The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-15
DIAMOND REEF
DREDGED AWAY
SUBMERGED RIDGE REMOVED
FROM MINNETONKA.
Has Been a Menace to Life of Sailors
and Was Responsible for May
Queen Disaster - Contractors Have
Much Work to Do in Channel Clear
ing.

Diamond reef, Lake Minnetonka, is
only a memory. Commodore J. r.
Johnson of the L. M. T. company
Meet, the contractor engaged by the
board of county commissioners.
finished pushing it into the lake this
afternoon. No tears were shed. Since
the historical disaster to the pas
senger-laden steamer May Queen,
twenty-five years ago, launches and
sailboats innumerable have stranded
on this troublesome submarine ridge.
The commodore will at once begin
showing some more subaqueous noun
tains into the valleys in the lake bed.
Commodore Johnson's crew began
work May 20. Eight men have
worked time and one-half, or sixteen
hours day, including holidays and
Sundays, with dredge and barges.
/ of dirt and boulders and have cut the
reef, which was 1000 feet long, and
an average of 200 feet wide, down to
8 feet below the bench mark. All
craft can pass in safety in any direc-
ton, altho it is probable the large
course which has been followed for
a quarter of a century.
| The removal Of Diamond reef has
been called for since navigation in
the lower lake became general. The
work is believed to have resulted
Illlcilly IL Jill ldu1lCH lOuI S1FSll IllS
I county commissioners and board of
/ tax levy last summer by E. j. Phelps
and A. G. Loring. The county repre-
sentatives were shown how danger
Gus to life and property lake naviga-
ton there and elsewhere had been.
The contract was at about 20 cents
a yard, which is believed to have been
low figure, as some contractors
would not have attempted manipu-
lation Of the conglomeration of blue
clay and bOulders with a dredge at
any price. Some boulders weighed
several tons and the only way to dis
pose Of them was to roll them into
a new bed prepared underneath. The
. total cost was $3.50. Additional diff
; ficulties were steady hard winds and
: frequent storms.
The commodore will at once begir
his other work. He will cut a chan
, mel thru Halfmoon reef at Brackets
+ Point and forty-foot channel to lei
!. larger craft into Markville. In the
cut a channel thru Locks Point, anc
; from, Spray Island reef, near How
: ard Point, he will take off 1000 yard:
. Of dirt to make an eight-foot draft
: At Cedar Point the channel to Cook:
, bay will be widened thru the long rec
> for ten to fifty feet. Some work il
: to be done near Excelsior and all fin
:, ished this fall.
The now famous Johnson weed
: cutter, operated by three men, began
, it's work Saturday in st. Adams bay
= = The county contract is for sixteen
foot channel at s25 mile. The cut
ter will finish county work befor
: private contracts are accepted. From
l st. Adams it will continue around tn
> Jake thru all the channels, in Cook
! bay, Black lake, Harrison's bay, Rus
! sells pass, Stubs bay, Noerenberg'
: channel, Crystal bay channel, Car
I sons bay, and so on until the cours'
. is clear. The weeds will be dried anc
: burned. It is possible then that con
Z tracts may be made for outside lakes
$ such as Langdon, near Mound, as tn
e machine can be hauled overland. Thi
: weedcutter was built at the lake, an
as it is the first machine of the kim
: in Minnesota, attracts much attention