The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-18
MICHIGAN
THE WEST NEEBISH
SHIP CHANNEL
PREPARATORY WORK WE'LL UN-
DER WAY--EXCAVATIO SOON.
Rock to Be Removed by Aerial Cable
Carrying Twenty Tons to the Load
Machinery to Be Operated by Com
pressed Air.
Special to The Journal.

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich, July 1S-One OF
the most important projects ever under
taken by the government In Its scheme
Of improving navigation on the Great
Lakes is that which contemplates a new
channel for ships at the West Neebish,
some sixteen miles below the 500. The
contractors have the preliminary opera
lions we'll under way, but the entire work
Is one of great magnitude and can scarce
ly be completed within four years, while
the cost VIII not be under the $4,0O0,0oo
already appropriated by congress.
The work as outlined has been divided
into three sections: First, that to be done
by the Gre1f;rs from the point Of diver
e ance o. the new ChaEnei from the old to
the beginning Of the rock cut at the West
Neebish; second, the rock cut proper, and,
third, dredging the channel from the low
er end Of the rock cut thru Mud lake to
the point Of conveyance with the old
channel. The preparatory work Is now
SO far advanced that by the middle OF
August the operations in the first section
Of the rock cut will be In the dry and
the channelers and drillers will then be-
gin the actual excavation of the waterway,
which is to make more easy and more
safe the passage Of the big freighters at
one of the most difficult points the
Great Lakes.
| Before work was started on the west
side of Neebish island, the water in places
scarcely covered the solid rock forma,-
ton, while in other. places it dropped off
into the pools from which fishermen have
for years taken out fine strings of bass,
perch and pike. Now theSe stretches from
the mainland to the island temporary
dam, which will soon entirely cut off the
! flow of water from above. One thousand
feet below the first temporary dam an
other Is being built, the two dams form.
ing the first section of the work at that
point. From four to six weeks Will Their
be occupied in pumping the water from
the area enclosed, after which the blast.
ing and excavatng will be begun.
In this first section Of 1000 feet there
are to be taken out 800, 900 cubic yards
of rock, which work, it Is estimated, will
require six or eight months time. The
rock will be removed from the scene O.
operations by means Of an aerial cable
line. the towers of which, each 108 fee
in height. with spans two Of 800 feet ant
two Of LOO feet, are now being com
pleted. The travelling cables these tower
will support will have a capacity Of twelv
tons to the load and will be the longest
in proportion to the load they are expect
ed to carry in the world. 49, IT,.
The machinery to be used in this grea
undertaking will be operated by com
pressed air. There has already been de
livered at the site $4,000 worth Of ma
chinery, and by the time the work O
excavation has been started there vii
be on the ground a plant valued at $3.50,
600. A total Of 1,050-horse power will b
furnished by the two compressors to be in
stalled. The foundations for the variou
pieces Of machinery have been completed
the galloway engines are en- route fror
New York, and everything IS expected t
be in readiness for the drillers by the tim
the first section has been pumped dry
i between Aug. 1 and Is.
: With the rock taken from the first sec
ton Of the rock cut, dam some dis
: structed, so as to shut off the water com
pletely from the channel, while anothe
from the same material will be construct
ed 5000 feet below or at the lower en-
n Of this portion of the work. All the wa
ter will then be pumped out from tn
n entire basin and work will proceed alon
u the whole length of the section, frol
which, in the aggregate, 100000 cub
\, yards of material must be taken GU
Practically all Of this material is rocl
N and much Of it will be suitable for buildin
purposes.
In the first division Of the entire projec
= in which might be included the work e.
!. ing on in the cut at the head of Sugs
island altho this is not strictly pa
~ of the West Neebish contract, there al
m employed at the present time ten dredge
m all taking out the stiff clay, which, whe
N once eXcavated, will not necessitate al
m other stroke of work at this point f
m twenty-five years to come One of the
III III dredges is the big Pan-American, tt
IN largest on the Great Lakes, Il
m dipper of which has a level CT
:, pacity of eight yards of the kind
Z material now being worked on, but whic
. because Of the tenacious character of t