The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-11-17
SAYS Ills PEOPLE
OPPOSE THE PLAN
Delivers Sun-Flower Talk
Before City Council
ROB BROWN TO RESCUE
Engineer Phil Comstock Submit
ted His Report On
Undertaking

Undertaking
City Engineer Phil +. ComStock
last night at the city council meet
ing made his report as to the feast
bility of creating dam at the june
ton of the Blue Earth and Mime
sofa rivers for the purpose of form
ing seven mile lake for pleasure
purposes. Mr.. Comstock said that
as far as the method OF construc
| ton that there was little objection.
| AS far as mis- Investigations mad
gone, the city engineer said that
there was not much chance OF dam
ages from overflow of land unless 1t
would be at the Old Pannenberg
brickyard pits.
| Mayor D. o. Tenley of North
Mankato, who was at the meeting
and was called upon to speak on
the subject by Acting Mayor Alex
Anderson who presided in the alb.
sence OF Mayor w. A. Beach, said
that after conversing with large
number OF residents Of North Man
kato on the question OF the dam at
the mouth of the Blue Earth river,
he had failed to find any one en-
! thuSiaStic over the proposition.
Mayor Tenney said that the people
of the north side were afraid that
: in case of a mood that the dam
would place the city OF North Map
! kato in a very dangerous position,
! and for that reason they did not
favor it, Some PEOPLE in that viii
| lage were of the opinion that the
proposition might be commercial
lied.
City Engineer Comstock in max
| ing his report sad that the whole
matter of the installation Of the
proposed dam would have to com
ply with the regulations of the war
| department and the state drainage
/ laws and would probably come I'M
| der the jurisdiction of the state
conservancy laws now in force along
the Minnesota river. He stated that
there might be a chance of dam
ages at the North Star Concrete
Works in the way of preventing
gravel from drifting down the
stream, but Mr.. Comstock thought
/ that this could be overcome by let
ting down the gates at intervals and
allowing the water rush through.
There was another thing to be taken
into consideration, the city engl'
neer said, and that would be the
flooding of the city gravel pits at
Sibley Park just at a time when the
city needed the material. Owing TO
the usual high water in the spring
and sometimes in the fall, Mr.. Com
stock thought that the average per-
iod of use of the dam would be
about three months, and as far as
boating is concerned, the Minnesota
above the mouth of the Blue Earth
is now a good place with little cur
rent for a number OF miles up
stream.
Brown Took Exceptions.
r, E. Brown later on took a num-
Der of exceptions to Mr.. Comstock's
statements. One of these was thar
he thought that in years like the
one coming to a close, the period OF
use would be at least during the
months of June, July. August and
September.
Mr.. Brown stated to the members
of the city council that he would
like them to consider the propose
ton from every angle. and II the
matter of meeting the interest on
the money necessary TO CONSTRUCT
the dam was any object to the city.
he thought that could be arranged
until the city had the funds avail
able.
Owing to the absence of Mayor
Beach it was thought advisable TO
POSTPONE the question of the dam Tor
another week. =,
Mayor d. o. Tenney when called
upon by Acting Mayor Anderson
said that he had canvassed the
question pretty thoroughly in North
Mankato and had yet failed to tnd
a resident on the north side VINO
was enthusiastic over the proposed
dam. The North Mankato mayor
said that If he were permitted TO 90
so, he would like to call ATTENTION
of the Mankato council to the fact
that right in the midst OF the CITY
nature has generously provldea an
ideal place for a lake, with as Deau
tiful hills as exist in Southern Min
nesota on two sides Of 1t. These
hills with their beautiful, rugged
old oaks and other natural trees Sol
the forest would form a natural
shore line that could not be ex-
ceIled in this state. This spot Is IN
the Van Brunt slough. The city
owns part of il already. Indian Lake
is being drained into it, and all that
would have to be done at the pres
emf time would be to impound the
water at the South Front street
crossing of the slough. Basins ms
calculations on the estimate OF
s ibieyO Park. Mayor Tenney thought
that the improvement of the, pro-
posed lake in Van Brunt slough
would cost much less. Then there
would not be the danger of over,
flow of valuable city and farm land
that there would be at the site at
the junction of the Blue Earth ano
Minnesota rivers. The North Man
kato mayor went into detail as to
how the Van Brunt lake could be
beautitied from year to year by
the formation of Islands and drive
ways along the shore line. In clos.
ing Mayor Tenney said that the city
council that put through the propo..
sition of the lake in Van Brunt
slough would not only build last
ing monument to themselves but
for the city. Speaking for his con-
stituents in North Mankato Mr..
m a