Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1848-06-24
ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN CANAL.

This important work, connecting Lake Mi
chigan at Chicago with the Illinois river at
La Sale, was commenced in the year 1886,
but, owing to deficiency of funds, was dis
continued in lS42. In August of isas, most
of the holders of Illinois Canal bonds, having
agreed, under the large encouragement held
out by the State, to furnish the necessary
sum, the work was again resumed, and prose-
cuted until its completion in April of the pre-
sent year. at a cost of about SO, 500. 900.
1t is a work of the first class, and both in
point of capacity and in the character of its
workmanship will bear advantageous COM
parison with any Canal of equal length in
the u States. Ii is 60 feet wide at the sur
face, SO at the bottom and feet deep. The
locks are II in number, and of the same size
as those of the "enlarged Ere"-designed
for boats carrying from 100 10 120 tons. The
locks, dams, piers and abutments of the
acqueducts and bridges are Of the best
description of hammered masonry.
The bridges over the Canal. of which there
are some 25 or 80 are of the kind known in
New England as ''Homc's patent" having
spans of 10 feet and upwards, and elevated
ten feet above the deck of the boats. The
trunks of the aqueducts are supported by
trussed frames of oak, constructed upon the
same principle as the bridges The water
is supplied from six different sources, the
principal one being the Calumet River from
which the water is conducted bya navigable
feedel II miles in length
In addition to these sources of supply,
there are two powerful pumping engines,
driven by steam to raise water directly from
the lake into the basin connected with the
summit level, in case the supply from the
feeder should become inadequate for maxi
mum trade on the canal in Il season of
drought. They are of 100 horse power, pro-
vided with six large boilers each, and calcu-
lated to raise water TO height of TO feet,
according as the height of the water in the
lake fluctuates. One of them drives four
lifting pumps, 81 inches in diameter and six
feet stroke; while the other given motion to
an immense wheel. ralle'', T. &c b,hckets.
scoop-Wheel, proNlae" VIVA ao
The four pumps combined WI. s"'ss s,. o IN.
can be filed in three minutes by either the
four pumps or the wheel. y circumstance
rather incidental is, that the water raised by
these means will have Il fall of 60 feet IN I;
distance of eight miles, and be distributed al
four different locks, which, in IA country where
water power is scarce, and where it is not
unusual for people 10 haul their grain 50 OF
10 miles to mill, is matter OF considerable
importance.
The inexaustible coal beds in Illinois,
more than in the entire island of Great Bn
tain. as remarked by Mr.. Lyell in his Geolo
cv of America, will doubtless furnish one o
the great articles of trade IN this canal. Ih
steamboats, prefer ii, at 81 30 per ton, TO tw
cords of wood at the same price, because
requires much less rocn; is handled WI,
less labor, and generates as much steam
Lumber, corn, pork and beef, will also be
come great articles of trade, and all the sta
pie productions of the country on the lli'no
and Upper Mississippi will find their wa
through this canal.
Freight boats are now running on the can;
> continually, and the business is Increasing
. There are two daily lines of packet boats a
q ready established, leaving each end OF II
line morning and evening, carrying from fit
v 10 one hundred passengers each, and makii
Is the passage in about twenty Hours, 1t III
nishes an expeditions and comfortable ron
d from the Mississippi to the lake ana o'
at which will probably soon become We
l. great horOughtare,