The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1920-12-29
40. "a
NJ UImites
Consider Damage
PROPOSED DAM OF MINNESOTA
RIVER WOULD DO MUCH DAM
AGE TO PROPERTY.

Mayor L. A. Fritsche recently called
a meeting of those interested in the
flood-control of the Minnesota river
at the court room in the court house
next Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o.
clock. This meeting is pursuant to
the hearing held here recently upon
the petition to organize a conservancy
district of the Minnesota river water
shed, and which was continued to Jan
uary 5, at Mankato.
Dam Below City.
One of the features of proposed
flood-control scheme preliminarily of
fered by Engineer A. F. Meyer, at the
recent hearing, was the erection of a
dam below the point of confluence Of
the Minnesota and Cottonwood rivers.
This dam when filled would impouna
vast area of water within the con
fines of the hills bordering on thc
Minnesota river for distance 0fzseRa
twenty-five miles upstream. To sho
the immensity of this water area, il
is only necessary to state that when
the dam is filled the lake would be
five and a half feet higher than the
flood crest was during its highest
point in 1919. The Eagle Roller mill
plant would be incapacitated; the
floor of the bridge near the mill would
be covered, as of course weuid the
floors of the Beussmann and Court
land bridges. Bridges across the Cot
tonwood river would be also unavail-
able to travel because of the backwa-
ter from the dam up that stream.
Vast Lake Opposite New Ulm.
The dam would cause a vast lake
opposite New Ulm, which would flood
thousands of acres of the best land in
the Minnesota valley and render it
useless for cultivation. Farmers, who
have sacrificed the best efforts of their
lives to place their farms in good con-
dition would be forced to remove
therefrom.
Overflow Lower City.
Engineer Minium was instructed by
the city council upon request of Mayor
Fritsche to secure data regarding the
effect the impounded water would
have on the city of New Ulm, the
homes of its residents, manufacturing
plants, bridges, sewers, etc, and have
such data in shape to present at the
meeting, which is called for next Tues
day afternoon.
Inc weather mas Deen eSceIlenE LOT
the making of the necessary surveys
from which the desired data will be
obtained, and the field work has been
completed. The work of compiling the
necessary information to be presented
at the meeting next Tuesday is rapid
ly going forward.
Meeting Will Be Large.
1t is anticipated that Engineer
Meyer, together with President A. b.
kaercher of the Tri-State Flood Con-
troll association and Senator f. l..
Cliff, both of Ortonville, will be pres
ent.
Many farmers in this vicinity, whose
land will be affected by the construc-
tion of the dam and a large number
of property owners in New Ulm will
be in attendance.
1t is expected Engineer Minium will
make his report and that possibly En-
gineer Meyer and Attorney Kaercher
and Cliff will enter into the discus-
sion of feasible means to secure the
desired end without constructing the
dam in the Minnesota river at the
point mentioned.
Open Meeting
The meeting is a public one and
all those interested in the flood con
troll of the Minnesota river and it,
tributaries are invited to be present,