The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-03-25
LAKE TO GULF PLAN.
GIGANTIC WATERWAY ENTER
PRISE is EXPLAINED.
Colonel R. ]. Mershon Discussed His
Project Before the Commercial
Club Last Night; Lecture amply
Illustrated; Maps and Charts;
Power Going to Waste in the Min.
nesota River; Mankato Is a Loser.

One hundred and more residents OF
Mankato listened to Colonel II. j.
Mershon discuss his lake to the gulf
canal project in the Commercial club
rooms last night. 1t was an illustrat-
ed lecture, charts and maps showing
the proposed route, the water supply
the distances between points, the water
sheds, the land elevations, ETC., being
thrown on canvas, much to the sat
isfaction of the audience which was
given valuable instruction in waterways
by the speaker. This is the compre-
iensive waterway scheme that Col
onel Mershon explained in detail to the
1909 legislature and which was looked
upon favorably by that body, but ow-
ing to it being an entirely new enter
prise no action was taken to further
il. 1t certainly looks like stupen-
dous waterway undertakings gigan-
tic scheme-but not an impossible one.
Colonel Mershon explained that he
came to Mankato to look over the Min.
point, and the lecture was given at the
request of IA number of interested cit
liens. He had been given a respectful
hearing by the members of the legisla
ture and hoped to interest the general
public i'll the development of his PLAN
lis subject having given it careful
study during the past five years. His
illustrations served to assist him great
" in making plain his plan of canal
construction and river improvement.
Colonel Mershon said:
Long and Patient Study.
The plan which | have proposed,
for developing the waterw wealth of
Minnesota through the creation of
waterways, and the utilization of vast
amounts of water now going to waste,
is the result of long and patient study
of the topography and photography of
the state. 1t is urged OH the basis of
facts carefully gathered and brought
into relation with one another. Con-
spicuous among these facts is this
one: That the greater bodies of the
waters with which the state is SO
richly endowed, centrally, and on its
margins. are stored in the northern
part of the state and at level high
above that of the southern and south
eastern portions. The elevations are
Il factor of prime Importance in the
working out of the plan | have evolved.
The Lake of the Woods is an i'm
mense storage basin. Into it, mainly
through the Rainy river flows the
drainage not only of large part of
Minnesota, but of considerable area
of Canadian territory also. Around
it are vast areas of swamps, which
hold an additional great amount of
water. Let this vast accumulation of
water be given a southern outlet, with
a descent of 80 to 800 feet: let the
volume so supplied be reinforced by
other volumes from lakes and streams
finding their present only outlet into
the Red river, and it is apparent at
once that here may be developed wa
ter power to an immense aggregate
certainly not less than 100000 horse
power.
How Canal Work Can Be Facilitated.
The digging of canal which shall
be the means of this power develop
ment southwesterly from Lake OF
Woods to Traverse Lake, is facilitated
by peculiarly smooth, gentle slope of
the country to the southwark. It's pro-
posed route is really an old water
level-the margin of the prehistoric
Lake Agassiz-which seimic forces have
afford the gentle slope referred to.
Along this slope-so providentially pre-
pared, as it would seem, for just this
enterprise propose to dig a canal
twelve feet in depth and of other
dimensions corresponding to those of
the Erie barge canal, now being con-
structed by the state of New York at
an outlay of about $l07 100000, at
short intervals, all along the canal, will
DC placed dams, bulk heads and slow
gates with locks for the passage of barges.
Every such dam will I've the site of a
power plant; from which, by electrical
transmission, power may be carried to
manufacturers, trolley lines, lighting
plants, etc, in all the country within
a radius of many miles, or as far as
two hundred miles. Confidently, this
canal will furnish cheap water trans
portation for all the products of a
large part of Minnesota, and for coal
and merchandise form other states.
Would Create an Inland Sea.
But" YOU may ask, ''how is all this
volume Of water to be disposed of, as,
having furnished highway for traffic,
and produced the power you speak Of,
il still flows southwark? Do you ex-
pect the Minnesota or the Red River
valIey-both already over b;lrdened
with water in flood times-to take
care of all these vast additional vol
umes, | assure, by no means. Where
now lie the broad expanses of Lake
Traverse and Big Stone Lake and in
the upper seventy miles of the gorge
of the Minnesota-the ancient channel
of far mightier river-I would create
a great reservoir-almost an inland sea
in which could be stored all the waters
brought down bV the proDOsed canal To