Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1906-10-12
NOTED CASCADE PERIL
Biologists Fear the Destruction
of Minnehaha Falls.
MINNEAPOLIS FAMED BEAUTY SPOT
Sandstone Ledge IL Being Eaten
Away, Say GeoIogists-May lie Saved
with Cement Wall - Minneapolis
Likely To Act, as the Falls Are
Great source of Profit.


Biologists have learned that Mime.
haha fails the famous beauty spot OF
Minneapolis which Is known To nearly
every school boy and girl in the INIT
ed States through LuugieliDW's Hid
watha." is in danger OF beng destroy
ed. says Il special dispatch from Min
ueapolis TO the New York Times. Eat
ug its way through the sandstone
ledge over which the water pourS, the
stream has now worn the rock almost
down to the loose DRIFT of glacial de
post. This means that unless this
ledge is propped up and the erosion
stopped the falls IN their present PIE
turesque form will he gone. with moth
ing in their place but an ugly rapid.
The recession of Mnnchahl has been
FASTENED 10y the heavy rains Of the Last
few seasons. The falls have been uni
formly in good volume, and the wear
Ing action of the water has been very
rapid But the more damaging work
has been wrought by the frost and the
spray attacking the face of the ledge
about midway between the foot and
crest of the falls. BY this inSidious
action the ledge has been undermined
so that the recess back OF the falls is
fully thirty feet wide
When the preparation of the wall OF
sandstone Is complete, which may he
within few years, it is incyita lie that
the stratum which forms the crest OF
the falls will topple over and Mime
haha falls will be little more than Il
memory. This topping over of the
upper stratum has taken place once
before in the memory Of people now
living.
The alarming report Of the BIOLOGISTS
who have been investigating Mime
haha means lot to Minneapolis. once
before in her history the city faced
trouble over waterfall Minneapolis
was founded just in time 10 demon
strate that the Falls of st. Anthony
We're well fitted for the Development Of
'''N' l'NNAs iI''l Nll' Ntllltllltlll
been delayed 100 years there would
have been little If anything at Min
neapolls to prompt the building up OF
q great industrial center and the big
gest flour mills in the world
AT one time, so the biologists say, the
Mississippi plunged over ledge of
rock in the peighborhood of Fort smell.
Ing. fifteen miles below the present II.
cation of st Anthony's falls. The ac-
ton of the water cut the ledge back
until the cataract came to the point
where the pioneers built a town and
named It 81. Anthony. This town he.
came Minneapolis.
st. Anthony's falls continued to re.
cede, and the villagers were distressed,
fearing the total ohlitcratlon Of Il q wa.
ter power already partly developed and
recognized as the one thing that woul,I
create great city. Work was under
way to stop the up stream march OF
the cataract when in Il day the ledge
crumhled and left the water sVirIinr
and foaming in useless fashion ahout
the wreckage, Every ablehoGied man
IN and near the city was drafted rs n
helper In the work Of preservation, and
now the continuing power of the falls
Is assured by a gigantic but mloveIy
apron.
In the case Of Minnehaha there is no
water power at stake, but the cascade
made famous byfthe poet is one of tho
strongest assets of Minneapolis, Nine
OUT OF ten tourists who stop in Mime.
apolis even for an hour or two 90 to the
pace or apologize to themselves for
missing it. Long before MinncapoliS
had become big city it was known
as Minnehnha Falls.
lt is held by those who have inter.
eS'ed themselves in the project that
the recession can he partially if NOT
permanently stopped by a wall of go.
meht, which would insure that the nm.
dermining process will 90 no farther
Inc wall could be rouglened 50 thot
IL would appear less artificial or if
might even be faced with rock from
the ledge, so that to the unlinowng
there would be little or no evidence NJ
mans handiwork