River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-05-26

frequent ice packs later closed the har-
Dor. In 1873 the ice at the head of the
lakes did not break up until May 10, and
after it went out it came back and was
piled up until June II. In 1875 the ice
remained unbroken until May 3. In
1899 there was a reclOsing OF the har-
Dor: the third of May of that year l0
vessels were held fast in the ice mile
and a half out, the ice then extending
for three miles. 1t is thought by expert
enced observers that the vast amount
of ice now in the lakes will not all have
vanished until after the first of June.
AS there was an unusually heavy cut
in the woods made by the lumber COM
panies this winter, the weather in the
main having been excellent for logging,
the continued ice in the lakes is espe-
ctally veXatious to workers in this in
dustry. Companies situated on interior
lakes have had to thaw out the ice that
they might begin saving in preparation
for the opening of the season. The boil
crs are started, and then steam is con-
veyed under the ice in pipes, thus loosen
inc ND the old logs and lessening the
danger of overcrowding, which other
wise would later result in loss of prop
erty and hinder shipping. And in the
harbors of the large lakes, tugs are kept
busy breaking away the ice, that yes
sells may be transferred from winter
quarters to places where their cargoes
are to be loaded.
Troubles aplenty are caused by the
continued ice Sailors awaiting the sail
ing of their vessels are out of work, and
lately the lake towns have found in this
class considerable increase in the num-
Der of their Migrants; the men willing
to work, but lacking a job. And many
millmen, owing to the late opening of
the mills. have been out of work, many
of the mills just now starting up. On
the north shore of Lake Superior there
has been a considerable shortage of
staples. owing to the lack of lake COM
merce and the bad condition of the
roads. Isle Royal. on which few peo
pie have wintered this year, has been
ice-bound for months, the dwellers there
being as completely isolated as though
on an unchartered island in midoeean.
ll
determined efforts were made to break
the power of the ice in the northwest
lakes. and as yet not q great deal of prog
ress has been made towards the goal
of aIl-seasOn traffic. The crushing
boat Algoma, the pioneer in it's line
of marine architecture, was built to keep
the Straits of Mackinaw open so ferry
boats between the two peninsulas of
Michigan could continue their journey
ings throughout the winter The boat
was the result of extremely careful study.
and the principles employed in her
makeup proved the right ones; but it
was found she was too light in weight
to accomplish the work desired. She
was small, of 500 tons burden, but
equipped with engines that developed
1000 horse power-a marine wonder at
the time. The theory was that she
would make an onslaught on the ice
with all the force with which her pow
erful engines could drive her, and then,
owing to her unique construction, would
be able to slide up and over the ice and
crush it by means of her weight-quite
different from the former battering
ram methods.
While the Algoma proved better in
strument than the battering-ram and
dynamite previously employed in ice