The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-03-18

reached the war department, concurs
in the findings Of both that ''the i'm
provement by the United States of the
Red River of the North and it's head
waters in North Dakota and Minnesota
by the construction of storage reser-
voirs is not deemed advisable at the
present time"
The report of the board Of army en-
gineers follows in part:
1T appears from ali available infor-
nation that it would be practicable to
store water during high stages and re-
lease it during periods Of low water to
the advantage Of navigation on the
Red river. The question presented Is
whether resulting benefits would be
sufficient to justify the cost of con-
.struction and subsequent maintenance.
This river has been under improve
ment since 1878, the existing project
providing for (a) Breckenridge to
Moorhead, ninety-seven miles, a chan
mel capable of being navigated during
high and medium stages; OBJ Moor
head to Grand Forks, 156 miles. a
channel 80 feet wide and 3 feet
deep at low water; (c) Grand Forks
to the northern boundary, 143h miles,
a channel so feet wide and 4 feet
deep. There had been expended to
June 80, 1910, $345,OO0, but the project
has not been completed. 1t has been
found that it will require an annual
appropriation Of $500 to maintain the
present project, as shoals are con-
stantly forming, not from sedimentary
deposits, but from pressure of the
banks which causes the river bottom
to rise. 1t would be necessary, there
fore, to continue dredging operations
even If storage reservoirs were con
structed, n the annual maintenance
charge would be incheased by the cost
Of operating the reservoir system.
In the opinion OF the board neither
present nor prospective is
SUFFICIENT in extent to justify further
expenditures than are required under
the existing project, and therefore 1t
reports that it is not advisable to un-
dertake the construction Of storage
reservoirs in the interests of naviga-
ton.
THE district engineer Officer refers
to existing and possible future water
power, and in compliance with law the
board reports that there are no quas-
tons of terminal facilities or other
subjects so related that they can be
co-ordinated Herewith Ia such man
ner as to render h improvement adj
visable in the interests of navigation.
Under present conditions naviga-
ton is not continuous. but even II Il
were made so by the construction of
reservoirs the only which
could be expected to use the stream
would be that from a narrow belt on
either side, and this only for short
distances until it reached the nearest |
railroad crossing. This section Is well
supplied with railroad transportation"
The report of Lieutenant Skunk in
cludes a table showing the volums Of
commerce on the river since 1874,
when it was 1890 tons. In 1859 the
tonnage was 31,651. Several years IT.
in the neighborhood of 80, 900 tons.
In 1909 it had declined to $500 tons,
and for the past four years has aver
aged $500 tons. Discussing the .lues-
ton OF commerce, Colonel Skunk says:
1.-THE grain actually carried on the |
river is taken to Grand Forks and
there shipped by rail to Minneapolis,
Duluth or Chicago. When the farmer
has got his wheat to the river. he
finds that the rate by water and rail
is l cent to 1A cents per 100 pouu is
higher than the rate by rail from his
nearest railroad station. Consequent
~, he does not use the river unless the
cost of handling to the railroad Is more
than enough to offset the difference in
rates.
1.-THE cost of summer hauling on the
roads in the Red river valley is re-
ported to be about 5-12 of a cent per
100 pounds per mile. 1t is easy,
therefore to see that there are only
limited tracts from which the shipping
OF grain by water is profitable. 1t is
moreover. a fact that by no means all
the grain is shipped by river which
from the geographical considerations
alone ought to be. There are several
81 for this. First. terminal facii-
tiles Elevators, etc. are much better
along the railroads than along the riv-
err. Second, hauling is cheaper when
the roads are frozen. but then the riv-
er is frozen too. Hence it is cheaper
to make the long haul to the railroads
in winter than a short haul to the riV-
er when the roads are soft,