The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-27
EYES OPENED At
IAYLORS FALLS
MAGNITUDE OF. WORK SURPRISES
PARTY FROM MINNEAPOLIS.
Large Portion Of Huge Concrete Dam Is
Already In and Work Is Being Rushed
Night and Day, Altho Company Finds
It Hard to Get Workmen Construc-
A tion Imposing for solidity.

| The visit of Minneapolis aldermen,
city officials and members Of the Retail
Dealers association to Taylor's Falls
yesterday to inspect the immense water
power improvements being carried on
by the st. Croix Falls Minnesota I'M
provement company opened the eyes Of
the. Minneapolis men to the magnitude
| that the company IS building on sub
stantial basis and is spending hundreds
of thousands of dollars, and that is
what the company wants the citizens
Of Minneapolis to know.
Picturesque Taylors Falls will not
know itself in few short months. At
the foot of the big cliff Of traprock on
the Wisconsin shore will be q power
house filed with the latest electrical
wide curve up and across the river
there will be a concrete dam so feet
high and 74O feet long. A large por-
ton Of the dam is already in, enough
| to give some idea Of the magnitude Of
the improvement. It is all being done
for the benefit Of Minneapolis, for the
company will develop q 200 horsepower,
it to Minneapolis, forty miles away.
Only 10000 horsepower IS developed at
St. Anthony falls and the comparison
Indicates in measure what the under
taking amounts to-.
It Tas s1ty Of seventy years ear
now stands, and with it the waterpowe1
rights. He foresaw their possibilities
and intended to improve them, but his
plans. for some reason or other, came
to naught, and his right later came
into the ownership Of Isaac Staples, the
wealthy lumberman Of Saltwater, who
however, also failed to improve thu
property. -...
came into possession Of Stone & Web
ster of Boston, general managers Of tn
company, the Minneapolis General Elec
, trio company and other large enter
prises They have secured fowag
, rights ten miles above the Nevers dam
> which is eleven, miles above the neV
> dams. They will raise the water o
> the river fifty feet, and where tn
, stream is busy rapids rushing. thru
narrow gorge, It will become virtual.
= an immense lake, more than twent.
miles long and, in some places, a thlr
of mile wide, suitable for all kind
steamer. In addition, the company ha
7 secured private right Of way slxt
feet Wide from the falls to MinneaT
oils. a distance of forty miles, for it
transmission line. The right Of way ha
!? been cleared of trees. and underbrusl
and is about ready for the transmi'
sion wires When the big el Sc 1 p1af
the day, but it will be by next sprinll
at least The work is delayed by tn
Inability of the superintendent OF CO,
j struction to get more men. he has ~
: men on the day shift and 100 on th
s night, but would be glad to double tn
s force could he find the men,. -,
IS 1t is the hardest task he and his e; g
It sistant engineers ever undertook, II
n traprock, of which a mountain, IS 3
e ing removed 10 make room for tt
IA canal. uewer-housei tail race, wasteWa
f. and log sluice, is so hard that it max.
h granite look like a piece of putty. II
q diamond-pointed steam drills seem
d have no effect whatever, Wh1le the sto1
W. crushers are broken every. few, DAY
- Seven or eight shafts have been broke
y STRAIGHT across in the little while TIL
g these shafts are eight inches in dia1
le eter and Of the best steel, it shoV
49, that the traprock has some powers OF
- sistance. In return, however, 1t IS apo
n as fine material for concrete work
n an engineer could wish. Immense mass {!
to are SET in the concrete wall for bindi1
e The courses and the different sectio
Ia of work.
te The company has erected a large
~ fee building on the main "a street or R1,;S
is Croix Falls, which is the largest bull
IL inc in the village It is a two-sto,
f. hrick structure, and is being used
k the thee engineers, craftsmen and the Gle
w cal force employed in the constructic
is The old Perkins house has been rebu
by the company and supplied with me
e. ern improvements, including wide "
II. andas, and is fitted # up pas as a nome d.
ar | Climb house Tor the engineers.