The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-01-27
L. c. sPooNER BILL TO IMPROVE
STATE STREAMS.

on measure introduced IN rouse
BY Man From Morris; PROPOSE
ton Is to Make the Minnesota
Navigable From Mankato to It's
Mouth Near ST. Paul.
st. Paul, January 23.-Plans for
the control and management of the
proposed high dam between St. Paul
and Minneapolis may be upset if the
water supply bill, introduced in the
legislature Monday last by l.. C.
Spooner of Morris, should pass. Mr..
SpOOner thinks the state as a whole
should get some benefit from the wa
ter power developed.
The passage of the bin would not
prevent building the dam, although
1t might delay it. 1t is understood
1t was at the suggestion of Mr.
SpoOner that Senator Nelson got the
high dam bill, now before congress,
held up until next year.
Mr.. Spooner fears if the high dam
is built and the power rights given
to the proposed holding company
without any interference from the
state, the holding company will find
itself unable to use the power right
away and the electric companies of
st. Paul and Minneapolis would get
the power rights on a long time
lease on easy terms. Speaking of
the matter yesterday he even ex-
pressed suspicion that this was the
primary purpose of some of those
who are backing the high dam prop:
oSition.
Claim of States Rights.
The effect of Spooner's bill is to
declare all undeveloped water power
the property of the state, subject
only to the navigation rights which
are reserved for the general govern
ment. The bill goes further and de-
clares water power now developed
is also the property of the state, ex-
cept where the owners of power
sites can prove they have vested
rights. Mr.. SpoOner proposes to
place all water power in the state in
the hands OF a commission, and to
lease it at from 10 cents to 50 per
horse power per annum. Should the
Spooner bill pass and hold in court,
the state might derive revenue of
81 per horse power from the high
dam or about $4,000 annually.
The bill was not aimed entirely
at the high dam, however, but it's
author intends it to be measure
for the conservation of the water
supply all through the state, not only
by drawing revenue from dam sites
for the state, but by building reser-
voirs and dykes at various places
where it would help secure an even
flow of water for power purposes or
prevent the overlooking of land near
the rivers.
Public Meeting Is Called.
The SpOoner bill will be discussed
tomorrow evening in the house cham
Der at public hearing before the
joint house and senate committees
on drainage. While the discussion
will be directly on another bill, the
Spooner waterway commission bill,
the other bill will be discussed in
the same connection as Spooner in
tends, if the water supply bill has
a show of passing, to attach the wa
terway bill to it as an amendment.
If the water supply bill fails, he will
try to pass the waterway commission
bill as it is.
r. j. Mershon, an engineer of Chi
cago, will be present and explain
the waterway commission bill, which
provides for an investigation of the
so-called Mershon scheme. The Mer-
shon scheme proposes first, the build
ing of a series of dams on the Min
nesota river to develop water power
and aid navigation there. The first
dam. thirty-five feet high, would be
at Mankato and would cause a flood
back to New Ulm, where the second
dam, fifty feet high, would be built.
This would flood back to Redwood
Creek, where dam sixty-five feet
high, is proposed This floods back
to near Granite Falls, where an
eighty-foot dam is proposed
Make Minnesota Navigable.
This dam at Granite Falls would
fill the valley way up to Big Stone
lake and raise the lake so it would
connect with Lake Traverse, lis
miles up the river. This would make
an impounding reservoir capable of
holding 100000. 100000 cubic feet of
water. The magnitude of this scheme
will be realized when it is compared
with the government reservoirs on
the Mississippi, the five having a
total capacity of only 100000 900
cubic feet. Mr.. Mershon figures that
this scheme would make the Mime
sofa navigable to its source and
would furnish enough water so there
would always be a channel twelve
feet deep and 800 feet wide from the
mouth of the Minnesota to the mouth
of the st. CroiX. Below that down to
Lake Pepin it would be fifteen feet
deep and 100 feet wide.
This work completed, Mr.. Mershon
hopes to see a series of canals con-
structed connecting Lake Traverse
with Lake of the Woods and this
laI