M:nnehaha creek to foot of
Meekers island ............. $40 IL. TIA
Foot of Meeker's island to head
| Head of RAPIDS to Tenth ave
nue. bridge Minneapolis B. =. 4 .53S 49, ZIG
! Tenth avenue bridge to apron
on st. Anthony falls. ........ O.3l6 $500
WHAT SHALL BE DONE?
Let the different commercial bodies
of the two cities appoint committees
to look into this matter. Let these
/ committees Jointly consider three ques-
| tons.
First-Will the high dam project develop
more electrical power than the government
system of lew dams? If so, how much? This
must be settled by experts.
Second-If nc practical difference be found
| will the United States allow the power made
! possible by the three dams to be utilized for
manufacturing purposes? If so, what are the
! conditions? This will probably be answered
! by the authorities at Washington.
Third-Wl! any vessei rights be disturbed
( by high dam built for combined power and
! navigation purposes? If so, what and where
| are they.
when this committee reports we
| shall be in possession of facts for fur
| Their action, if any be needed But
| whatever be done, both cities should re-
member one fact The time is forever
! past WltH Q1dulS nave De
/ located on or near a dam to get the
| benefit of the power controlled by it,
! The time is also coming rapidly nearer
! when powerful manufacturing interests
/ will everywhere be arrayed against
! setting precedentS fer granting govern
/ tnent aid to projects that waste wa
! ter power, even for navigation purposes,
/ Once clearly prove that use of water
| for the development Of power and nav
| igation of the Mississippi can be eco
| nomically combined, and that these two
| cities will be unit in the effort. and
there will be no more doubt about
| swinging promised and expected gov
| eminent appropriations into line with
it, than that the year 1900 is coming
| If single high dam will best do this,
! let us have it, and combination of eff
! fort to push it. If three low dams will
do just as well, let there be equal COM
| bination of effort to push that, and no
| foolish short-sighted obstruction be
attempted anywhere. Questions of To-
cation and how to do it come after
| wards. Let US first learn the A Of
this matter.
Thus far oblivious to our grand
future as children to the possibilities
| of manhood, we have squabbled over
our dish of suds to see whose soap bub-
| bles should fly highest. Let us now
show the world that we are of age, and
| ready for business"
AUGSBURG GRADUATES.