The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-05
THE SINGLE STRUCTURE AS OF
LESS INTERFERING AND
MORE POWER.
FLETCHER SHOWS DIFFICULTIES.
Says Change Would Delay the
Work and Possibly XIII
the Scheme.

neapoliS and st. Paul has been report
ed upon at full length by Engineer
Tanning. The fact that Engineer Fan
ming was at work upon such an inves-
LEGATION was not generally known, and
the publication came in the nature of
a surprise.
w. H. Eustis knew of the work which
Mr.. Tanning had undertaken, and, al
though his loyalty to Minneapolis is
never questioned even when a CUB
ernatorial nomination is in sight, he
is strongly in favor of the single dam
idea. Mr. Eustis said yesterday: ut is
matter of great Importance to the
city that the right proposition, what
ever it may be, should be adopted
Heretofore l have been of the opinion
that the two-dam idea was the proper
one. Mr.. Fannings report convinces
my Judgment that one dam is better
for all purposes than two dams. If
one dam will do the work Of two dams,
then the one dam plan is the simpler
and stronger proposition. The con-
Struction of the dams by the govern
ment is solely for the purposes of nav
igation, and if you have two dams,
then every boat coming to Minneapolis
will have to be locked twice, doubling
the time and risk and expense in dou-
Bile locking. The one high dam would
be, in my judgment, very much prefer
able for navigation to the two dams
for these reasons.
Incidentally, the one high dam would
give US a large body of slack water,
extending all the way from Minnehaha
creek to the Washington avenue bridge.
Here large number of boats could be
conveniently and safely harbored. But,
if we had the second dam, it would
divide the space and substantially de-
stroy the usefulness for that purpose.
With the one high dam we would have
a beautiful body of water deep enough
so that at all times during navigation
boats of all sizes would float about
with ease and safety.
eff the dam is to be considered with
view to the possible future use for
power, provided arrangements can he
made with the government for such
purpose, then the one dam presents
marked superiority over the double
dam. During the long period in which
the question of these dams has been
under consideration, a decided change
has taken place in reference to their
Importance in the development of the
city. The evolution and development
of electricity, while it has enhanced
the value of water power, has at, the
same time leSsened the Importance of
the location of the dam. The problem
now is to convert the water power into
electricity and using the electricity as
the applied power. For all practical
purposes the location of dam No. l is
as valuable to Minneapolis as that of
dam No. .. IN the transmission Of
electricity, the city difference amounts
to a trifle. With the two dams, in
case the power is utilized the con-
Struction and maintenance of two cleo
trio power stations must be met,
whereas one dam means the cost OF
only one power house and greater
power. These three mighty dams, two
in the heart of the city and one within
the city limits, will secure for all time
to come the prestige and supremacy
of this as a commercial center.
81 repeat, am in favor of the prop
osition for single high dam, but only
upon the SuppoSition that it is feasible
for us to secure, through governmental
channels, a substitution of the one
high dam for the two dams. If this
cannot be done, then the two-dam sys-
tenn should be adhered to- The appro-
priations and legislation in favor of the
two dams should remain intact until
proper authority has been secured for
the substitution of the one large DAM.
1t will be time enough to let go of the
tWodam scheme when we have secured
the high-dam one"
In order that the matter might be fully and
fairly presented, this interview and the re-
port OF Mr.. Tanning were represented to the
attention of Congressman Fletcher. He had
read the report of Mr.. Tanning and when
he had concluded the reading of Mr.. Eus-
It's views, he dictated the following as his
views of the proposition:
Il have read with interest the report Of
Mr.. Tanning and the view of ex-Mayor Eustis
upon the subject of new high-dam plan,
either Of them, for the following reasons
Several years ago Col. Mckenzie, then in
charge of the work on tht upper Mississippi
river, and since promoted to assistant chief
engineer and placed in charge of all the
work on the Mississippi, was asked to formu-
late a plan in the interest of navigation on
great care and study, and the work has been
going on for several years under his direc-
ton, carrying out the plan as he formulated
it. Col. Mckenzie and his associates have
given years of their best professional service
to the working out of what for lack of bet
ter designation 1 shall call the present two
dam plan for extending the navigation to
Minneapolis, and it will be very difficult, l
apprehend, to convince them that any other
plan would be just as good. These gentle
men have made the improvement of the Mis-
sissippi and other rivers life study, and 1t
certainly would be strange If they did not
understand the subject much better than
those of who have at best given only
few weeks consideration to the proposition.
ANY interference at this time means long
delay and, in my judgment, involves the
permanent abandonment of the improvement.
I have talked the matter of high dam over
with Col. Mckenzie and his assistants and
l am positive we never will get their indorse-
ment Of the high-dam proposition. Without
this Endorsement no congress will make
appropriation to carry on this or any similar
ENTERPRISE. For these reasons l opposed
to any interference with plan upon which
thew have spent so much time and labor and
thought to perfect AS the plans are now
substantially completed, the right of fowage,
which has detained us for the past year and
a half is very nearly all secured, with but
two or three small interests yet to be heard
from and from these we have a promise of
full satisfaction within a few days. so, II we
are not interfered with, it is my opinion the
work will be commenced this fall and carried
forward to completion without unnecessary
delay.
"This improvement is made entirely in the
interest of navigation and upon no other pre-
text would congress make an appropriation
for river Improvement. The water power Is
a matter purely of incidental consideration
to the government, and while it is of i'm
portance to these two cities, and apprehend,
will not be ignored by the engineers Of the
government, we cannot ask for such an ex-
penditure of money simply to give these two
cities valuable water power. The interests
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