The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-09-04
DEVELOP THE WATER POWER
Suggestion Made BY John c, Moe
Worthy of Gems deration.
From Tuesdays Daily.

To the Editor of The Free Press:
When | came to Mankato, away back in
the seventies, among the many natural
advantages set forth to me which this
city possessed, was an undeyeloped water
power. Over and over it was eXpound-
ed to me by some enthusiastic citizen,
that the rapids of the Blue Earth river,
a few miles from this city, dam and a
reservoir at any of a dozen places which
nature had supplied, and race way
acrossWest Mankato, would furnish in the
coming years all the power needed to
run many manufacturing establish
ment in this promising city. | began
after a while to have visions of a score
of manufacturing and industrial insti-
tutions in the near future, scattered all
the way from West Mankato to Hub
bard's mill. Twenty-Five years and more
have rolled by and this water power is
still undeveloped and the factories are
not yet located Perhaps interested par
ties in the consideration of the matter
have decided that the length of the need
ed race-way would occasion too great
an expense to be borne by the city and
its citizens. Long before my advent to
this city, the right of flowage on adjOin-
ing land at many points on the river be-
tween here and the Rapidan Mills, had
been secured by parties who thought that
in time a dam would have to be built for
the purpose of securing power for some
needed enterprise.
In these late years electricity has come
to the front, supplying power and heat
and light to points distant from the
power station and that which could not
crate expense be accomplished by trans
mitted power over wires.
The great dam just completed on the
Hudson river near Glens Falls. is to
generate heat, power and light all over
the upper Hudson valley, for trolley
lines, factories, lighting of villages, and
even for heating and cooking purposes
On the 2lst of the present month the
gates were closed and this great reser,
voir was filled, twenty-four hours elaps,
ing before the water began to flow over
the dam. During this time the river
bed below the dam became dry and per-
sons walked across it. On Monday of
the past week the first wheel turned
generating electric power, etc., for the
whole section.
done on a large scale in the Hudson
valley, can be done in a small way? Is
there not enough latent power in the
Blue Earth river at the rapids near the
Rapidan Mills, or those near the Walter
A. Woods farm, to generate all the elec-
tricity we need for trolley lines, power
for manufacturing purposes, lighting
heating and even cooking?
Students of electricity confidently pre-
dict that in the coming decade, electri-
city will supersede all other power and
light producers, and we who have wit
messed the wonderful advances in the
electrical world in the past twenty years
in our ignorance dare not question the
prediction.
Have we not reached point in the
history of our city, when this matter
should receive thoughtful attention?
Perhaps our civil engineers have al
ready enough knowledge of the river and
its rapids to tell us whether there is
anything feasible in this project. Would
it not be well for the common council
to cause this matter to be thoroughly in
vestigated? Or if that body does not
care to give it consideration, why cannot
the board of trade appoint committee
of the engineers of this community to
inquire into the merits of the project
with power to call in some consulting en-.
gineer who has had successful experience
in building reservoirs and utilizing water
powers?
JOHN G. NOE.
Mankato, Mimi, August 81, 1903.