ANNUAL REPORT—COMMERCE. 
89 
before so promising 1 of a prosperous future, so far as railroad enterprises can 
effect our prosperity, and at this day it will be generally admitted that there 
is no other influence so x>otent in building ux> a city as that of railroads.” 
The Fox and Wisconsin Fiver Improvement, whose claims 
were set forth at considerable length in our last report, has 
finally—thanks to your own intelligent and yig ous action 
and the concurrent action of numerous other citizens, includ¬ 
ing our able senators and members of congress—been fairly 
inaugurated. The large amount of money desired, and which 
w T ould be necessary to the construction of permanent improve¬ 
ments insuring the navigability of the Wisconsin river at all 
stages of w r ater, has not yet been granted ; but the govern¬ 
ment, at the last session of congress appropriated $100,000, as 
you are so well aware, for the commencement of the work, and 
has appointed Colonel Houston, of Chicago, engineer in charge 
of lake improvements, etc., to expend the money in such 
dredging, surveying and other practical operations as will ren¬ 
der the river ravigable during ordinarily favorable conditions. 
The government has also taken steps to acquire the own¬ 
ership and control of the improvements already made by 
the Green Ba}^ and Mississippi Canal Company. To this end 
it has been provided by Congress that a board of arbitrators, 
consisting of three members—one to be appointed by the gov¬ 
ernment, one by the company, and the third by these two— 
shall examine into the condition of said improvements, their 
cash value, and report at an early day. 
The government has appointed Wm. W. Larabee, of Iowa; 
the company, lion. J. R. Doolittle; and as soon as the third 
member shall have been agreed upon by these two, the board 
will begin its investigations. 
These several important steps are a pledge of the interest 
taken in this much needed improvement by the country at 
large, and are an earnest of what may be expected of the gov¬ 
ernment in an early future. 
