The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-12-23
Will Be Available TOR Com
mercia1 Use.
NAVIGATION Is FIRST
That Protected, Surplus Water Will
Be Available for Power.
NO FAvoRITISM TO BE SHOWN
Treated AIike-No Street Rail-
way Application.

1t Is quite likely that the new power
which will be generated by lock and dam
No. at Meeker island will be put to COM
mercial uses. special dispatch to T e
Journal from its Washington bureau
says the government IS usually very gen
erous in matters Of this kind, and there is
no good reason why generosity should not
be shown the business men of Minneapo-
lis There is federal statute which auth
orizes the secretary of war, under suit able
regulations, which he is to draft, to per-
nit commercial uses to be made of water
power developed by government DAMS so
long as this use does not interfere wit h
navigation. The only purpose of the lock
and dam at Meeker island is to make the
Mississippi river reliably navigabIe be-
tween Minneapolis and ST. Paul This pur-
pose attained, any extra power or head
OF water coming as result of the i'm
provements may be put to use by the
business world; and it is assumed by the
war department that in time there will be
applications from Minneapolis people for
the extra power, under the statute re-
| ferred to. No applicat ions are yet on file
and there has been no intimation that any
are coming.
A rumor has been in circulation in
Washington that the Twin CITY Rapid
Transit company, whose water power
farther UP stream is inadequate and of a.
very uncertain quality, is about to make a
formal request for permission to appropri-
ate the power which the new lock and
dam will develop, but the war department
knows nothing about it. Nobody repre-
senting the company has thus far been in
Washington to look the matter up. Asked
about the conditions under which the
power would be available for commercial
purposes, high official in the engineers
department said to Th e Journal's
washington correspondent:
The question Of whether such uea ~ Tho
power as you suggest would interfere with
navigation would have tOf5a decided nv tbis
department, and 1t is likely that Major Hoxie
now IN charge, in report to the department
would give an opinion on this feature Of the
case Should it be decided that the use would
interfere with navigation, that would end the
discussion; but should the opposite oninior
prevail, the way would at once be open for
the granting OF permissions to divert mart
OF the head of water. The government owns
both river banks alongside the lock and dam
The water could not be taken across this gov
ernment land without a special act Of con-
gress, which might or might not pass The
simpler way would be for the company which
is to use the water to take 1t at some point
just above the governments riparian rights
The secretary nf war would in such case
have full power ip his discretion, to grant
the necessarw permission.
1t Is likely that a great deal Of power will
be developed by the new dam, and it seems to
me that 1t should be put to some profitable
use. The governments policy always has
been TO Permit this use, so long as navigation
was not interfered with Should there be a
number of applications for power, more than
covering that can be spared the department
will proceed very carefully in giving permis-
son Exact justice will be done each appH-
cant, to the end that no charges of favoritism
may honestly be made.
A few years ago we had a good deal of
trouble along the Fox river in Wisconsin
This is a navigable stream, one the records
Of the war Office, and when one paper mill
after another was built there, until finally
navigation was being impeded, owing to the
quantity of water and power the mills were
using, we had to interfere Several years
elapsed before the case could be satisfactorily
arranged The mills are now permitted to use
the water only when the river Is at or above
a certain stage. At low water times they
must get their power in some other way. I
do not know whether a similar condition
would arise at lock and dam No. q or not
but If it did, some regulation would be
made which would preserve a water supply
large enough for navigation.