Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-11-02

SPENCER RETURNED
Local Forecaster Visits Wisconsin
VaileY.-Extends Bureaus River and
Flood Service. Had an Enjoyable Trip
and WAS Surprised at Growth and
Prosperity Of Cities.

Times-Journal. Dubuque, Iowa. Oct 2s. 1893
Local. Forecaster J. Fl. Spencer re-
turned Tuesday from visit to Wau-
sau and Grand Rapids, Wis, where
he was sent by the chief of the
weather bureau for the purpose of
extending the bureaus river and flood
service. He completed arrangements
for the establishment of a river
station at Wausau, and also planned
to make the Grand Rapids station
more efficient.
RIVER GOES ON TEAR.
The tOld Wisconse," as the older
inhabitants familiarly call the
beautiful stream, occasionally gets toe
high for safety, and for this reason
the weather bureau, through the
Dubuque station, is enlarging its
food service in order to give the
munities on its banks timely warning
of approaching floods. Leyees may
then be strengthened, log RATS and
vessels of all kinds better secured,
merchandise, stock, crops, etc., re-
moved to safer localities, and many
other precautions taken to minimize
une e1ecC OF nOOdS.
THREE BIG FLOODS.
Three of the most important Wis
cOnsin river floods on record are those
of 1880, 1881 and 1900, and the damage
that they caused aggregated hundreds
OF thousands of dollars, large per-
centage Of which mightl have been
prevented If the citizens had fully
known the volume of water to expect.
The weather bureau authorities are
very hopeful that the service on the
Wisconsin river will develop into one
of extreme usefulness.
UTLIZES RIVER FOR POWER.
Mr.. Spencer states that he was
amazed at the extent to which the
cities on the Wisconsin make use of
the river. For instance, at Wausau
there is a great paper mill and dam
only five miles above the city, and an
other $l,000,000 plant is being con-
structed the same distance below;
while in the city itself another dam
furnishes power to several mills and
the electric light plant. Wausau is a
very progressive and rapidly growing
city. There are beautiful churches and
public buildings. The public library
and schools are fine and are surround
ed by spacious parks. The new Y.
M. G. A. building cost nearly 800, 900,
and it is one of the finest to be found
anywhere, with bowling alleys, large
swimming pool and every possible ac-
cessory to make the institution at
tractive to men. About the only
thing the city needs to make it one of
the best in the north is public park
system such as is becoming the glory
of Dubuque.
is BEAUTIFUL CITY.
Grand Rapids is another progressive
and beautiful city of central Wiscon-
sin. The river cuts the city in two,
and along one of it's banks ale pal
atial residences, while the great paper
mill Oh the other side is enc of the
largest and best in the country.
Mr.. Spencer also stopped off at La
Crosse for few hours, and was par
ticularly impressed with the magnifi-
cent Y. M. G. A. building that has
just been dedicated. 1t has no su-
perior in the west, and Is fitted up
with dormitories, billiard rooms, bowl
ing alleys, great swimming pool and
the other appliances that are so
necessary in modern institution of
this kind.