The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1901-07-27
The a Day by Day.

river, which was then known at st.
Peter river, was printed by g. B. Whit
taker, Ave Maria Lane, London. in 1879.
and that the name st. Peter originated
from an account of q voyage to 1t by
M. LIE Sueur in 1895. Father Hennepin,
who was carried captive past its mouth
by the Dakotahs in 1880, makes no men
ton of 1t in his narrative. Mr.. Nicollet
subsequently investigated the origin OF
its name, and concludes that 1t came
from a Frenchman named D. st. Pierre,
who located himself on the south side
Of its mouth at a very early period.
The name st. Peter seems to have
been known and accepted in very early
times, and was the name given to the
river by the government Instructions to
Maj. Long and retained in the Joint re-
port.
The fame Of the easy water commu.
| nication, at its source, with the waters
| flowing to Hudson's bay, was widely
| extended; but before the expedition OF
| Maj. Long very ideas pre-
vailed about the size and length of the
river, and in regard to the region II
drained.
1t now seems that the expedition OF
Maj. Long more or less came to GRIEF
III d pOlAI 1lCdA ooCoSob &AAAAAAA -"
there is al the present time the remains
of q vessel which, tradition says, was
stranded at this point and hat the oc-
cupants were massacred by the Indi-
ans. It is not probable that the occu-
pants were massacred, blu 1t is very
likely true that the vessel Belonged to
Maj. Longs expedition.
s. B. Elkins, secretary Of war, sub.
mitted the report on Feb. 8, 1892, to
| congress-, of Maj. William A. Jones, in
which Maj. Jones estimates the holding
| capacity Of Big Stone leke and Lake
Traverse at II. 306, 600, 900 cubic feet; he
says thai the probable average output
| of the drainage area Of Big Stone lake
is 20.145, 1897, 04S cubic feet.
Hence, If additional holding ground
can be found below Big Stone lake, and
this is probable, we could reasonably
expect to have for the Minnesota river
&c 1925, IT, 900 cubic feet during the whole
of an average year.
This would permit the following dis.
charge into the rivers: 1900 cubic feet
per second for 90 days, during the X
IRENE low-water period Of Aug. Is, Sep
TENDER, October, Nov. Is; 926 feet per
second for 122 days during April Is,
May, June. July, Aug. Is; 200 cubic feet
per second for 1872 days, or during the
winter months when rivers are frozen
up.
It is evident that 1880 cubic feet pei
second added to the Mississippi at st.
Paul and the mouth of h st. Croix.
during the extreme 10y stage will have
considerable effect upon that reach of
water, and probably enable boat to
reach st. Paul during the whole of the
boating season.
During the year 1891, when the Mis-.
sissippi fell to q zero stage at points
just below the influence of the reser-
voirs maintained a stage Of 1.5 at ST.
Paul. From the table of gauge read
ings made in h same year. it appears
that 1900 cubic feet per second added
from the Minnesota and the combined
reservoir effect, would have produced a
stage of 2.5 feet at st. Paul. At this
stage boats from St. Louis can readily
come up.
Col. r. Davenport stated in his paper.
read before the Tri-State Drainage ass
ISOLATION at C%rookston, that the COM
plete survey of Big Stone lake and Lake
Traverse, Minnesota, which was re-
ported to the war department on Dec.
8, 1897, gives the total holding capachy
of the ewo lakes as 1856, 710, 600 cubic
feet less than was estimated by Maj.
Jones'. It will be noticed, however.
hat Mai. Jones proposed to include In
the reservoir of Lake Traverse q tract
| of land some fifteen miles long by one
and one-half to two miles wide, extend-
ing north Of the present open waters OF
Lake Traverse, which is now only oc>
supied by marshes and small pools OF
stagnant water; the survey OF 1897,
also, does not include any probable
holding capacity below Lake Traverse.
in the Minnesota river valley, nor does
the survey Of 1897 mention the project
proposed by Maj. Jones. Of divertine
the waters of the Otter Tail river val
ley into the Lake Traverse basin.
It would seem from h above factA
that Maj. Jones' estimate Of the bene>
fits to the Mississippi river to be de-
rived from the Lake Traverse and BIG
Stone basin were not over-estimated.
The benefits to be derived by anS
country in which a large body OF water
stands, by the increase Of h humidity
Of the atmosphere, would probably be
especially noticeable in and around
Lake Traverse and Big Stone x
There is a feeling among the people re-
sizing IN tnat SeSlAoA VI sAS So
that should the government make OF
these two lakes storage basins, they
would be materially benefited, especial
" during dry seasons. by the presence
in their neighborhood of a large body
|. Of water. The population Of the Min
nesota river valley would be greatly
benefited by the corrying out Of h
plan. AZ the Minnesota river would be
changed to something Of its former re.
spectacle proportions.
DIsCOURAGEs DIVORCES.
CRIMINAL P~rosecution IL to Follow
Violations Of Any Law.
Richmond. Va, July. %. ~ Rev. Dr..
Richard McIlwaine offered q resolu-
ton IA the constitutional convention
.,as.h 70 nn~roftod : IN the organic