Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-03-28
BOTTLE UP WATER POWER.
Plan for Great Dam at Head of Wis
consin River.

1
+ Tweedy, of Milwaukee and Franz
Garrison, of Grand Rapids, the right tC
construct immense reservoirs on the
upper waters of the Wisconsin. The
bill, it appears, is not having smooth
sailing through legislative halls, and III
speaking of the same the MilE!auKee
Fre1Press oss last Wednesday says, in
a dispatch dated at Madison
Improve and make staple water
power of the Wisconsin river and with
in a score of years there will be popu.
lation of 1,0O0,000 people in that valley,
said John Barnes, a director of the
Rhinelander Paper company in his
argument before the joint assembly
and senate committee on state affairs,
in favor of the Wipperman bill grant
ing to r. B. Tweedy, w. L. Edmonds
and Frank Garrison the right to build
reservoirs to control the flow of waters
in the Wisconsin river.
''The bill gives the grantees practi-
cal monopoly of the Wisconsin river
and all its tributaries.
ut gives them the right to erect and
maintain dams, sideways, locks and
other structures at any point on the
wisconsin river or its tributaries for
the purpose of improving the naviga-
ton OF the river and regulating the flow
of water therein, with the right to sell
or lease any waterpowers incidentally
created.
ut gives them the right, after they
have constructed or acquired and main
tained reservoirs sufficient in capacity
to store up the water power and to
charge and collect tolls, of their own
| fixing, from the owners or lessees of
each and every improved and operated
water power on the Wisconsin river or
its tributaries below such reservoir,
whether such power is benefited there
by or not, with a lien for such tolls
upon such water power and improve
ments. The only review is by an
engineers board whose decision is
final
"'We have the greatest water power
in the United States continued Mr..
Barnes. There is power enough in the
flow of the Wisconsin river to turn a
thousand mill wheels. Not one-tenth
of this number has ever been operated.
1t is true that some damage will be
done to the farmers of Oneida and Villas
counties by the proposed resource
system, but the bill makes its obliga-
tory for the company to compensate
for all damage that is done. We nave
no philantbropic motives in introduc-
ing this measure. We, as mill men,
expect to receive great benefits from
having steady flow of water.
"'Here want 10 answer one of the
arguments made by the opponents of
the measure. 1t has been said that
these reservoirs, which we wish to
establish will benefit alone the paper
mill men at Grand Rapids. 1t is i'm
possible to benefit the paper mill men
at Grand Rapids without benefiting
every man or company along the river
who owns or controls water power
"Assemblyman Everett, of Eagle
River, Villas county, spoke against the
measure. He said that if the reservoirs
are built it will ruin one of the great
natural parks of the state. "A little
sentiment should enter into this discus
sion,' said Mr. Everett. The building of
reservoirs in Villas and Oneida counties
will turn the beautiful lakes in those
regions into cesspools' Mr.. Everett
said that the bill was introduced in the
interest of the Grand Rapids mill men.
He argued that its passage would prove
a great detriment to the farmers of the
northern Wisconsin counties.
"Alex Reed, of Merrill, who opened
the argument for the advocates of the
measure, said that the mill men favor
ing the bill will accept any amendment
to the measure that the committees
have to offer
Ito show we have no ulterior
motives said Mr.. Reed, Il will now
suggest the bill be amended to that the
company receiving the permission OF
the Legislature to build the reservoirs
will not have the right to lease or sell
waterpower. l also make the sugges
ton that the bill be amended so that
the company cannot receive in excess
of per cent. net on the money invested
in the reservoir system
No action was taken upon the
measure by either the senate or assem-
ply committee
In relation to the plan the Milwaukee
Evening Wisconsin says:
"A member of the Wisconsin state
Senate said Monday that the project
promoted by r. B. Tweedy of Milwau-
kee and others to dam the lakes at the
head of the Wisconsin river in order to
maintain steady flow for water power
purposes throughout the summer was
in the interest of the paper and other
mill owners along the Wisconsin and
would be transferred to, aud owned by
them if carried ont. Water power
down the Wisconsin gets low in the
summer time and the owners want to
bottle up the high wat er in these lakes
and liberate it later in the season. said
the senator. The opp enents of the bill
are the owners of In e resorts on the
lakes. The high ws ter viii destroy
their summer shore lii hes ;"
At the last session <of the Legislature
three separate bills w,ere passed grant.
ing to Wausau parties rights to build
dams across the WI sconsin river al
points in the norther part of the
county, at Roth childs 4 nd at knowlton
Bills conveying such ri ghts have beer
passed at nearly every session OF the
legislature in years pas t. Now comes
a dispatch from Madi son dated las
Thursday, which says:
"AIl special acts of the legislature