Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-01-18
REPORT
Ofthe Canal Commissioners ofthe Stats
Of I.ttnois


acl OF the General Assembly Of he state
OF ilhnols, entities :" An act to provide
ior his inproy cmeo1 OF the internal ma
yigation OF this slate," approved Februa-
ry IL, 1928, most tespsc inily present
tbs lilo~ins Report 70 tie General As
se,eDiy, beu,A ''piain and c9mprehen-
sly report OF her proceedings as by
the said aeil5 required.
The e1Aes Jolned by said act on
the Commissioners, are, hfsl, 70 consi-
dei, devise, ana adopt. such measures
as shalt % may DC requisite to eife he
communication, BY caN,l and locks, be
tween tbs navigaoie wa,ers vi tue III
nois River aud Lak5 Miohlgan: see 1na-
ly, cause MAJ pat. 81 lae terrltor. d
Contiguous 20, the prlpaDle CO rses aud
ganges OF the SAID canal, to be explored
anq examined, Tor determiniug lae most
eislbie route Tor the same; 10 cause
survey and levels % b. takea, aid ac
eurate maps, field books, aud draughts
thereof 10 be made; 10 adopt aud re-
commend proper plans for inc coDstruc-
lacks, dams, and embankments, tuuneis,
Culverts, and aqueduc.s; and TO cause
such plans, draushts, and models, TO be
executed: thirdly, to make calculations
and estimates OF The expenses OF the
foregoing operatlcns: tosrhiy, 10 invite
the attention otthe Governors Of the states
OF Ohio and Indiana, and through them
81. In.. ,,la , h,p tnt.s h..
importance of canal commune alton
between The Wabash aad Maumeg rivers.
The Commissioners met IN Vandalla
shortly after the passage OF the ac. re-
ferred 10, and alter organizing TINS hs5.rd,
fr0si various CONSIDERATIONS, were oil opl-
Mon thai they would besE eject the IN
ten.loas of the General Assembly by
securing the services OF one OF The plin-
clpal Engineers employed IN The con
sirucuon Of he N Work Canal; aud
for tue accomplishment OF thai object,
addressed letters 10 Messrs. Benjamin
Wright and James Geddes WHO mad
been hus eGpioyed. Both OF these
gentlemen having declined, as will De
seen by their answers herewith commu-
nicased, lhey employed a gentleman about
to visit New-York, to complete an ar
rangement With s5ine competent person
in that state, ondtr The ADVICE oil The Pre-
s,den OF The New-York Board oil Cana
Commissioners.
This gen'eman's interviews result
ing 10 40 poslive engagement, and con-
siderable tlme having eiepsed, they felt
themselves compelled 10 seek Tor some
Competent person, TO execute the Gu
lies. of Eng .neer, within The immediate
vicinity OF thls section OF the western
country and they ieel no small grati6
calion in being enabled to say VITA con-
iidence, that, in their opnipn, the duties
which have been entrusted TO, aud I'M
posed upon, The gentleman whom they
have selected, have been executed with
skill and ability not surpassed by any
one engaged III similar services.
AS the country ,itualed between the
nayisable waters itpe Illinois river ana
lake Michigan, is remote from the inha-
bi,ed parts OF this state, and the topo-
graphy was imperiec,ly known, the
Commissioners conceived II essentially
nee es5ary 10 a correct execution OF this
duties with which they were entrusted,
to expiore the country previously TO the
taking OF the levels, and causing the sur
yeys To be made; as without this eXa-
animation, it was impossible 10 determine,
VIA any accurracy7 where The leveiing
and Surveying ought 70 be commenced,
the probable course TO be iun, or the
point OF termination; and as affordlng
the additional advantage OF correc,
data, for the ultimate execution of their
duties, al the least probable expense.
A portion Of The Commissioners,
therefore, in the fall Of 1928, accompa-
MED by COL Jnstus Post, whom they
had engaged as their Engineer, explor-
ed and examined the country from the |
rapids Of the Illinois river, with the
streams emptying inly the same, 10 lake
Michigan, and the country bordering on
the Chicago river and Kallimiok, which
streams also empty into Lake Michigan
The Commissioners returned by water
in canoes, examining the bed OF the RI
vers, particularly the depth of water,
and the height of the river bank. They
also assembled the Chicago river, or Arm
OF Lake Michigan, having its confluence /
with that Laks on the west side, about i