Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-09-10
UP THE MISSISSIPPI
TO ST. PAUL AND BACK
The Scenery is Beautiful Now but the
Season of Navigation is
Just Ended.

JUST
Last week the editor Of The Herald
and family, accompanied by Mr. and
Mrs. Richard Meyer, Mrs. JOS NC
Coy and Miss Abbie Phelps, joined
the crowd of passengers on board the
steamer Morning Star, of the North :
ern Steamboat Co tor river trip to
ST. Paul and return, leaving Cass
Vile Sunday afternoon.
The journey is pleasant one at
this season of the year, except for the
fact that it is pretty warm at times,
when the breeze is slight and chances
to be blowing in the same direction
the boat is travelling. The cUloring
in the vegetation is slightly changing
now, which makes the everlasting
hills that front the river on both sides
the greater portion of the way very
beautiful TO look upon. In few if
any places in the entire distance of
$50 miles from Cassville to st. Paul is
the scenery any more beautiful than
that Of the boundary Of Grant county,
which faces the river On its eastern
side until the mouth Of the Wiscon
sin is passed. at Point Lookout, in
the beautiful tract Sc long known as
the Glenn farm, in the town of
Wyalusing, and recently purchased by
the state for preservation as state
park
There are a few points along the
river that are higher than Point Look
out, but none that offer finer view
of the river and surrounding country.
If was very surprising to see the
amount Of work that is being done in
the Improvement Of the river by the
government, in the way Of dredging
the channel the construction Of wing
dams, Of which there are hundreds and
hundreds Of varying sizes, and in the
rock work protection Of the shores to
prevent erosion where the current
sweeps particularly strong against
them.
A large number Of government
boats are TO be seen stationed along
the river for the transportation of
rock and other material on haIges,
and bousboats containing housing ac-
commodarions for the immense force
Of workmen employed There are
many quarriea in operation on the
great rocky bluffs lining the river,
from which the rock is conveyed to
the barges and taken to the points
whare it is needed
At one place. south of Winon8,
Mimi. the rock is placed in a self
dumping car holding about six tons
and conveyed from a great height on
the bluffs by steel cables to the wait
ing barges below, where it is automat-
ically unloaded. At other points it
is carried in cars by gravity upon
double tracks extending from the
river up the steep bluffs to the quarries
near the summit. Both methods
admit OF very rapid handling Of the
rock.
The water is at a very low stage at
this season of the year aud the boats
have all been behind their schedules
Our boat was about three hours late
going up and about seven hours com.
ing down partially due however, to
the large amount Of freight being
handled. The Quincy and St. Paul
are the two largest boats touring the
upper river and it became necessary
last week to cancel their trips for the
balance Of the season. We met the
Quincy on her last trip down and she
was a day and half late She had
run onto sand bar up above Winona
and stuck there twelve hours. We
also met the ST. Paul going up, when
we were on our return trip and she
was about one day late.
The Morning Star is this week
making her last trip Of the season
being due upon her last trip down
river tomorrow night