The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1844-06-07

deep. The estimate Of the entire cost o
such a canal with its various APPENDICES
was S,654,00 dollars. In June 1886
the canal was put under contract, and tht
work was prosecuted, uninlerrupedly
until March 1871, when the operation:
generally were suspended, for the wan
of adequate means TO carry on the same
but it was not until March 1913, that al
entire suspension of all the work took
place; and since tina, period, nothing fur
Their towards the actual execution has beer
done.
In February lS43, the existing law au
lhorzing the Governor of the state TO ne.
gociale loan of 900, 900 dollars, "sole.
ly on the credit and pledge of the canal
its tolls, revenues and lands,' for the pur.
pose Of completing the work, was enac-
ted, and thus closes to the present time
the history of the rise and progress Of this
truly great undertaking.
In the same brief manner in which we
have noticed the successive stages in the
history Of the canal, from its origin to the
present period, we proceed to describe
the general character of the work, before
we enter upon the more detailed account
OF It's cost, the amount of work already
completed, and that winch remains to be
executed before the canal can be placed in
"A navigab!e condition.
The canal commences at point on the
souh branch to Chicago creek, five miles
distant from the Junction of the main
branch Of said crtek with lake Michigan,
| and from the mouth of the canal a tow
path is constructed upon the margin Of the
creek 10 the heart of the city Of Chicago ;
the western termination of the canal is al
the town of la Sale on the Illinois river
making the entire distance from the lake
lu2a mlIes; 9G4 of which is canal. The
creek which forms the harbor of Chicago
is wide and deep, and. by means of its
two branches, furnishes an eXcelen, nat
nraI basin Of sufficient capacity to accom-
modate any reasonable number of vessels
and canal boats. which may be needed
for the navigation Of the lake and the bn-
sincss of the canal. The entrance to the
harbor from the lake, is formed bv two
artificial piers, or moles, constructed and
maintained by the government Of the Uni
ted States. Vessels drawing ten feet Of
water may enter the harbor and ascend
the south branch to the mouth of the ca
nal. La Sale. the western terminus of
The canal, is 260 miles above the junction
of the Illinois with the Mississippi {;
steamboats, of suitable construction and
moderate draft of water can ascend the H.
llnois to La Sale, during the greater part
of the year. The entire fall from Lake
Michigan TO the Illinois river at La Sale
is l45 feet: 40 feet of this descent is
distributed through fifteen locks of various
lifts; while the remaining five feet constr
tu'e the declvity given to the several lev
els of the canal. The general direction
OF he line is from northeast to south
west; it follows in succession the valleys
OF the Des PLANES and the Illinois river ;
in its course from Chicago, i, crosses
the following principal streams the
Des PLANES at Juliet, the Du Page, and
the Au Sable, one above, and the other
below the town of Dresden. Fox river at
Ottawa, and the Little Vermillion near La
Sale.
1t has already been stated, that the wa
ters OF the Illinois river and those of lake
Michigan rise very near to each other;
the distance from navigable point on
Chicago creek to the village of Summit on
the Des PLANES river, (the main north
eastern branch Of the llInois) is eight
miles, while Mud lake Tor Portage lake,
flowing into the Dcs PLANES, and the
southern branch of Chicago creek, ap-
proach within three miles of each other.
The country between the lake and the
river is level prairie generally wet -
the soil ll' blue clay, with subs,raum
OF cemented clay, or "hard pam" the
elevation of this prairie is from twelve to
fifteen feet only, above the ordinary level
of lake Michigan.
Such striking feature in the formation
OF The country adjacent to the line of the
canal, necessarily had great influence in
the decision of the original and important
question of the source from whence the
supply Of water for the SUNNI, level was
to be drawn; all united in the opinion
that the lake should be resor,ed to. as the
certain means OF providing a constan, and
ample supply; hence in the law of 1896,
authorizing the construction of The canal.
there is provision which specifies, that
1.-THE canal shalt be supplied with water
rom lake Michigan aud such other sour
ces as the commissioners NAV think prp-