Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-05-16

earlier time by the federal government need
to be strengthened and repaired.
\ special committee Of the Senate and
the Assembly appointed by the legislature
Oh 1871, Inspected these IeveeS and made
q written report that contains much val
qabIe information. It summarized the
The Wisconsin river flowing southwark.
and the Fox river flowing nOrthward. are
/ out one and One-haf miles apart at Port
age, Ihe 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
high 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 of to
the south and without forest cover is
swollen by the early melting of the snow.
ana has receded to a low water stage be-
lore the effect OF the melting snow in the
/ u9fLn ana on higher land caused the rise
! OF water IN the Wisconsin. Later how
ever, the Wisconsin rises while the Fox
IS still low.
THE fan in the Wisconsin is one and
0ne-halT feet per mile in the vicinity of
POFJagei the fall in the Fox is a tTife
over TOUR inches per mile in that locality.
The territory protected by these levees
- 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
IarIu houses, except a part (perhaps one
| Iourth) which is too wet for cultivation.
On the north side, the extent of pro-
tecleo 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 leFees for protection from damage,
to more or less extent. is 1000: and the
amount OF property at over $4,000, 600.
Besides this the entire Fox river valley,
2t least as far as Lake Winaebago, must
be considered, q 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 IeVees 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 fail Because the water of the
! Wisconsin river is now confined to the
comparatively narrow channel between
| these Ieyees 1t then rose to the highest
| level yet known and actually OyertOpped
the improved embankments built in 1904
and 1905. Only prompt action and unre-
mitClng vigilance preyented-and appar-
emily very narrowly prevented catas-
trOphe in comparison with which the dam
age done at Black River Falls would be
very trihing 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
\
/ vented ft 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 1t fine and insubstantial,
/ has weakened the leYeeS and caused them
/ appreciably to settle. 1t appears to be the
unanimous opinion of competent obServ-
erS that should there be a recurrence of
/ The high water of 1911 in the Wisconsin
/ river the Portage levees, thus weakened
and reduced in height. will 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 IO,0OO 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 a 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 harm was done then because the wa
ter spread evenly over a large section of
| country and the current was nowhere suffi-
| GENTLY strong to cut a chennel between
| the Portage canal however by the United
| States government this condition of equi-
| librtum was fundamentally disturbed and
| a new and highly dangerous factor was
| introduced This canal is q ditch a mile
| and a half long, fifty feet wide and deem
! enough to accommodate q volume of water
| which pouring down an incline of twelve
| feet to the mile would soon dig channel
! large enough to divert the entire current
of the, Wisconsin river into the Fox. Why
should 1t not do Sot Here is Il 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 1t VIII 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
| a fine sand, easily swept away by water
moving at a 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 overfiowed 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 4 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 FOS
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 diSorganiZatiOn both on the low.
! er Wisconsin thus left with only a dry
river channel and in the valley of the FOy
flooded with this new supply of water.
The possible consequences are indeed
| alarming.
The present Ievees though temporary II
character have been built as strong as
| the amount of money available for thpil
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 a permanent policy anC
lasting security should also be laid Mem
berS of the Joint Committee on Fiuanc,
have visited these levees and will un
doubtedly report their conclusions to YOU
l feel it to be my duty to recommend
the appropriation of such an amount O.
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 tie same time
urge upon you the wisdom Of devisins
without delay some plan for securing TIL
permanent safety of life and property il
this part of the state. and the distribution
of the attendant expense in a way that al
| Will recognize as equitable and fair
WATER POWER REGULATION.
Among the important laws enacted n
the last legislative session was the SO-callet
water power bill. chapter 652 Of the Law
! of 1911. Its passage was vigorously Op
posed by the owners of water powers ant
its validity was later challenger in th
courts. Recently in number of Separat
| actions tried together and commonly re
was held unconstitutional in part. Th
subject with which the invalid portion o