The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-13
MINNEAPOLIS STATEMENT
Commercial Club and City Council VI
hold the Reservoirs

The statement of the Minneapolis
Commercial club, given by it's public
affairs committee, was as follows:
The Commercial club of Minneapolis
favors the maintenance of the govern
ment reservoirs on the headwaters of the
Mississippi river, and begs to be permit
ted to enter an emphatic protest against
any change in method Of operation which
would lessen their efficiency. $500
The Commercial club of Minneapolis Is
an organizat ton with 1900 members, rep
resenting the many varied industrial
enterprises carried on within the limits
Of a city conta lining 100000 inhabitants
and with property aggregating pwards of
and property aggregating upwards of
$3.50, 900, 900 in value. A city with bank
clearings of $1,000, 100000 per annum; re-
ceiving in it's elevators 0,000,0 900 bushels
Of grain each year and producing $780,
600, 900 in manufactured articles annually
The Mississippi flows thru the center Of
the city and in and along its banks are
interests Of large commercial Importance.
There are costly water power improve
ments for machinery, light and transport
tation purposes; there are manufacturing
plants IF many kinds saw mills which
turn out Sb, 900 900 feet Of sawed lumber
per year, and there are flour mills Of 25,-
O00 900 barrels annual capacity, which are
run by power from the river.
And the Commercial Club believes that
it fairly exp1 esses herein the sentiments
and wishes of the inhabitants Of this
great American city. e
Results of Reservoirs.
The five reservoirs established by the
federal government between 1884 and 1895
haye, during the period Of their operation,
been of value too great to be estimated
in money. They have made regular nav
igation possible between Brainerd and
the village Of Grand Rapids. They have
aided in transporting to market from
places not reached by railroads, such i'm
mense quantities of timber as figures are
Inadequate to describe. They have
maintained Minneapolis and st. Paul as
the head of navigation for large steam
boats, and have been a factor in keeping
freight rates to the Atlantic seaboard and
the south within reasonable limits. Com
merce on this portion Of the river would
have been Of much larger proportions in
the past had it not been for the existence
of the deep water way to the east by way
Of the Great Lakes.
The Mississippi valley has never had
communication with the Pacific coast ex-
cept by way Of the overland routes, but
with the completion Of the Panama canal
reasonably to be expected within the next
few years, a new route is possible, Which
the maintenance Of navigation on the up
per Mississippi will make practicable and
serviceable and of inestinable value tt
Minnesota.
We submit that these reservoirs have
been Of advantage to navigation which
was the primary object sought by theil
establishment, and have also served tt
| mitigate floods, which was their second
airy purpose.
! It has been reported by the officers il
charge, and by the various boards o
United States engineers appointed to in
| vestigate, that with the existing reser
voirs it has been possible to raise ant
maintain the level Of the river at ST. Pau
for a period of ninety days extending thru
out the low-water months Of the year
and that the beneficial effects upon navi
4 cation are experienced al lalong tn
river. The original project called for tn
! establishment of forty-one reservoirs. i
4 place Of forty-on there have been fiv
| constructed, but it appears from the Off
/ cial reports Of twenty years operation
4 that these five have demonstrated thei
great usefulness to navigation and it
within the knowledge of people who hav