Morris tribune., 1911-12-22
THE MERSHON SCHEME.
Originator Writes Interesting
Letter to B. V. Tribune.

written the following interesting
letter to the Browns Valley Tribune -
Ludington. Mich, Dec. z, 1911.
Inter-Lake Tribune,
Browns Valley, Minr.
Dear Sir:-I did not know until a
short time ago that newspaper was
published in that old. deep, glacial
gorge of Browns Valley, that the
Warren River winding it's way down
from the dry hills of Dakota, has so
long tried to fill up, and long ago
made two lakes out of one. holding
back part of the product of the
clouds that they who do not drink
beer shall have water.
For long years have had hopes of
making your village seaport town,
at least an unsalted seaport town, and
partly restore the old ancient river
and lake that was at one time the
main source of the Mississippi River,
and furnished water and ice to grind
out the great gorge to the gulf, over
topping the continental divide so far
below st. Paul and wearing it back
beyond the cornfelds of Browns VAL
lev to the little town of White Rock,
undoubtedly called White Rock because
there is not white rocks there.
The great plesiosorus no doubt
swan up and down the ancient river.
sweeping off the poor natives with its
tail, if they ventured at all below the
high bluffs near the waters edge.
Great mastodons that never eat less
than hundred full grown trees at a
meal denuded the hills and plains,
: and prepared the great wheat fields
of the West for Jim Hills coming
freight trains and river boats of ten
thousand ton burden to compete with
his box cars.
1t may be interesting to know after
all these ages Of world making and
the Jim Hill empire epoch. that the
Lake to Gulf Waterway Association
at Chicago endorsed the great water
way scheme of Minnesota and prepared
profles from the gulf to the Lake of
the Woods. Winnipeg Lake and even
Hudson's Bay.
The spirit OF Dewitt Clinton lives
in your State today and as prophets.
are believed in, in other countries, if
not by some close at home.
If Germany or France possessed
our rivers and lakes they would build
a fourteen and twenty-four foot water
way from the Gulf to the boundary on
the North, despite the empire builders,
that only got hold of what others
originated, built and developed
what hero, what leader. that falls
in the way of opportunity and benefits
by the money and brains Of others.
The transportation lines of the whole
country have been sacrifice to the
promoters. gift to the unworthy re-
ceivers and present owners.
The prosperity of your state does
not rest wholly in railroad transporta-
tion and the farm. No city or state
can be great with only one source to
receive or ship though.
Waterways should be built, not
only for commerce but as sanitary
propositions to promote the supply of
ground, water. light. heat and power,
that cannot long depend on coal alone.
Like our forests that not over fifty
years ago were being wasted, and said
to be inexhaustible, today. the stumps
mark the beginning of an endless tim
ber famine.
When | was in your town the whole
feet of merchant vessels on Lake
Traverse were out of commission, but
YOUR hospitable livery man pointed
out the coast line and gave me much
valuable information, and I saw it
would not be necessary to submerge
YOUR beautiful town for the proposed
inland sea, but possible to make ideal
docks and wharves.
Now, while at Ortonville. barber,
the same one that shaves A. B. Kar-
cher, told me of the wonders of Big
Stone and Traverse lakes. He ex-
hibited the remains of mammoth pet
rified terrapin, whose business it was
no doubt to tow icebergs down old |
Lake Agissiz and dump them into
Browns Valley to keep the channel
clear to the Gulf; then there were
some specimens of the mastodon that
carried tusks nine feet in diameter,
found in North Dakota and ;s long |
as any ten rails of Jim Hills rail-
road. If this is overdrawn, A. B.
Karcher and the barber are to blame. |
The barber also exhibited a ball of
black granite from the Dakota mines.
polished and shining. price Four
DIt..s L,,4 oS 7 uaq hard nm | CON.