The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-05-03


selfish impulses. 1t is in distress through
no fault of its own; and the state can af-
ford TO be generous. But you should not
forget that the money you are asked to
donate is not yours but that Of the people
gOu represent; and that its proper ex-
penditure is one Of the most sacred trusts
committed to your care.
PORTAGE LEyEE
What I have just said about the power
Of the state 70 build Il retaining wall at
Block RIVER rails applies also TO the con
struction ana repair of levees at Portage
In each case the authority is the same
In the latter instance indeed two appro-
priatiOns have already been made: one in
the year 1903 for $50. 600 and the other
ia the year 1905 for $1,000
II IS now asserted that the Ievees built
or improved Dy means Of these apprOpria-
tionS as wei as the one constructed at an
earlier time by tie federal government need
10 be strengthened and repaired.
a special committee of the Senate and
the Assembly appointed by the legislature
OF 1907, inspected these levees and made
written report that contains much val
et information. 1t summarized the
Ihe Wisconsin river flowing southwark
anu anu tue FOX river fowing northward, are
ouo one 2 ana one. half miles apart at Port
ase, me intervening ground being low and
LharShy. AT an average stage of water in
poth rivers, the Fox is about nine feet
I rover IMAM the Wisconsin, and in time of
nigh water in the Wisconsin and low wa
ter in the Fox, the difference is nearly
twenty feet. This condition often exists
from the fact that the Fox, heading off to
Ine south and without forest cover, is
sWolIen by the early melting of the snow,
ana mas receded to low water stage be-
Iofe the effect of the melting snow in the
nerlh ana on higher land caused the rise
Vi wafer IN the Wisconsin. Later, how
ever, the Wisconsin rises while the Fox
is still low
The fall in the Wisconsin is one and
one haH feet per mile in the vicinity of
i'm no is ri 10
over TOUR inches per mile in that locality.
me territory protected by these levees
IS on the south side of the river, about
three miles wide and fifteen miles long
WIN perhaps an extension up the valley of
the BaraboO river
This is mostly in farms with the usual
farm houses except a part tperhaps one
fourth) which is too wet for cultivation
on the north side, the extent of pro-
Iecied country is about the same, in the
vicinity of Portage, and is also under SINH
lar cultivation. Besides this the lower part
OF Portage city is exposed. An estimate
OF the people that are dependent upon
10 more or less extent, is 1000; and the
amount of property at over $1,000, 900.
BESIDES this the entire Fox river valley
at least as far as Lake Winnebago must
be considered, distance by river of about
one hundred miles, with its many villages,
several cities. and vast manufacturing and
agricultural interests.
THE absolute necessity of maintaining
these leveeS Tor all time, and the import
ance OF controlling the water flow in the
wisconsin river are two facts that cannot
be TOO strongly emphasized"
Since this report was written the only
important flood that has occurred was that
OF last fall Because the water of the
Wisconsin river is now confined to the
comparatively narrow channel between
these leyeeS it then rose to the highest
level yet known and actually oyertOpped
the improved embellishments built in 1904
and 1905. Only prompt action and unre-
uniting vigilance prevented-and appar-
emily very narrowly prevented cataS-
trophe in comparison with which the dam
age done ut Black River Falls would be
very trifing indeed. When the water
reached the top of the levees the people
of Portage and the surrounding country
prevented general overflow by laying
bags of sand so as temporarily to increase
the height of the embankment and with an
armed patrol on duty night and day pre-
vented 1t from being cut through by those
who feared damage to their own property.
The strain then imposed upon these en-
bankmentS. composed as they are merely
of sand, much of it fine and insubstantial.
has weakened the leveeS and caused them
appreciably to settle. 1t appears to be the
unanimous opinion of competent ObServ-
ers that should there be recurrence of
the high water of 1911 in the Wisconsin
river the Portage levees, thus weakened
and reduced in height. viii prove INSULT
cient to confine the Wisconsin river with
in its banks and that there is a very great
danger that the accumulated water gath
cred from the 10000 square miles en-
braced in the Wisconsin basin will then
pour into the narrow valley of the Fox,
nging destruction to dams. bridges,
farm houses, villages and cities and in
evitable injury to other property situated
all the way from Portage to Green Bay.
1t is manifest that the danger here
spoken of is due in measure to the very
existence of these levees themselves. Be
fore they were constructed the Wisconsin
river in times of high water quietly over
flowed its banks and flooded the entire
marshy area between it and the Fox river.
/ No do, hon,
ter spread evenly over large section of
country and the current was nowhere suffi-
| GENTLY strong to cut a chennel between
| the two rivers Upon the completion of
| the Portage canal however by the United
States government this condition of equi-
| librium was fundamentally disturbed and
a new and highly dangerous factor was
| introduced; This canal is ditch a mile
| and d half long, fifty feet wide and deep
enough to accommodate volume of water
which pouring down an incline of twelve
| feet to the mile would soon dig a channel
| large enough to divert the entire current
! of the Wisconsin river into the Fox. Why
should it not do so? Here is vast tor
| rent of water suspended as the chairman
| of the legislative committee has said from
nine to eighteen feet over the valley of
the Fox river waiting only to find its
way down an inclined plane Of soft, allu-
| vial soil. The government canal now fur
nishes the channel. Who can say how
| soon it will be utilized in way not orig
| inally intended or even dreamed of? This
danger is enhanced by the fact that solid
| rock is nowhere found; the soil instead is
| fine sand. easily swept away by water
| moving at velocity such as would natur-
ally be attained here. To protect against
| this danger the government levee was built
| But it affords only partial protection. II
| has been found inadequate more than once
/ and when overlooked the last time the
| lower lock in the government canal washed
| out also. All that remained then as .
| barrier was the upper lock. The federal
| authorities thereupon built new lower
| lock and raised the height of the upper
| lock three or four feet. Now however they
| absolutely refuse longer to improve or keeI
| in repair these government works although
| in food time their canal is the principal
| source of danger.
| What will it mean to have the Wisconsin
river diverted at Portage into the FoN
| TO find its way ultimately into the Atlantic
| ocean through the Great Lakes instead OF
| into the Gulf of Mexico as at present
What of the probable loss of life? What
| of the property destroyed? What of the
| Industrial diSorganization both on the low
! err wisconsin thus left with only a dry
| river channel and in the valley of the FoH
| flooded with this new supply of water
! The possible consequences are indeed
alarming.
| The present levees though temporary in
| character have been built as strong al
| the amount of money available for theil
| construction would permit. But we cannot
! go on forever temporiZing with a situation
| such as this. While it may be necessary
now to provide against imminent danger
| the foundations of permanent policy an(
| lasting security should also be laid. Mem
bers of the Joint Committee on Financ,
| have visited these leveeS and will un
| doubtedly report their conclusions to you
! / feel it to be my duty TO recommen(
money as may be necessary to protect tn,
| city of Portage and the Fox and Wisconsin
| river valleys from a danger that appears
to be imminent; and at the same time
e -TT.-,, 4 =