Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1915-06-18

that fall on that part of the state
run off rapidly and fiercely to the
Lake. All the creeks and rivers in
that section have rapid currents. Few
Of them originate in swamps or lakes
which will hold the rainfall and reg
ulate it's flow. AS rule the rain
wa&rs go tumbling off, lickety-spit,
down the steep decline to the great
lake. None of the rivers, the Black,
and Gogoshungun Rivers, are OF
much length, their average being 30
miles, while the largest, the Mont
real, is only SO miles long.
Of the portion of Wisconsin's ter
ritory left after cutting off the Lake
Superior watershed. by far the
greater portion, as a reference to the
dotted lines on the drainage map
printed with this article will show,
Is drained into creeks and rivers
which find their way into the Missis-
sippi. Of these rivers the st. Croix,
Chippewa, Black and Wisconsin flow
in a general southWesterly direction
from sources in the second tier OF
counties in the northern part of the
state, as far east as Florence and
Forest. East of Forest the water
shed is toward Lake Michigan, the
Menomonie, Peshtigo, and Oconto
Rivers running directly into the
Green Bay of Lake Michigan, While
the interior rivers as far west as
Langlade and Portage, Waushara,
Marquette and Shaw Counties have
a general southwark trend through
their basis and combine to form the
system which feeds Lake Winnebago
and the Fox River.
In the southerly part of the state,
in the wide V-shaped section between
the watershed of the Wisconsin and
those of the small creeks and rivers
which run into Lake Michigan in Mil
waukee, OZaukee and Sheboygan
counties, the Rock River reaches up
through its tributaries for the food
water and the drainage and carries
it off through Illinois into the Mis-
sissippi at Rock Island.
A glance at the drainage map will
convey the information that, outside
the Fox River Valley, by far the
greater portion of the waterfall of
Wisconsin runs off to the Mississippi
river through the westerly portion of
the state. That means that the OPP
portunities for water power develop
+0 hn 1or in
that section. Indeed, outside the
great development that has been
made on the Fox River, the western
portion of the state is the only part
In which great powers have so far
been created.
The early and very modest devel-
opment of these powers was very
largely done to expedite the eXporta-
ton Of logs from the timber lands
near the river and creek banks to the
mills located on the streams. AS a
rule this development was confined
to the construction of dams for the
purpose of making reservoirs, the
waters in which were periodically re-
leased to provide flood-water for the
movement Of logs and RATS of manu-
featured lumber down stream. In
some cases, large quantities of pow
er, in the sense that largeness of
quantity was conceived in me earlier
days, were used for the operation of
saw mills. But, as rule, the indus
trial applications of water power
were limited to the operation of grist
mills and comparatively small saw
mills.
AS the logging on the rivers disap-
peared the earlier usefulness of most
of the powers disappeared with 1t.
Where the natural resources sur
rounding some of the power sites
| permitted, other industries, such as
paper making and the production of
wooden goods, furnished a reason for
| their continuance. In this way much
| permanent industrial good was done
| the state and the localities by the
| establishment of such works, many
| of which have grown into the great
| industries Of the state. Of these pa
per-making is easily the greatest. In
addition, there Is a great deal OF
power supplied directly from the
water-wheels to the machinery OF
flowing and grist mills, to mills for
planning and finishing lumber and to
wooden and textile mills.
But by far the largest future de-
yelopment of the water-powers Of the
Wisconsin rivers will come from the
expenditure of their energy at the
power sites upon the production OF
electric currents which will be con,
veyed to points of use removed from
the falls themselves. A good deal OF
| this sort of development has already
been accomplished within the state.
in connection with street railway,
lighting and electric power selling
ENTERPRISES But the amount that
| has already been accomplished IL
/ trifing compared with that already
| contemplated or that which is posi-,