, 1864-12-13
ltlifaao Gribnlre.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER IS. 1864.

WDuQqG Ollunlte.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER IS, 1854.
TaE 1LLINo1s AND MICHIGAN CA
NAL.
The facts presented BY the Committee on
Statistics TO the Canat Convention, held In
This city in June, 1868, the speeches In that
body and the memorial Of its committee to
Congress-, have .bundant1y shown the enlarge
mcnt Of the Illinois and Michigan Canal to be
q nntional, military and commercial noccssi-
tv, The warzn.,st ficnds Of the measure,
however, have been forced TO the conclusion
that, owing to ignorance On the part Of large
sections Of the country in regard to this sub
,cct. and criminal, selfish jealousy on the part
Of Others, Congress cannot be Influenced to
undertake the work. II the nation cannot be
induced to reap the advantages Of the enlarge
mcnt, Illinois can accomplish the work her
self and receive the reward, which the success
of the enterprise will be sure to pour into her
own Golfers. A statement Of the situation"
and how the enlargement Of the canal and the
Improvement Of the Illinois river can be ef
fectcd, il about as follows:
THE CALUMET DAM AND FEEDER.
The impression generally prevails that the
dam for the feeder ON the Calumet near Blue
Island, Us it backs the water tar up in the
State Of Indiana, must by arrangement with
that State be taken down during the next
year. We learn BY letter from VIM. Good
Ing, Esq, Superintendent Of tho Canal, that
he is "cntircly ignorant Of any agreement
with the Etate Of lndiann TO take down the
Calumet feeder either next year, or at any
other time" He adds, ~ don't think that
any thing short Of decree Of the United
States Supreme Court could induce us to take
It down." That such decree can and Will
within year or two be obtained, there can
scarcely be PARTICLE Of doubt. The legal
principles which apply to the case are clear,
and wc.c long since definitely settled If a
owner Of The lower farm cannot dam it up to
1hc injury Of his ncigLbor owning above.
When nearly twenty years sgo the dam was
built near Blue Island, few people lived
along The Calumet in Indiana, the land along
1t was practically valaeless, and the damage
merely nominal. The opening Of our three
great Eastern railway lines through the
country bordering on the Calumet, has made
these lands valuable, and the people Of In
diana have right to demand TINT the Calu-
met dam shall conc down, md acting upon
the uneucstioned equities Of the case, the
next Legislature should provide for feeding
the canal from the only adequate source Of
suoply-Lakc MiehIsan-and not wait till
forced to do what is manifestly equitable and
just
In regard 10 The revenues and the business
Of the canal, VIM. Gooding, Esq., the able
Superintendent, in letter TO one Of the cdi-
tors Of the TRIBUNE, dated Lockport, Dec. 8,
says:
4s11,e net receipts from the canal itself Qeavsns
ep q aar aS5
much Letter than The average the receipts Of tolls
were <an $50 CS and the expenses properly chutge-
receipts but S1ss IL This vcnr he iolls have ave
amounted to only Sl5d to-. 90, and the expenses
(which have not yet made up) will be greater
bly iaii aomething short of s7o,6oo. "''' T'1
A1hc truth il the canl can only be Of local value.
md not source Of any considerable revenue until
The Illinois river shall be improved. Tor grest
part Of the eeason Of navigation now there l. no
outlet from the Western terminus Of our canal to
the Mississippi. THIS year the navigation Of the
river has esen Of no practical value 10 the canal
In order Tint the caual mag no longer re-
main mere local affair, accommodating the
country between Chicago and La sallc, but
become what at first projected, the great high
way for the commerce between the lakes md
the Mississippi, the improvement Of the ILL.,
no1s River and the enlargement Of the caual
are indispensable requisites,
The following extract from the report Of
Alessrs Good,ng and Preston to the Canal Con-
yention, In June, 'cs, shows in very brief
space precisely what is needed:
1.-THE improvement for which we have estimated
is not "ehip-caual,' as it has generally been
termed It 99t Icing sdag.se te r. nayisatton q
boats sr!tich can ascend fhs ricer ia ordinary
lote sOateF to ST. Loals. The canal, therefore,
where the improvement consists Of canal is esd-
mated throughout at not less than l60 feet wide at
top water-lfnc; and. where the canal is NOT made
in nrock-excavadon, vertical walls upon each eide,
10feet In height, have been estimated.
1.-The locksarc eettmAted $50 feet long by Is feet
wide In the chamber, and would be sufficiently
large to pass t. Of our ordinary canal boats carry
ing Z 600 ions Of freight; Or a gun-boat 200 feet
feet OF water, conld. by The aid OF properly con-
sructed lighters or bargcs, be buoyed up, SO as to
draw less than SIX feet and thus passed through
Without vi M the W siielteet didlsaity. ~ 1' 0A'1
1.-The total cost as will be seen by the annexed
estimate, we have set down at the Gum OF $13, 44G-
mate made b us Iaar Ill. before we were In pos
eession OF the data furnished BY Mr.. Mathewspn's
recent Survey"
But it may be asked, how can this gigantic
work be accomplished? In our Judgment 4!
is far easier to do the whole work On the scale
proposed in the report, Than to attempt any
halfway patchwork. The State is forbidden
by the constitution from making this much
needed improvement. The plan proposed By
the friends Of the measure is to fund the re.
manning canal bonds, say for twenty years. Let
The interest be assumed by the State or let
the bonds be made a first lien on the canal, as
shall be thought best, and bind the
COMPANY
to be chartered by the Legislature to make
the improvement, 10 pay the interest on these
bonds. Let q Company be chartered By the
Legislature with capital Of S15, ,0o0, ,000, who
shall be bound to make the improvement
within five years, with proper restrictions as
10 the manner In which the work is to lie
done, The amount Of tolls to be charged,
and its management generally, and
Tint the State may at any time re.
sumo possession Of it by refundins to the
company the money actually expended in its
construction and Ten PER cent interest on the
the same. This rate may be thought too high;
but 1t is believed 10 be none TOO much so to
induce capitalists to engage energetically in
the enterprise,
/. Snch is brief outliDe Of one Of the plans
proposed. We are fully aware that It may be
liable to objections, but with our present un-
deratapding Of the subject they are more than
overcome by the importance and the nagni-
tude Of the enterprise. For the Company un-
dertaking the work, it would be eafe and
profitable Investment; and to our city and
State and to the entire Northwest, both in a
commercial aud military point Of view, its
value and importance can scarcely be overesu-