The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-08-28
BACKUS POWER DAM CONTROVERSY
AIRED At THE VIRGINIA MEETING.
Delegates From Every Part Of the Arrowhead
Country Present.-.Canadian Citizens Are
Aroused and Win Help In the Fight.

Grover Comet, State Forester stat
ed his department would act in con
junction with Commissioner GoulG
and his department but that at pres
ent he was not prepared to state a.
to the damages or benefits which
might arise from the construction OF
the dams. Engineer Thomas, who
seemed to have made study of the
subject gave his views in which he
defended the contemplated work or
the grounds of industrial progress
and industrial benefits.
Mr.. Elliot of Fort Francis, threw
monkey wrench into the carefully
meshed wheels of the latter state
ment when he compared the benefits
with the damages done in his home
town. He intimated that the pres
ent dam was developing power
enough for current needs and that
more power would prove drug on
the market. He characterized the
scheme as tieup of spower for the
benefit of the Winnipeg River Pow
Ier Co. which concern had in mind
some development of a territory
hundreds of miles from the dam
affected territory. He also stated
that those in his section of the
country were against the proposition
and that assurances had been re-
ceived from the City of Winnipeg
the fishing interests of the Ameri-
can and Canadian side of Rainy
Lake; tn e owners of islands and
riparian owners on these lakes;
Canadian National Railway; the
Shevlin-C Clarke Co. and the Matthew
Lumber Co., that the proposition
would be fought to the bitter end.
He thanked the people of the Ar
rowhead Country for joining in the
fight.
After the talks by various speak
ers at the meeting it was the sense
of those present that the Arrowhead
Association was fitted for carrying
on the investigation and the fight
and President Harper was instructed
to choose a committee to carry it
on. John Stone Pardee of Duluth
dwelt on the advertising possibilities
for the Arrowhead by having this
International subject handled under
the name of the Arrowhead Associa-
ton. The committee to be chosen
by President Harper is to act joint
ly with the Canadian committees in
the matter. In addition to the OPP
position spoken of by Mr.. Eliot, the
Superior National Forest and the
Izaak Walton League of America
has been added.
Representative David Hurlburt of
international Falls has gone into
the matter quite thoroughly and has
prepared a syllabus containing the
legal phases and court decisions re-
garding the matter. The length of
the findings preclude the possibility
of their publication in this weeks
issue but it our intention to in a lat
err issue to have more t. say ON the
subject.
According to the copy of the ap-
LEGATION filed with the Minister Of
Lands and Forests at Toronto
Ontario, a series of twelve dams are
to be constructed and ~ aintained as
follows: -
~ The right to construct and
control permanent m2sonary dam
at the north outlet of Lac La Croix
where the wafer of Lac La Croi1
now ordinarily flows into Namasks
River, and to divert this entire flow
to the Western outlet where it will
then pass on to Namaskan Lake
The crest of said dam to be at eleva
ton of 1905.
(2l The right to construct {
dam at the west outlet of Lac Ii
Croix and the right to raise Lac Ii
Croix and to overflow Ontario land.