, 1865-01-11
TME CHICAGO RIVER AND
TIE ILLINOIS t. NalCAI.
GAN CANAL
Extract from Hon. ". q. D.denss Let.
ter Of Dec. 2Dt1a, 1864, TO e. Fl.
EheldODs OF this CITY,

HIhe desirable way Wonld Dc: the State
charter company to tako canal at
a price on which it Tould prob
ably pay 6 OF Z q cent interest a. It is
The company to enlarge and deepen the canal
md extend slack water navigation to mouth
Of the Illinois. The State to Issue new bonds
and sell them and retire existing canal debt,
all past due, and relieve existing canal trust;
the company to give State first lieu on exist
ing canal for its value, aseertalned by what it
will pay interest upon IS It now stands Zone
to two millions Of dollars; the Charter to
authorize the City Of Chicago to take one or
two millions Of stock In tho company, selling
Its bonds to raise the money, ana IN Ike man
neE authorize towns uud counties along the
Illinois river to subscribe to stock {3t. Louis
n1so) with Legal provision compelling ASSESS
ors and collectors to assess and collect tax to
pay interest on bonds issued, over earnings
and dividends Of company, # any, anu pay
over to Canal Company annually.
means could be raised and the work com.
pletcd. probably, il no obstacles presented.
Preston says the counties along the river are
anxious now for its improT emcnt and tired Of
dry river: &C., and w1ll now aid instead Of
opposing.
sirable action and progress, is the exist
ing trust and the difficulties in removing
it. About half the registered canal bonds arc
sterling bonds, payable, principal and inter
est, in London, and part Of the unregistered
bonds On the same, I believe, and the trust
covers all eanal bonds, registered and nnreg-
bonds now get their interest, and, also, get
What the Trustees pay annually on principal,
In gold, and will not take anything else in
payment, and the State will not, I suppose,
Issue new bonds to be sold at par toE- cur
rency to pay these outstanding bonds in gold,
and the Trustees haye no power to change,
alter, or surrender their trust until all th6
Canal bonds are retired.
1have had several conversations with Capt.
Swift, but lave been unable to see my war
around this difficulty. I proposed then to
Capt. Swift that the State furnish means,
through company perhaps, Tor BY change 81
for the purpose) for the Trustees to perfect
the canul. He said they might expend such
ftlndR, but would not be authorized to sus-
pend business on the canal ut all to do 90
must do It in winter only, and would by the
terms Of the trust be obi, ICED to take all the
largcment andimproyemeut until tic canal
trust debt WAS paid. Evsn If the Charter
company Improve the river and greatly IN
| crease the business Of the canal as Il is CT
enlarged. he could not divide tho earnings,
| a]l must 70 to the trust until discharged.
cannot see my way past these difficulties
| yet, but hope others may devise some mears
10 relieve Chicago, and make the canal more
| useful to the State.
1t the existing canal cannot be availcd OF,
| then other means must be Investigated. hfr.
Dunham's idea Of q large sewer, under the
canal, would Involve m expense many times
| greater than reducing the canal to the deep
cut, and Is therefore impracticable entirely.
| The deep cut the trustees would only allow us
| to work ut In winter, and consequently delay
| would attend that.
The Calumet dam, Capt. Swift does not
think will be renewed for years, but may be
eventually. Ii he is right, tie pumping to
supply water will not be sufficient to relieve
| Chicago.
! All iLat can suggest, therefore, Is the en-,
| 1assiuG OF the South Branch ditch to the Des
p}aines, at osaoe, this winter. The Board ot
Works would have proflted much by doing IT
lons ago, and the lake Michigan Is so low nov
that you need the spring Hood Of the Des
Pluincs, with 10 to IS feet fall in time o1
| toed) to sweep out the accumulation md de,
posits In the river md harboT, as they did In
The money speut the past season in, open,
ing cntrapce to the mouth Of tho harbor, il
spent in Opening channel u tue Dcsplaines,
and in extending tic south pier, would
think, hnre cleaned and deepelled the entire
riycr, aud made and maintained Il better hAr
boc enttHnce than VIC now have, after the hrs1
good tlood In the Despfnines. It did SO II
ts4s OF ~ in the great aoud--wonld be NOR.
efficient III common Goods with the channe
opened to the Dcsp!aines t1roug, Mud Lake
| good part Of which has been alreauy don't
b. the action Of the water In the small ditcl
made.
| dredgc-the width Of dredye-0p0 81,
about six fret in depth, the Des Plaine:
would npidly open It probably 100 feet O
more In width, and ten TO fifteen feet i,
depth. This done, and ne have only to lowe
The old bed Of thu river from the end Of til
channel 10 Athens, and lis waters Of LAX
Michigan run inte the illinois and relieve Ia
city, except the North Brunch.
i dredge, Or dredses, can do this work c
ali Seasons, and it could be accomplishe,
| probably in lalf the time It would take to r.
ducc the canal to the deep cut By working Il
If the ditch to the Des Plaincs was opene'
this winter, the spring fSeshcts might max
| q river Of 1t at once and turn all the Water q
the Desplaincs through it.
It is an experiment, SO far as the enlarsin:
Of The ditch Is concerned, that think shoul,
have been tried By the city long sgo.
The Desp.alnes River. at the end OF th
higher than at Lake Michigan. Tie bed o
thu Desplaines, from alud Lake to Athens
Is, in many places, deep enough now to carr
the water from Lake Michigan to the Illinois
II this channel IVES made u,cn, at ordinas,
water in the prsrl,ines, the current from
Lake Michigan to the Illinois River would b
free und regular. But when the Dcsplaine
.. Nas raised Six to ten feet, by flood, it's water
would sweep into tue lake with force, clean
, ing out aLl deepening our river aud ha1Do
entrance most dcsi1ubIy.
OF course, 6 full surrey Of tie propose
channel 10 the Dcsp1alncs, and Of the De;
| | piaiaes River down to point where its be-
is low enough TO take Of the water frou
| Luke Michigan, should be1nade aud estimlte
, CT iEc cost, &c., before undertaking any thin
beys nd opening the channel to the Desplalnef
,, Of sweeping ont the river and harbor bar il
! times CT food In the Dssplaines.
If1t should be found on full aud careful sui
yey better to open the channel TO the De;
, PLANES, and lover the bed Of the Dcsplaiug
sufficiently to carry the water Of Lake Mich
igan to the Illinois river, it Will be seen thu
as soon as tue channel was open from IL
I | Desp1aincs to Chicago al the water Of th
Dcsplaincs could be brought through
;, | Easily, leaving any rock wo K to be done q
Athens us dry work--and at the same tim
the water in tic river above the rock Wor
could be retained as q pool to float th
i ! drcdges cngnged III sinking the bed Of til
: ! riy>I, md thus every portion OF the wos
couli psogsessa at once under the most tavo
| able Circumstances for expeditiny every po
| ton. It Ecems to ire no delay should be at
nitted before commencing and co.nplettn
= the enlargement Of the South Branch come
, ! tion with the Dcsplafncs river through a1u
Lake sufficiently 10 enahle the river at its fiji:
. food to enlarge it to river
: The Canal Trustees have just complete
J. and sent the Governor repurt, which l u
derstand states in detail, and very ciearl
: the whole question as to the outstundiz
J Canal bonds, their character, etc, ETC., IT
perhaps suggests wlcrc they arc manly he'll
+ Tiny think holders very slow to give thu
mp except Tor gold.
: The Daty on Printing Paper.
. [Fro.n thc New York Evening Post, Jan. ~
. The object of tax laid by the Fedcr
] GoycrnMlnt, in the present condition OF Il
country, is to bring lEoney into the treasur
: in order to defray The necessary public c:
, tax which brings nothing into the. trcasus
e md the only effect Of which is to increase ii
{. public burdens, BY making some importar
/. and necessary article Of general cunEumptfC
: dear, is simply piece Of wnnton 1egslatis
a cruelty. So far as 1t goes, it is m act Of dc
s potic power, exercised by thc Government
!, the expense Of the community at large.
!, The indirect lax laid by Congress upo
|. printing paper Is Of this character. 1t IF:
0 that 1t wonld produce come income to Il
:. treasury. It brings In nothing. It Is 8 b.
J. ren measure, except to the paper-makers. !.
= makes printing paper excessively, aztitciall
!. unnaturnlly dear, that is a2l- No import
= can bring printing paper into the market
! the face Of duty Of twenty per cent On y
+ value Of the commodity, payable In gol
n ! and accordingly oil competition is exclude
: The ownars Of paper mills in this count1
| -Sa AHn