Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1861-04-11
The Kankakee Draining Company.

The Kankakee Draining Company.
7 Within the present month a company
has been organized. by Col. j. q. Walker.
Hon. Gordon Tanner, and other gentlemen
OF northern Indiana. for the purpose oi
Strengthening. deepening and clearing out
the kankakee river. The object proposed
by this company are of such importance,
not only to our nothern counties. but to
the State. that we deem it proper to devote
some space to full discussion of the en-
terprise. sA hei.<
| The peculiar character of the Kankakee
country has not heretofore been generally
understood. Marshes and swamps of vast
extent, on either side of the river. render
access to the stream. in many places almos,
impossible. Practically, it is a region OF
wilderness. in the very heart of the richest
and most highly improved section of the
State. The soil is said to be an alluvion
from six to ten feet in depth, underlaid by
stratum of black sand or gravel, which,
in turn, rests upon bed of clay. a
In 1852, the Legislature enacted gener-
al law for the draining of the lan1s ceded
to the State by the General Government
as swamp lands; but it's provisions were
snch fbs, the swamp land commissioners
of the several counties acted independently
of each other. and no comprehensive plan
OF operations was practicable. The drains
cut in this region operate to run the water
into the Kankakee marshes, whilst moth
ing was done. or could be done, to carry
off the water accumulated in the river, and
upon the adjacent lands. The entire pro.
ceeds of the swamp lands were thus ex-
pended in the construction of bitches.
which. in most cases, have been of little
advantage to the country: and there is
scarcely an instance where such drains af-
ford the complete reclamation intended to
be effected. f-f sli-
In 1858, Col. Walker, then a member
of the Legislature. submitted a bill to the
Swamp Land Committee for the straight
ening and deepening ofthe Kankakee river
BY his bill. the Swamp Land Commission
ers Of the counties bordering on the river
were made a board. and required to act in
concert. His plan was to make the HANK
akee the grand center of a complete system
of swamp land draining. Experience has
shown that this plan would have been not
only more eftectual. but far cheaper to the
State. than the miserable system adopted
The State had not, at that time. alienated
any of the land, and its provisions could
have been easily carried ont thus saving at
least a million of dollars to the treasury
and rendering the Kankakee marshes the
best farming lands within our borders.
The swamp land fund having been ex-
hausted, and the State thus disabled to
undertake the accomplishment of the work.
Col. Walker. still hoping to att in the ob-
ject in some other away, employed compe
tent engineers, and in the summer of 1859
made complete survey Of the river. from
a point not far from its source to the State
line. Upon reviewing report of that
survey. we find that in distance Of seven
ty miles within this State, the channel, by
reason of its eccentric and innumerable
bends. Is over two hundred miles in length
the distance by the channel being about
threefold the distance by straight line.-
1t was frequently found that in q single
days survey. embracing but short dis
tance. the engineers. following the course
OF the stream, travelled toward every point
OF the compass. Generally the water in
the channel. even in the dry months OF
summer. stands above the level of the sur
face of the adjoining or first bottom lands
The higher marshes, or second grade. are
so slightly elevated as to be, in most ca.
ses. unsuseeptible If complete reclamation,
unless the water in the channel can be low
cred. For few miles before reaching the
State line that stream becomes rapid, and
the water is confined. generally. between
banks of dry land. Fortunately the
fall between the State line and the rapids
at Momence is sufficiently great to carry
off any amount of water that may be
thrown into the channel. The fall, for the
length surveyed, will average about one
foot per mile. by straight line-a greater,
fall than that of the Mississippi. or the
Ohio. or the Lower Wabash. The can
mel of the Kankakee being about thrice the
length from point to point Of straight
line drawn through the same points, it be-
comes apparent that its fall can not be
more than four inches per mile: If this
channel. then, with four inches fall per
mile. were only seventy miles in length, it.
would carry off but one third the quantity.
Of water in given time that would be
conveyed away by channel Of the same
length with one foot per mile. Having
not only about two-thirds less fall than q
straight channel would have, but two
thirds greater distance. il follows that the
quantity of water carried off by the present
channel, in given time. must be but a
bout one sixth of what would be carried
off by straight channel. But this is not
all. 1t is we'll known that every bend in
a river. while il increases the length Of the
channel. acts also as dam, which to a
greater or less extent. retards the velocity
of the current. Such is the crookedness
of the Kankakee. that. in the State Of In
diana alone, the survey shows over two
thousand bends Of every conceivable degree
of tortuosity. add to this the fact that
during. the summer months the prese.t
channel is almost completely clogged with
water grass and other vegetable matter.
and il is safe to say that an improved chan
mel. cleared Of eli impedimcnts, two-thirds
reduced in length. with two-thirds more
fall, and without bends, would carry off
fifteen or twenty times more water in q
given time than is conveyed away by the
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