The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1861-04-11


kankakee marshes the best farming Ian Is
within our boarders.
Tie swamp land fund having been ex-
hausted, and the Sta,e thas disabled 10
undertake the accom- plishment of The work
Col. Walker. still hoping TO attain the OBJ.
jet in some other WAY employed compe-
ten engineers. and IN the summer of 1859
made complete survey Of the river. from
a point not far from lis source TO The
S,a,e line. Upon reviewing report of
that survey, We 6nd that III distance of
savenIy miles within this State, I lie chan
mel, BY reason OF lis eccentric and innum
or able bends. is over two hundred miles in
length--the distance by the channel being
over three fold the distance by strai sbt
line. 1t was frequently found that in a
stag lie days survey, embracing but a short
dis ance. he engineers following the
corse of the stream, travelled toward every
poin! of the compass. Generally the wa
ter in the channel, even in the dry mon hs
of summer, stands above the level Of the
surface of the adjoining or first bottom
land. The higher marshes, or the second
grade. ae so slightly elevated as 10 be.
III most cases, un-uscePtible Of complete
reclamation, unless tie water IN The chan.
mel can be lowered. For a t.w miles be-
fore reaching the State iiue the stream be-
comes rapid and the water confined, gem
era be wern banks of dry land. Foru-
IA ely the fall between the Safe line and
the rapids at Momence is sufficiently great
10 carry of any amount of water that may
be thrown into the channel. The fail for
the length surveyed. will average about
one foo, per mile. bya straight lihe--a
greater fall than that of the Mississippi Or
the Ohio. or the lower Wabash. The
ohannyl of the Kanaakee being about
thrice lh length fiom poius to point Of a
straight line drawn from The same points,
II becomes apparent that It's fall cannot be
more than tour inches per mile. If this
channel, then. with four inches fall per
nile, were only seventy niles in length
It would carry of bat one Third the quanti
ty vi wafer i'll given time that would be
conveyed away by channel OF the same
length with one FOO; per mile. Having no.
only about thirds less fall Than ii
straight channel would have buI lwo- thirds
grea.er distance. ii follows that the guam
.uy OF water carried oil by the present
channel. in given time, must be about
.ne-htth of whit would be carried off by "a
slrai. hit Iire chaunal. But Tins is HOT all,
1t Is we'll known that eveiy bend in
chaang acis aisS as e daa apsh khSi # to Shs
greater less ex.enL. re.ards the velos.
nj n h,,f
ness ol Tie kankakee, that. III the S,a.e o.
Indiana alone. the survey shows over Two
thousand bends Of every conceivable de.
gree ot tortunsity. Aid 20 all this the
iact that durin. the summer months tile
pre-e chanuel WAS almost completely
cl sy-d with water grass aud oiher vege
tao matter. and il is s,ie to saw tha. al
mp. owed channel, cleared of ali impedl
mems. two thirds reduced in length, wi,h
Two thirds More fail. and wi,hout peuds.
would cary oil from fifteen to tweenty
lines more wa.er in a given li;ne than 10
carried away by The liver in It's present
condition. The above calculation is made
without re lard To lhe we'll known rule
governing the Increased velocity ut wa,er
arising from an increased tail, when void
show that the quaniisy that might be car
ried off by siralsi,iening the channel would
be even greater than here Stalled
The Kankasee Draining Company pro-
pose. 10y Strengthening the bends. deep
e"ing The shallow places. and clearing out
the shallow oos..uciione In the river, 10 re-
cial aud render arabic the adjacent
L.
rounding country and the interest of the
people generally. The work they propose
will de- pen The bed Of ,he river thruuyh-
out It's length. and bring down The surface
cf The water of the channel below III.
swamp muck SO as 10 carry off the water
through, the sand subsoil and render these
bitches made by the State available.
Ii is estimated lha, three hundred thou
sand acres of land are injured much OF
1t rendered valuess--by tn. waters Of the
river. These lands, at present rates.
would OF sell for more than three dollars
per acre. the aggregate of which would
be nine hundred thousand dollars. Dry |
lands. less fertile. equally remote from
market. IN the counties OF St. Joseph and |
laporte, cell. at present rates, al from
thirty To fifty dollars per acre. It's
sale estimate TO say tat The work conlemp
lated would render the swamp aud wet
lands on the Kankakee worth an average of
twenty dollars per acre. the aggregate of
which would be six million dollars Ii il
es'ima ed that the proposed drains vii;
cost five hundred thousand d.. liars II
these estimates are correct and they are
believed to be within bounds, the net profit
To the o~n-rs of the lands will be at least
four million six hundred thousand dol
lars.
by reference to a general law authoirz
ing he construction of levee and drains.
approved June t2, 1852 and TO an act
Of and supplementary to the
same. approved March 4. 1859, under
winch this company was organized, it will
be iounl that the County Boards are re
CURED. upon application maze by the cor.
poralion 10 appoint psrsoLs not interest
ed In the proposed work to make the as
sessmsnts oi benefits aud damages 10 all
L. H. ~