The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-07-10

| tention to the work in the Roseau
channel, was waiting the party with
a launch, which the members imme-
diately boarded and were taken
down the river for couple of miles,
where the Doctors cook barge and
dredge were stationed and at work,
a I'd where the launch was loaded
with edibles and viands that would
have made king smile.
A few minutes was given to the
inspection of the work by the big
dredging machine, which is engaged
IL deepening the channel of the
river to depth of six feet and for
a width of forty feet. This work is
only necessary in places, and has
already been accomplished for dis
lance of three miles from Roseau
lake down to the present point. The
machine is kept at work night and
day, electricity from dynamo on
the barge furnishing light for the
night work. The great shovel is
forced to make a plunge into the
bottom of the channel and remove
a cubic yard of dirt twice every
minute, the depositing being on the
banks of the stream. Eight cords
of wood are daily consumed in furn-
ishing steam for the work, and this
wood is secured from along the
banks of the river. DR.. Beard has
perfect system in carrying on the
dredging, and his work met with
the hearty approval of every MEM
Der of the commission.
The launch took the party down
the river for twenty miles, going
over rocks hidden by the water with
but very little damage. During the
last five miles it passed thru what
is known as the great Roseau swamp.
and where it is almost as wild as
it was 100 years ago. A possible
shanty or two, erected for hunting
and fishing purposes, alone breaks
the monotony of that wilderness,
which Engineer Ralph, by his plan
of Strengthening and deepening the
Roseau river channel, proposes to
throw open to settlement, and make
the richest farming lands of the
world.
What is this so-called swamp?
Look as far north as the Canadian
line, and as far south as the poplar
groves that skirt the sand ridge on
which are located the towns of
Badger and Greenbush and you will
see nothing but. what appears to be |
a vast meadow on which today there
is growing hay enough to feed the
horses and cattle of the United
States superb hay that would cause
the husbandman, could he but reach
it, to smile with joy.
Why isn't the land settled? Con-
ditions are peculiar up there. The
Roseau river is wide but shallow.
It's banks run from foot to three
feet higher than these fertile lands
back of them. The moment that the
spring floods, caused by snow and
rain, overflow the banks these vast
acres are overfown and are rendered
impossible to access for man or
team, and these conditions, when |
the water once overfows the banks,
continue during all of the tillable
season.
What is Mr.. Ralph's plan? 1t will
be successful, let it be said at the
outset. He proposes to deepen the
channel, where the channel needs
deepening, and to straighten the
river by cut-offs. where feasible.
and some of these cut-offs are half
a mile in length, and thru these two
plans to create such a depth and
current that forever hereafter the
water will remain in its banks, no
matter how great the flood, and this
soil will be forever reclaimed to the
settlers.
What is his additional plan? An
experimental ditch is already the
sequel. 1t is known as the Badger
Skunk river ditch. With the chan
mel deepened and Strengthened. ditch
es similar to this one, which al
ready runs into the Roseau river on
shallow plan, will perfect the work
of draining this immense tract. The
DoJco,. Cl,Y,,L ,ixyor ditch Is Joipcr