Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-09-17
UNITED STATES
TAKES A HAND
ISLANDS IN ST. MARY'S RIVER
ON GOVERNMENT RESERVE.
OWNERSHIP IN DISPUTE
Firm Has Built Large Hydraulic
Works-Water Power Company In
terested-May Render Big Canal
Worthless.

Marquette, Mich, Sept 1.-THE
United States is to take a nand in the
litigation that has been in progress
concerning the water power of ST.
Mary's river at the 500 and it's adj
vent places an entirely new aspect o..
the suits being carried on by the
Chandler-Dunbar company against tie
Consolidated Lake Superior company.
United States Dist. Atty. Covell OF
Grand Rapids has filed bill of com.
plant in the United States courts
here against the Chandler-Dunbar
people.
The purpose of the suit is to quiet
title to certain islands in the st.
Mary river, claiming the title of the
Chandler-Dunbar Water & Power
company is valid and void; that the
patent issued by the government was
without authority and all the laud
north of the so-called canal reserva
ton is now, and has been since 1S47,
a United States reserve
What is more important is the bear
ing the suit has upon the affairs of
the Consolidated Lake Superior COM
pany, and it comes as a sort of Sc
quel to the suit begun year ago by
the Chandler-Dunbar company against
the Michigan Lake Superior Power
company, one of the constituent COM
panies of the Consolidated Lake ST.
perior company.
Tho Cha Tlnnhor IN
extensive hydraulic works on the ST
Marys river. Around this the great
canal projected by Clergue was built,
beginning above the Chandler-Dunbal
plant and reaching below it, The
Chandler-Dunbar company claims that
the great volume of water that will be
diverted from the st. Marys river
through the canal, estimated at one
half the entire flow of the river. Will
render their plant and property abso-
| lutely worthless. An injunction is
sought in this suit to restrain the
Michigan Lake Superior company
from diverting any of the water from
the river and carrying it through their
canal. This suit is pending in the
circuit court for this county. If the
Chandler-Dunbar company should pre-
vail, it would mean that about $4,000
600 worth of property of the ConsoE-
dated Lake Superior company will
be worthless
Case Involves Millions.
The action of the government in
stepping in, with an evident intent IN
of ousting the Chandler-Dunbar com
pany, puts different phase on the
litigation. The fight has been one of
extreme bitterness and both compa-
nies have realized that they are wag-
ing war for their corporate exist
ence, with millions of dollars al
stake. The water power canal is one
OF the most valuable assets of the
Consolidated Lake Superior company
and the fact that by judicial decis-
ion it stands in danger of being total
ly destroyed has had a disquieting
influence upon the securities of tine
company, and has hampered the Off
GERS in their efforts to swing loans
and effect reorganization.
In the suit begun year ago the
Michigan Lake Superior Power COM
rany is acting on the defensive
Shaw, Warren, Cady & Cakes of De-
troit, its attorneys, were forced to ad-
nit the title of the Chandler-Dunbar
company. Now the Chandler-Dunbar
company is placed on the defensive,
and if the government establishes It's
ownership of the land on the St.
Mary's river, it will wipe out the
Chandler-Dunbar company and leave
the Consolidated Lake Superior com-
pany supreme on the American side.