Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-11-07
COMPLETING WORK
ON DAMS IN SLOUGH
One of Biggest Undertaking of Govern
ment on Upper River.

The closing dams in the 12-mile,
or better known to river men as the
Cassville slough, is nearing compile
tion and a few days to come will
mark whas may properly be termed
one of the greatest engineering
achievements ever undertaken by the
government on the upper river. To a
person unacqusinted with the pro-
blem of damming off swiftly
flowing body of water and who has
not given the matter any study it
would appear perhaps an easy
matter hut such is not the case There
is equally as much ingenuity re-
quired in the work as in other things,
and particularly so in this instance.
where more than one half the volume
of water contained in the main
river is checked by dams of sufficient
strength to Withstand it's pressure
and thus force it's greater quantity
into one channel. Such has been
successfully accomplished in the
damming of the Cassville slough.
Other achievements of a similar
nature have been made along the
river north of La Crosse, put they
cannot compare with. the feat in
question when the fact is taken into
consideration that the volume of water
here is much greater than it is at the
up river points where the work was
done, below where several small
streams, including the Wisconsin
river, enter the. Mississippi, thus
adding materially to its volume and
force.
The Cassville slough, since the
beginning of navigation on the upper
Mississippi, has been to the naviga-
tor what a good road is to the lands
man. From the early days of steam
boating and rafting up until year
ago it had been held in reserve and
used by steamers during low water
Oh account of this depth, which would
at all times float the largest steam
els with the exception of at its out
let two miles above Cassville. where
ii very low water boats were unable
"a enter owing to a sandbar thai
i usually at such times formed at that
point. At other times, or when
there was a sufficient depth of water
the Gutenberg channel was used on
account OF it begin shorter. In the
days of log and lumber rafting this
channel was chosed whenever pos
sible because a full raft could pass
through without difficulty, whereas
to use the Cassville slough it was
necessary to divide, or 'split" the
raft at the head of the slough and
tow it through in sections, thus re-
quiring double tripping. !" At that
time there was no one recognized
channel, one being used through
necessity and the other, when it was
possible, was made use of through
convenience.
For number of years the matter
of closing CassviIle slough by the
government had been talked of, but as
this channel had not received the nec-
essary improvements required 70 with
stand the force of water that would
be thrown into this channel by check
| ing the flow in the other
channel. therefore the step
was not tken until yeal ago The
increased depth of water in this
channel as a result of damming the
slough is very perceptible and has
placed it in condition more favor
able to steamboating than ever be-
fore Even the large boats of the
diamond 10 line are able to pass
through without difficulty, whereas
IN former years it was next to i'm.
possible at stage of water as low
as recorded at the points above and
below the latter part of the summer
to navigate it with the very smaller
craft.
Work on construction OF the three
dams across the slough was laid out
and partly completed under supervi-
sion of Capt S. Edwards of this river
district a year ago last summer. The
work of finishing was let to Con-
tractor Whitney last spring, while
Capt. Edwards fleet has been en-
ployed in making important improve
ments in the channel between Buena
Vista and Dubuque. Gutenberg
Press.
Concerning Physical Culture.