, 1860-04-26

several bights aud ialets. surrounded By gigan-
tic oak trees, and rio1ent struggle Of waIe1s
see,ns to have ragged there, and Neptune ut hast,
to hare been compelled to let . part Of them 80
to the Gulf Of St. Lawrence. Interest ng as.his
point IT, in its appearance as q water shed be.
tween Lake Michigan and tho Cuff Of Mexico.
it il aso Of peculiar Significance for the estab-
lishmcnt Of naviEab'e river from Lake M'cA,,
be set forth; when the construction Of the plnn
is spoken Of. .
From this point towards Chicago andthe lake,
the land f!is of about feet ia miles distance,
but rcsuins pretty uniform level towards the
south until about one mile btl ow Athens, where
a dceI CT valley begins With large dscatna:fon.
This declina.ion amounts 10 a6uat 50 teet II
space Of II miles from Athens 10 tho junction
Of tho DestIaines river and the canol, oo.n ol
which c3alipue parallel to each other IRON Suto-
nit, with few de%ia'ions.
1his condition Of tic ground given, should
order 10 establish this canai OF navigablc r1ver:
The South Branch Of the Chicago R1ver IS,
fram its mouth tn Lake street brsoEe. more
than aV1 feet wide, and from that bridge up TO
the ca1a! at Bridgeport it has pretty nnI;olm
width Of $50 teet or more. In order to Keep the
present canal as long Gs possible for the use OF |
trade, it might seem proper to gre to thc nc"
canal or riSer direction towards Mud Lake |
aud tue watershed ehore mentioned, the
water.conrsc from TINT place wonld thereby ad'
vantagcoualF lie made use OF. ln order 10 hase |
IN annie Ieree for loading md unloading ships, i
the canal ousbt 10 hare width Of at least l5o
for better 2O0) feet up to tie water saea. 4
spec. Of current Of two !eei per sccond III tle
port of Chicsgo and this new extension OF H.
would be Of no disturbing cons scaueoess aoF
navigation. In order to lct Oft a quantity OF
1000 cubic feet of water per secoId, cfoss,cnt
waufd be necessary, 15a leet vide and 10 lee! l
deep. This stream Of water in tha: quantity
uratosed would always have Tree cud us1uter
rupttd course wien the channel Will be oux out
50 feet wider, therefore 600 feet, in order 10
haze sufficient room for landing boa:s on both
sides without reducing the section OF The strcant
With croYs cut or section cf Each d'mensio''s,
and specd Of current IS abore supposed, there
would then be fall OF 81 tect for 1erg'e q: l.
miles (iom the inou Of the 1iFer TO tue water
| ehed The bottom III this new rlTcr bed ~ tue
end Of this section ut Summit would then be e3
| 10 81 feet below the turface ground, and the
| vultr level nbo,at 13 10 14'!cct- In ordrE to
| continue this canal further. the old r1vcE bed
could adrantaseous!y be used to the Sag or to
,be Calumet feeder, where the rock formation
begins. Tho length Of this tction, from Sum.
| nit, would be III miles. According 10 the
! original plan Of the present canal it was the
I design to uss Lake Michigan as natural feed
| er. at scme points the rock has been cut or
! blown out to considerable depth, es is shown
by the uasses Of earth aud stnne on ba:h sides
Of the canal. This can particularly be seen
frum the Calumet tceier down to lock No. l, q
space Of about miles. In orde. TO profit BY
this work. the lice OF tie cd canal ought to be
followed frcm there to the proposed laEcf!on OF
| this uaw river with tue Dcsplanes river btloT
| Joliet From the water shed TT Summit the
! new river would have the sunle decline n5 atosc
down 70 the present third canal ierel between
lock No. 9 and lock No. 8, one mile below Lock-
port. The length Of Ills section, fro1a sugsn,lt
downwards, wculd be about * miles: IN order
to carry tic necessary quantity Of 8, co, cubic
, fee. Of water through tlis rocky region, no
/ uarticuIar enlargement Of the Old caual svould
he needed nroyiled that the speed OF tho cur
. rent should be increased to leet per secoad.
The width Of the cana! Toutd only be So leet,
ouly 90 feet more than 1t present.
! On tho ot1icr h1ul we would get decline Of
! l6k inches per milo Ut such nidth aud depth
Of 9f tcet which y7oa1d cut IS to 45 feet deep in
tue rock On line OF about II miles. Consider
! abte difficulties nnd expenses wonld thereby
! arise. Lock2or would h1ve to be gone about,
aud almost tic whole precious waterfall woui1
be lost, besides the spect Of tho current would
be too stroDg. 4 somewhat mere favorable "a.
ito would 10 attained, If the speed W1s .pui
down ct 6 fec. per second, then the wiG1h q
the caual would hare 10 le 100 feet 1t q depth
l. Of 10 feet. The cost of excavation would bt
;; about as high as the fsucceedins third cross
= cut, but The cutting in tho rocks Won!4
;, still be 50 considerable that the water level o
the rew c7aal ut l4ockport would have to hc lait
either aboutlj feel from the present canal !crel
y or the canal be made Mt the west cad oi tn,
y Mace which has deeper location. In b1tl
y cases there would be Esen: loss. Then W
II world lose fcct waterfall, which may b. sayc'
= if another plan is aduptcd. Further, i must
II talen in consideration, that in case Of cafryiu
;. out the ucw caupf, the same acting as 'lrafue
- for the uGjaceut country. and cutting up u
=: ieud from Chicago to Lockpors: about 1000"
- acres Of s:snmp Iund coul1 be easily cnange
into the best and mcst valuable land. Thrs
II reclaimed lands would be seit1ed With Tllia2e
a and srut1e would ke carried on IN them. Br
= ehoulI the river or canal be tco decp below II,
u. ~ surface. i. would then DO Rlu7o.t lnaccess1
~ ~ aud Of little use for Inc adjacent country.
" y therefore deem, the following dimensions til
. 1no>t ndyautagcou. for tbs section Of the cana
e eyeu il the ssme thereby should bec;nls widt
- ~ than is absolutely necessary there. When :"
'e suppose tho width OF tie canal 150 teat. II
es deph Of TIC water ~ feet, speed Of feet ri
T. secund IL required for cayryinE 5000 cubic fc
u; through in csctl .cccrd. THIS ruto Il. The crn
- section to the speed giycs decline O. u 1''cl
~ rer mile. Tic cn.llc dt cline from the wete
'e, 'e, shed Mt Summit TO- below Lockport. length
r. r. Il miles, ii therefore iest, ins:csd Of
10 fty., at a speed Of 1 feet, or j; f:
o,; at spted feet per second. We may put d."
~ this ratio as t,E most accurasc to he aicera1u
T.. under tho present situation If the E1cun
'y Tie waller level in the port Of LocErort wcn
~ decline from its present position by onEy !: fc'
lSf Tue lock No. g, there located, would become
~. peilous, and tic same height Of tue wates les
ast could be kent up with some declina,ion do:
;n- ;n- to lock NJ. :, u milo below 1,oekport. The
ny 1Ae first lock for the new canal would hare
.. .. be placed, with d lift Of 10 feet. With such
cct lift the wuter level above tie present luck
~ 8 would b. by foar tcct higher than Mt Prcsc
au aud one foot higher III the present fourth cal
ao' level between LOCKS M. 3 and i.
T. Fran This last water lcvel betwecn locks )
I.e . aud i "a length Of 1t milcs) Inc decline 1o
'a' 1o The SIKH cunal lcrel. into which the D.
PLANES r,yer falls. woslI be 20 feet, which hci.
T~ Of the present locks No. I and ) would be aTo
Eas rt' ed by the new lccks. Ey such disposition
,t.e immense water power can be gained for lenf
na sne Of II miles Immediately below Lockrort.
'e' whose Importance wc ti'all speak iur.tls:. l
enlargement and slight deepening nf the CO
W." from lock Sd 5 10 tue dsembo:I el.'euf into
,, "e upper basin ut Toilet, uhout one mile in exile
n excepted, no othtr works. referring directly
~ ~ navigation. would DO needed. In both Of
n sne basins ut Joliet, luck No. : wcuid have only
~, bc rebuilt, snd lock No. : removed. Ih.1
u :ua might perhaps lie necessary, 70 make The
tses dams higher by about 2 feet. in order to eet
~ sufficient deplh Of water This hiyhten'ue
~ the dams creates no danger for the surronnd
" country in casc Of hig 81 waiter, as By cstah''
A. ing larger tloodgatcs, not existing there At pl
...ai than is the case at present. To attain tho
~ ~ quited depth Of watar in those basins, i. mi
+; ~ perhaps be not great deal mere expensive
H. HI deepen part Of tile river bed on the right HI
.ea side of the river ut width Of about top fee!
ere. rf; ,re.,J r. :, F,r t,ot4.r ,,1on
ahe' the costs ere cot out Of proportion.
oehs rreseut direction O. the canal VIC
! ~ would be preserved from Joliet down to
- ~ roiut, where the uev canal shalt full into
s saa Dcsp!aines RiEcr, J. miles below Joliet. wl
*, The rocky formation ceases. The new c:
aet would there have width Of oply 100 feet,
~. q account Of the limited space,) depth Of ]:
,n,. md Il speed Of q feet pe. secooc. In eEde
'a; enlarge the canal from O. to lc1 feet, it e
~ oH be necessary to acquire the adjacent strir
mile ;n ~" ;. 1i ~ a"U ,1j;s'.. .hc-o,n ii,
e's', the new canal fills into Gcspaines KiTcr be
ns Joliet, Tic heats wonld pass hY means Of
.h" .t'. locks decline of 20 feet. These hc1s vi
~. BE- erecled on the rock foundation, so as to
49, ! naiuish the cost uf tacar estaoil5hnaent.
';'a 'es' thot point tho cauu f20 feet higher thAu
':'sts ! rvcr} void be continued fur about ano
.' " mile, e4d this enormous waterfall might Gc
~. for the establishment OF manufactures and
.1ar tories, for which the locality is peculiarly I'D
w. ed, rs we'll as at Lorkport.
.a.as As to rendering the Dcs;'eines River nhy
aer bic frors thst point, havS already giren
,"st ," explanation above, uni it remains oniy +
bout eose. 49, ~ 100 T-a, ta-a n I'a
at sssn is concerned, il we consider this Guansis
the e,s;.hna ,os: hn a., EonEatss H., p,o, cn1
aI Hiress. That part Of the river FROM the DO
bore ~ s',an,,te.v ~. "Ii fs, nto fhc
arcu- t.So.. lii y ,,;tof fss,r ,ha incts1 xr
these So1 ,a,.n % e,o;.a,,, aoa,b ~ ~. h:d =,
nut Of ~" 49, a,.e.i ,.,.i ~. ,va,o- f,.,,n
idsc- s,Ia ,ue,, 4; cnsc 10 ,rsat oun
naSM 1s1 should be used for manufacturing purpose
l. H,, ,ha Considering, What might be obser*ed cy
!, rying out this plan in regard to high wase7
~ of ~ T.. ,o son,'n n
u the o seas ~: 'us ~ e,a.sar. ~,
elvcs a'aa .,.,;on+ihofa-a ~ ,ha srne"i
'"ps. 49, il jusi.iiabc, mat in lime Il line OF stea