The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-12-06
MiIIers and Street Railway Officials
Wondering if the Mississippi
Is Running Dry.
Mills Use Steam, Street Car Power
Insufficient Low Stage Unprec-
edented at This Season.

Is the Mississippi river running dry?
That is the question of "great pith and
moment" which the chief representatives
OF the vast interests depending wholly or
in part upon the water power to drive the
wheels Of giant industries at Minneapolis
have been anxiously asking each other
during the last week.
While the sources Of the Mississippi may
be in no danger Of early exhaustion, the
extraordinary low stage of water in the
river at this season has caused serious
inconvenience to the milling companies
whose immense plants cluster about the
falls, and to the street railway system,
which for several years past has been de-
pending wholly upon the power generated
below the falls to run the street cars Of
the two cities.
Already the large milling companies
have been forced to employ auxiliary
steam plants in five large mills at the
esoIo OF 10 1904 9ql 10 UosGes 4s9Isnq
down. This emergency developed Wednes-
day. To-day the Twin City Rapid Transit
company authorizes the statement that
the water has reached such a low stage
at the lower dam that power is insufficient
to propel the cars in Minneapolis and st.
Paul and on the suburban lines. The
street railway company has been forced to
go back to the partially dismantled steam
power houses which generated power in
the old days, which are now unable to
oil he
sulting loss to the street railway company
and the mills will be heavy.
Ice or Logging Dnmsf
Several reasons have been advanced to
explain the remarkable shrinkage in the
river. The officials Of the milling COM
panies say it may be due to a congestion
Of anchor ice up stream. Cold weather,
they argue, would close the surface of the
river and insure steady stream. An
other reason, which may be partial eX-
PLANTATION of the shrinkage so far as the
mills are concerned, is that the Pillsbury
"A' mill, which has been undergoing al
terations and repairs since July IA,
started up Monday. A large quantity OF
water would thus have been diverted
from the use of the other mills.
With orders waiting and the mills run
ming to their full capacity, the notice re-
ceived by the mills from the power COM
pany to shut off a part of their turbines
created a great big stir in the milling
district Tuesday. The order went into
effect early Wednesday morning, when the
Pillsbury- Washburn company stopped
using water at it's "B" mill, the Wash
burn-Crosby company at its &c" and Min
neapolis mills; the Consolidated company
at its Excelsior and Columbia mills.
By all odds the most serious feature OF
the situation is it's effect on the transpor-
tation facilities of Minneapolis and St.
Paul. The explanations of the shortage
of water, given by the milling officials
will hardly apply to the street railway
company. Conditions imposed by the
mills themselves and affecting simply the
head of water at the falls would nardly
have the same effect below the apron
The street railway officials, while at loss
for any certain explanation Of the slug
gish flow of water, believe that lumber
ing operations in the north, where tr1bu-
tary streams are damned up for logging
purposes. may diminish the volume or
water to a considerable extent.
Street Cars Hard Hit.
Within the last few days the Twin City
Rapid Transit company has been brought
face to face with condition so serious III
it's curtailment of the power supply fur
nished by the st. Anthony Falls water
Power company as materially to handicap
the company in the operation of its cars
throughout its system in Minneapolis and
St. Paul.
For the first time in many years-per-
haps in the history Of the city-the stage
of water in the river has diminished to
such an extent as to furnish very little
water power comp ed to that which re-
suits from the ordinary flow.
Since the utilization of the immense
water power below the Falls Of st. An
thony first became an accomplished fact,
the street railway company has extended
its capacity for handling cars over great
distances, far beyond that which could
obtain by the use of ordinary power
houses. Now that the water power is be-
ing interfered with, however, temporarily,
it may be, the company finds itself unable
to generate sufficient power, by bringing
every possible expedient to bear, to run
the cars on a schedule evenly approx
mating that obtained before quicker serv-