The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-08 00:00:00

ILLINOIS AND MISSISSIPPI CANAL.

We make the following extracts from the preliminary
report of J. 0. Iludnutt, chief engineer of the Illinois and
Michigan Canal Extension :
"Hitherto Chicago has looked in the main to her mag-
nificent system of railways for her channels of traffic to
the West and North. Nor has she looked in vain, for they
have accomplished wonders for both country and city.
" Tho shipments of grain to Chicago over the line of the
railroads reaching the Mississippi River during the year
ending March 31, 1866, were as follows :—Total, flour,
barrels, about 1,000,000; wheat, bushels, 8,000,000; corn,
bushels, 17,300,000 ; oats, bushels, 9,000,000. Reduce the
flour to wheat measure, and we have a grand total of about
37,100,000 bushels of grain, a saving of five cents per
bushel on which would amount to $1,850,000. Add to
this a like saving on rye, and barley, and grass seed, and
the total would fully amount to $2,000,000.
" The export eastward of grain for the time before
named was —By lake, 6,500,000 bushels wheat, 24,400,000
bushels corn, 8,700,000 bushels oats. The amount by rail
was-1,000,000 bushels wheat, 617,000 bushels corn,
1,087,000 bushels oats.

" The export of wheat was 2,000,000 bushels less than
the year before, on account of the short crop.
"A glance at our map of the State of Illinois will show us
another interest almost forgotten in our hurry-scurry for
railroad developments, and that is the line of the Illinois
and Michigan Canal, which begins in a very good place,
viz.—in one of our rivers, but unfortunately ends nowhere.
Notwithstanding this disadvantage, it has been quietly
doing its work, and has assisted in no mean way in build-
ing up the commerce of Chicago.
"In 1865 the canal opened ten days later and closed
nine days earlier than any of the preceding five years, and
yet the tolls amountedlo more than double those of any
other of those years, owing, as the superintendent says in
his report, to the wet summer, causing high waterin the Illi-
nois River. If a few thunder showers can do this much
for the business of this canal, what might it become were
the river made navigable through the entire season of open
canal. The city of Chicago has appropriated $2,000,000
to cut down the summit lever of this canal. Aside from
this interest that the city owns in this public work, the
whole improvement will belong to the State of Illinois in
a few years. The State, we may say, then, is virtually
owner.

" In order to obtain a reliable supply of water for the sum-
mit between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, it was
found necessary to tap the Rock River at Dixon, taking
from thence a feeder across the summit at Devil's Slough,
near Sheffield. By making this feeder navigable, it will
relieve the wants, long felt, of water communication from
the valley of Rock River, for that river could be improved
to its source, and, by the feeder, the whole trade of the
Rock River Valley be opened to the markets, either at St.
Louis or Chicago. This project need not interfere with
the improvement of Rock River, but may be made the
ready means of forwarding that enterprise to early com-
pletion.
"Suppose this canal completed to the Mississippi River,
wheat could be loaded upon barges from the warehouse at
M'Gregor or St. Paul and sent in bulk to the Chicago
River, and often elevated at once from barge to propeller.
Nor is this all ; hero are the boats ready to be laden with
merchandise for return trip.
"The entire feasibility of the route has boon demon-
strated by the surveys just completed. Of course nothing
can be definitely told of the cost of construction until the
estimates shall have been completed ; but enough is known
by the survey that a cheap line can be had. The length
of main canal will be about sixty-five miles ; length of
feeder thirty-eight miles, or 103 miles total. The profile
has been. pronounced by more than one competent engi-
neer to be the cheapest 100 miles to construct that they
ever inspected. There will be very little rock excavation,
and the earthwork will all be light. The locks will be the
I .* "pal part of the cost. Of these there are none on the
principal
feeder. From the Illinois to the summit the rise will be
about 210 feet. From the summit the fall west to the Mis-
onrikilehsasihaelolcokeakoaegeofis6aBbBouftoolt4fOorfeto..mTi.lhose,Ewriteiloof
says Mr.o ti a nutt, " let me
sissippi will bo eighty-eight feet. On the present canal
't"hatanedneaT
isr c
tNolfieewloGYoeneseee Valley Canal, 105 miles, has a lockage of
men are about
nettionlntocotnhcelufsaiootn
claoll67attfee
building elevators at Cairo
propose to ship grain in bulk from New Orleans, and
Missis-
sippi, and by a rapid transit, the Upper
move the cargoes New, having boats ready to
from
pre-
venting the h • Orleans, thus eattng heretofore
hot and humid atmosphere. encountered in that
prove a success, as ther is Now should this project
little doubt it needs no pro-
phet's vision to foresee the
influence upon our commerce.
For wherever the grain
trade centres, and especially at a
point of so many commercial
advantages as New Orleans
Possesses, there will centre
also the whole commerce of the
Mississippi.

"These facts are submitted for the candid consideration
of the people of Illinois as well as to the citizens of her
commercial metropolis."

WEST LONDON ROWING CLUB.—The next athletic meet-
ing of this club is fixed for Saturday, 3d November, at
Brompton Grounds, when, among other events, the club
present a valuable prize of £l5 15s. for competition in a
quarter mile handicap race, open to members of amateur
rowing and athletic clubs, the civil service, the Universi-
ties of Oxford and Cambridge, the public schools, and
officers of the army and navy. All entries close on or
before the 27th inst., to the Secretary of the West London
Rowing Club, 44, Pall-mall, S.W.
THE FORTHCOMING GUARDS' EIGHT-OARED MATCH ON
THE TuamEs.—Friday next has been selected 'for tho
Eight-oared contest between the non-commissioned officers
of the Royal Ilorso Guards and the Scots Fusiliers, for
which the crows have been for some time in close train-
ing. The course selected is the find reach of water from
Bray to Maidenhead Bridge. They aro both fine crews,
and each deserves to be victorious. The Royal Horse
Guards' crew aro the favourites, the betting being 7 to 4
upon them. The expected race is exciting great interest at
Whadaor and a large araouut of betting.