Evening star., 1912-11-20
BIG WORK IS HELD UP
Improvement of the Detroit
River May Be Delayed.
CANADIAN TOWN PROTESTS
Objects to the Building of Pro-
posed Dam.
FEARS DIVERSION OF SEWAGE
International Joint Commission on
Waterways Will Consider OPP
position by Ametsburg.
FEARS DIVERSION OF SEWAGE

The protest of one small town on the
Canadian side of the Detroit river has
resulted in holding up the final step in
the s1OOOO.OOO improvement which the
| United States government is making to
the channels of this stream, according
to statements brought out today at the
resumption of the sessions of the inter-
national joint commission on waterways.
The town is Ametsburg, Canada, and
| through the Canadian government at
| Ottawa it asks the joint commission not
to authorize the building Of dam or
dixie in the Detroit river, already appro-
priated for by Congress, on the ground
that if this dam or dixie is built it will
serve to force the sewage of Detroit to-
| ward Ametsburg as we'll as force ice
which forms in the river in winter to
flow toward it.
Millions Expended.
| The United States government has al
! ready spent nearly $1O.O0OOO0 in i'm
proving navigating facilities in the De-
| troit river in the neighborhood of Detroit
Mich. and Ametsburg, Canada. Two chan
| nels have been cut in the river. one call
| ed the Ametsburg channel and the other
/
| Livingstone channel was opened for nayi-
cation but few weeks ago. Engineers
discovered that there are cross currents
| in the Livingstone channel because there
are two islands in the way which defect
| the flow of water These engineers rec
commended that there be built dam or
dixie in the river. to do away with these
cross currents. the dam or dixie to be
| built in both United States and Canadian
| waters. This construction was authorized
| by Congress.
It was brought out today before the in
ternational joint commission, by the re-
ceipt of letter from the Canadian gov
ernment and by the appearance before
the commission of W. ]. Stewart, chief of
the Canadian photographic service, who
is the engineer representing Canada in
this Improvement work. that the proposed
dam or dixie would also serve to keep in
tact the depth of Lake st. Clair, which is
connected with the Detroit river.
Opposition by Ametsburg.
But the people of Ametsburg, which is
town of 1000 or 5000 inhabitants, have
protested against the building of a dam
or dixie, and the commission decided to
await further report from Canada's en-
gineers before deciding the question.
In addition to expressing fears that the
ice of the river in winter would back to-
ward them. and the sewage of Detroit be
forced their way if the dam or dixie is
built, Ametsburg residents declare that
the proposed construction would lower
the depth of water in the Ametsburg
channel thus interfering with their ship
ping, such as ferries and excursion boats
to Detroit and other places.
Work May Be Delayed.
Col. Mason NJ. Patrick, L. S. A, en-
gineering officer in charge of the govern
ment work at Detroit. appeared today be-
fore the commission, ready to tell of
the necessity for the dixie, but in view
of the protest of Ametsburg received
through the Ottawa government, the
commission informed him that report
Of the Canadian engineers would be
awaited. 1t is likely that nothing Will be
done about completing the Improvement
Of the river until April, owing to the pro-
test.
The commission also had under con-
sideration today the method to be pur-
sued in investigating the pollution of the
boundary waters between the two coun-
tries, in accordance with the letter OF
Secretary of State Knox received yester-
day.