Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-12-13
,THEE CHICAGO TUNNEL.


-1zsza--e .
TEE CHICAGO TUNNEL.
Thes GfgaEssic EHd e1.talk ing Com pieted
--Xhe nfE9aY ei, FINISHED --A Subterra- :
mean and Sub hs4ri2le 4queduct TVvO
MILES ia Length.
Prominent among the wonders Of modern
engineering Il the great Lake Tunnel OF
Chicago, The greatness OF the tunnel III
der the Thames sinks; into insignihcanee
when com pared with this latest triumph OF
subterranean enterprise. Its completion
marks a new era in the young but mighty
metropolis Of the Northwest, and hundreds
of wears hence the beneficial results Of this
splendid public work will be daily realized
by hundreds Of thousands Of people. What
Croton is to New York the Lake Tunnel IS
to Chicago-the most necessary vitaiising
element. Of the city,s existence and pros
pefitySs * - u. I e. g. al e.. -. -,
ThirFy-six years ago few fur traders
and small population Of 80 souls all told,
constituted the entire settlement, exclusive
of the garrison Of Fort Dearborn. In those
days the Chicago river was little creek,
sluggishly emptying its water into the Lake.
Along its borders scanty growth of tim
Der afforded refuge to innumerable panth-
early settlers made bloody havoc on the
spot where now stands the very center Of a
population of 275, 900 SOULS sal les0og
The worlds history contains no instance
Of extraordinary development more rapid
or more marvellous than that Of Chicago.
Yesterday frontier fort in the center Of
wild and useless territory; to-day the COM
mercial emporium Of six States, the grana-
ry. Of THO World itself the greatest grain
market, the great lumber market, the great
est live stock market, and the greatest pro-
vision market on the face Of the earth
What story Of human achievement compares
with it!
THE WATER SUPPLY OF CHICAGO.
Hitherto G hicago has been supplied with
water drawn from Lake Michigandirectly on
itsI Shore Since the Chicago river, with
observation-disclosures distilleries and
breweEieg on its, banks, became the grand
central seWer of the city, whence all the &C
cumufatet fifth, refuse, garbage and offai
from q, quarter of laamiiiion, of people were
dischegg into the lake, the e4fsctlof this
system of sewerage upon the quality of the
water supplied from the lake by the water
works had been such as to render the wa
ter almost nauSeating, and utterly unfit for
use!a As the continual increase of popula-
ton and business made further demands up
on drainage capacities of the river, this
contamination of the lake water rapidly in
creased, until finally it reached q point
when it could be endured no longer with
either comfort or safety. The contents of
IS miles Of sewerage and the refuse of the
sls,fghter- houses and distilleries washed in-
TO. the lake, by the sluggish current OF the
river, were carried by the winds along the
shore of the lake to the very mouth Of the
inlet-pipe~at the water works, whence, IN a
diluted condition, it was returned to the
city through the hydrants, for use in the
kitchens andsonl tie tables Of citizens.
Many differentschemes were successfully
devised for procuring pure water from the
point which could never be reached by the
contamination Of future impurities. Many
plans were from time to time submitted and
discussed, until, after considering every
proposition, the Board Of Public Works, IN
1868, Determined ID construct q tunnel two
miles in length under the bed Of Lake Mich
igan.o While the influences of the river are
pefcepdbie for q greater distance along tne
shore of the lake, in either direction from
the mouth of The river, it was found that at
this distance, directly out in the lake, the
water is entirely free from all impurities,
and through the proposed tunnel could be
obtained in stale of purity equal to that in
the very center Of lake. Le 7it1a q
u0Tg PRELIMINARY STEPS. = z,
Full Information in regard to the con-
struction of ali the great tunnels in this
country and in Europe was obtained, and,
after a careful examination of the argu-
ments for aud against the undertake., the
protector tunnel under the lake was final
~
70, an artesian well near the present water
works at the corner Of Pine street and Chi
cago avenue, had demonstrated that the sur
face is Underlaid by a formation of hard
blue. clay 100 feet in thickness. An augur,
enclosed in tube to secure specimens of
earth, was sunk in the bed Of the lake every
few rods TO distance of two miles from
the shore, the outer end of the proposed
tunnel. The clay formation, than which
none could be more favorable to the con-
struction of a tunnel, was found to COM
merce' directly beneath the bed Of the lake,
and although the examination was made as
searching as possible, those conducting it
were unable TO discover a single spot in
which it was broken by seams or disturbed
by hedges Of rock. ....g9 ,-
The contract was awarded to James Cow
an and James J. Dali, Of Harrisburg, Penn,
gentlemen of large experience in the con-
stracfien of public works. 1t was signed
October l, 1868, and provided for the COM
pletion of the tunnel on November ], 1865,
for the sam of $3l5, l39, exclusive of extra
work arising from changes made by the
Board of Public Works in. the manner, of
construction.
1T was intended to commence the work i'm
mediately, but delay in procuring material,
and subsequent changes IN the plan of the
work deferred the commencement of the I'M
dearttsaking until the folIowing spring.
COMMENCEMENT OF oPRRATIoNs.dae ssf
The formal breaking of ground for the
tunnel took place March II, 1864. at the
Water Works, in tAe presence Of the raunic
lpal authofities and many citizens. The
work was continued day and night. winter
and summer, with only few brief inter.
ruptions from that day, until the miners in
the tunnel, working toward each other from
opposite directions, pierced the thin wall ~
clay which. separated them, and, throuc n
the small opening Of that partition. Crashed
hands in token of the completion of the
work which shall be as enduring as centu-
DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK.
The tunnel consists Of three parts; the
tunnel proper, the shore shaft, and the lake
Ghaft Tho shnca shaft 10 1aoofod within q