The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-01-19

We find, in the Chicago Times, the follow
ing report of the remarks of MIR. A. c. Full
ton, of Davenport, in relation to the proposed
canal from the Mississippi to the lakes:
At an early date,i in 1912, made n preliminary
survey for railroad through this state, and pub
lished that report. was one of the parties in
getting the Chicago and Rock Island railroad
charter through the legislature. When there
were but three or four houses in this town, five
or six persons met here to discuss that project,
and a citizen now living said then that they
never expected TO see a railroad through this
town. They were happily disappointed, and we
may also be disappointed in our fear of not hav-
lug canal also. Ny opinion is, that TO build q
canal from the lakes to the Mississippi in
the vicinity of the line here spoken of, is not
practicable. This, however can only be deci-
ded by a survey. You can make canal, how
ever, by having a sufficient feeder from some
river above 1t. You will have to lock up and
down at Sheffield and this, together with ABSORB
ton and evapora ton, will require a vast amount
of water, and such feeder will be required
will be difficult to obtain for this line Yet be
lieve canal can be made between the tides
and the Mississippi, but it will have to strike
through higher up. ] should say you would
have to strike as far up Milwaukee, in its
neighborhood, where the lakes and swampy coun-
try Whereabouts would feed it, and that route IL,
in my opinion, perfectly feasible. That way your
canal will be running with the streams, and not
across them, as it would be by the route through
this section. In New York and Pennsyl vania-
indeed in all the eastern states-this plan is pur
sued, of going with the streams, and it is neces-
sary in canal building, although railroading may
be independent OF it. Even if we could get wa
ter by this route, the lockage would be so great
that it would entail great expense, for the very
slow passage of boats through the locks.
We must, as far possible, avoid locks, and
this can be done by striking higher up, where the
lakes are higher than the Mississippi, and where
we NAV have natural canal. This, however, is
only to be ascertained bt the services OF some
practical engineer, and he to be one whose opln-
ion would Ee of weight with the public. Our
business here is TO raise money to employ a
surveyor to assist in ascertaning what Is
really the most practicable route IL Is
| possible that you can get Canal from
| Chicago to La Sale, but you are constantly
| dropping down to that point by 20 or l6
| locks and from La Sale to the summit you
| would have a constant succession OF lockage.-
| This same question was up many years ago, and
| the point of crossing then proposed was some
| distance higher up, 40 or 80 miles beyond this
! You cannot draw the water OF the Illinois river
to the Mississippi because the latter is some 40
feet the highest, but you can bring the waters of
the Mississippi to the Illinois, but this would re-
onire immense and costly excavations Such
| excavations may be made in the old world where
| labor only costs one-ffteenth one-sixteenth of
what it costs here, and this would render the
work entirely too expensive. You could, with
money enough, cut a canal from Rock river
| The only thing to be done now is to "ante up
| the money to get the survey. The people of Da-
venport are willing to ''ante up" their share of
the money to employ an engineer which will cost
SIS, 900 $4,000. 1t will this, for it will be
necessary, in order to do the work proposed, to
survey not one route alone, but two, three, four,
even more, till the best one Is discovered. |
know where the hest DOiDt is and that ic
kee; but that is little fan Their than wish to
go; for would like to it cut through to Da-
venport where all my interests are. Again [
will say that your duty now is to raise the mon
ey, then employ your engineer, and then, when
you get the route, subscribe the stock