Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-02-01

oth' Irdchca6lHfy OF construction, IN
GLIDING The different routes.
y The only requisite to ensure the prac-
Neabiiity OF effecling a canal navigation
over any section of the country, is COM
pNent supply ofwater on the summit le-
} veI of the desired route. The coupe
tenV OF water, on the summit level, be-
T ing IN indispensable condition in the sue
J cessfs construction of canals, it remains
tor usNto examine whether it con be OBJ
tanned on either or on all the respective
routes herein suggested.
On the first route the entire demand to
supply the canal from the head of the
Chicago river to the river Du Page,
must be drawn from the river Des PLANES
at the ford, from the Lake de la pointe
Aux Chenes, and from such spring
brooksas lie 10 the route between the ford
and the nn Page.
In the first place, assuming the dimen-
sions OF the locks as above shewn, to ne.
76 feet long and IA feet wide, having
straight and perpendicular sides, and
supposing the canal to be full, the pas
sage of each boat win require 1912 GU
bic feet of water. Then if we suppose
the time required for filling and discharg
| ing the lock and passing the boat, to be
/ 5 minutes, we shall require tor both
branches of the canal, emanating from
The reservoir at the ford, 68,o96 cubic
feet in an hour. To this expense must
be added the water lost by evaporation,
leakage. and ABSORPTION. Now the dis
t lance from the Du Page to the ford being
. SO ms. 05 c. 06, and from the ford to the
head OF the Chicago, being ms. SO c..
90. giving an aggregate OF As ms. 81
c. 90, and the canal being supposed 40
, feet wide at the surface OF the water, we
shall evidently have surface oil 9,657,
: O67 square feet of water exposed 10 the
, action Of the sun and atmosphere.
From this surface, agreeably to the
: average of experiments, there will, each
hour, be dlssipated by evaporation 8,2l2
8 cubic feet. Then if we suppose like
. quantity TO be lost by leakage and absorb
, lion, we shall have for an hourly aggre-
> gate demand "a $50 cubic feet.
Al Now as the river Des PLANES has been
! ascertaned to furnish in each hour72 DOC
cubic feet, aud il we add 10 this 1000 Gu
, bic feet which the lac de la pointe Aux
Chenes is supposed capable Of furnish
: ing in an hour, and %, 500 cubic feet
J which it is supposed may be drawn from
. the spring brooks to be met with on the
: route, between the ford and Cache island
. (jt being half the accession found between
! nose two points, and 5000 cubic fee
! receivable from other,small streams, be
: tween Cache island and the Du Page, We
e shall have an hourly fund OF 500 Gu
, bic feet; hence The probable hourly sur
, plus of water on this route may be esti-
] mated at $500, or in round numbers
t say 81 900 cubic feet. II must be OBJ
], served that these estimates are predlcat
ed On The supposllion that boats are pas
sing and repassiDg in as rapid success
SOU as practicable, suppositlon which
3 should, individually, obtain when we seek
tor general results and maximum effects
, The distance above examined is the only
: part Of the route on which the least APP
0 prehensiob oil deficiency OF water can ex
3 isl, for the Du Page, furnishing ll4,oot
: cubic feet, and ms. 81 c. SO below i,
/, The AUX Stables furnishing 60 600 cubic
ieet in AN hour, all OF which is subject Il
8 the use OF the canal, give positive assn
: rance of an abundant supply for the re
G naming part of the route.
e By the second route, we commence
: With the quantity of water furnished, II
an hour, by the river Des PLANES al Cache
0 island, III OoO.cubic feet, and 10 this ado
the 1000 feet an hour supposed obtaina
Bile from the lac de la pointe AUX Chenes
and 5000 cubic feet from the springs
above Du Page, as before, which gives
3 an hourly aggregate fund Of $4,000 Gu
: bic feet. Assuming the evaporation
z leakage, and ABSORPTION, to be the same
in this as in the former route, and com
l putting the quantity required for The up
per part of the route, to be S4,048 cubic
feet an hour, there will remain, snblec
to the demand OF tina, part of the route
lying between Cache island and Du Page
an hourly frnd OF 83,527 cubic feet; now
this demand was supposed TO be 34,o4f
cubic feet, consequently, on this route
there will remain an hourly surplus o.
Q 49.479, say 40 600 cubic feet, for that par
l OF the canal above the river Du Page
: below which, as before shewn, there is the
greatest abundance.
BY the third route, we have the same
quantity Of water as in the second, with
y t,,,,at =, arhone he ohiain al fron tbs