Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-02-28

State Engineer Atkinson has trans
mitted his report to the Governor on
the Mouse River to Devils Lake sur
vey which was made in compliance
with the provisions of the Hyland
bill, passed at the 1911 session of the
legislature. this bill providing for a
survey to be made from Devils Lake
to Mouse River to determine the feast
bility of diverting the food waters
of Mouse River into the lake.
The report shows that the lake has
been steadily decreasing in size for
many years, and it is known that the
lake surface has fallen Is feet since
1867, IA feet ince 1879, feet since
1887, five feet since 1902 and three
feet since 1907. The government sur
veys made in the early eighties show
that the lake had a water surface OF
112 square miles at that time, while
today it is estimated that the water
surface is 60 square miles.
Statistics obtained by Prof. Chand-
Ter, professor of civil engineering at
the state university, and in charge of
stream guaging for the United States
Geological Survey in North Dakota
the average annual evaporation from
Devils Lake is IS inches and the total
water supply from rainfall and run
off is 20 inches, leaving an annual
shortage of six inches.
There has been much agitation re-
lative to draining the flood waters
of the Mouse River into Devils Lake
in order to prevent further shrinkage,
but heretofore no definite idea as to
the feasibility of the proposition has
been secured.
The field surveys were made by ).
w. Bliss, assistant state engineer,
and a total Of 1876 miles Of levels were
run, the valleys of the Mouse, Shey'
enne and Wintering rivers were cross
sectioned at various points and num-
erous aneroid observations were TAX
en- to determine elevations. The
propositions to bring the Mouse river
through by the way Of Willow Creek
and through Hurricane Lake were
abandoned for the reason that the
summit between the Willow Creek
waters and the waters running into
Devils Lake was IT'S feet above the
present water surface Of the lake.
The present elevation Of the lake
above sea level is 1895, and the ele'
walton of the Mouse River at the
mouth of Willow Creek Is the same
as the lake, while It was found that
the elevation IF the river at the mouth
of Wintering Creek is 30 feet higher
than the present eleva lion Of the lake.
It was also found that the Sheyenne
river at a point six miles east Of the
town of Sheyenne is II feet lower
than the present lake elevation.
After a large number Of aneroid
observations were taken by the state
engineer on the territory between
Devils Lake and the Mouse River and
from the Sheyenne north to the Turtle
Mountains, it was decided that the
only possible route worth while sur
veying was from a point on the Mouse
River near the Wintering Creek to
the Sheyenne River by the way OF
Buffalo and Girard lakes. It is thought
that the glacial lake Souris, which in
the glacial period covered the Mouse
River loop country and some Of the
territory east of Mouse River, found
its outlet to the Sheyenne by this
route. The route is approximately
1903 miles long. 80 miles of which lies
a. ong the valley of the Sheyenne
River and IS miles of which would
have to be eZcavated.
The surveys established the fact
that in order to divert the waters of
the river it would be necessary to
construct a dam in the Mouse River