Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1912-05-03


peals strongly to ones sympathies and un-
selfish impulses. 1t is In distress through
no fault of it's own; and the state can al
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
you represent and that its proper eX-
penditure is one of the most sacred trusts
committed to your care
PORTAGE LEvEE.
What 1 have just said about the power
of the state to build a retaining Wall at
Black River Falls applies also to the con-
struction and repair of levees at Portage.
In each case the authority is the same
In the latter instance indeed two appfo-
the year 1903 for $4,000 and the other
In the year 1905 for $4,000.
1t is now asserted that the levees built
or improved by means of these approprla-
lions as well as the one constructed at an
earlier time by the federal go' rnment need
to be strengthened and reps ID.
special committee of the Senate ana
the Assembly appointed by the legislature
OF 1907, inspected these levees and made
written report that contains much val
liable information. 1t summarized the
1.-THE Wisconsin river flowing southwark,
and the Fox river flowing northward, are
but one and half miles apart at Port
age, the intervening ground being low and
marShy At an average stage OF water IN
both rivers, the Fox is about nine feet
lower than the Wisconsin, and in time of
u1SA water IN Cno Wisconsin anu low Wd-
ter in the Fox. the difference is nearly
twenty feet This condition often exists
from the fact that the Fox heading OF to
the south and without forest cover, is
swollen by the early melting of the snow,
and has receded to low water stage be-
fore the effect of the melting snow in the
north ne and on higher land caused the ,, rise
OF water in the Wisconsin. Later, how
ever, the Wisconsin rises while the Fox
is still low
'9The fall in the Wisconsin is one and
hn IL IN fhA VTfnI mi
Portage; the fall in the Fox is a trife
over four inches per mile in that locality.
THE territory protected by these levees
is, on the south side of the river, about
three miles wide and fifteen miles long.
with perhaps an extension up the valley of
the Baraboo river.
This is mostly in farms with the usual
farm houses, except part (perhaps one
fourth) which is too wet for cultivation.
ION the north side, the extent of pro
tected 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
these levees for protection from damage,
to more or less extent, is 1000; and the
amount of property at over $5,000,0O0.
Besides this the entire Fox river valley,
be considered, a distance by river of about
one hundred miles. with it's many villages.
several cities. and vast manufacturing and
agricultural interests.
"The absolute necessity of maintaining
these levees for 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 food that has occurred was that
of last fall. Because the water of the
comparatively narrow channel between
these leveeS it then rose to the highest
level yet known and actually , GtyertoPppeedd
and 1905. Only prompt action and unre-
hitting vigilance prevented-and appar-
emily very narrowly prevented catas-
age done at 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 a 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 it 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
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 will prove INSULT
Client 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,
bringing 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
I flowed its banks and flooded the entire
/ r,I,x Ianfrr h0 How ViTY
! No harm was done then because the wa
| ter spread evenly over large section of
| country and the current was nowhere Suffl-
] 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
new and highly dangerous factor was
| introduced. This canal is a ditch a mile
and a 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 it's
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
| inalIy intended or even dreamed of? This
danger is enhanced by the fact that solid
rock is nowhere found; the soil instead is
/ a 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. It
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 a
barrier was the upper lock The federal
4 authorities thereupon built a new lower
! lock and raised the height of the upper
| lock three or four feet Now however they
absolutely refuse longer to improve or keep
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 Fox
| to find its way ultimately into the Atlantic
ocean through the Great Lakes instead Of
What of the probable loss of life? What
of the property DESTROYED? What of the
| Industrial DISCRIMINATION both on the low
! er wisconsin thus left with only dry
river channel and in the valley of the Fox