The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-02-16

eighteen feet, with no distractions to the
chain except to a point 1t rocks iutting out
| in the channel, known - the lower chain
Pilots do navigate successfully, but, at the
i same tine when the Improvements are
completed there viii Ae opportunity for in
creased tonnage on NE river, for large boats
With large Heets Of barges.s
AT MelfAe chain there s n peculiar phe>
nomena. There We have "a fall of one foot
taAd four-tenths in twelve hundred feet, equal
to about six feet to e-milesa hence there is
a very rapid current there, for about five
| miles at a low stage of water. 1t becomes
| necessary to make an excavation at Moline
cham Of about twelve hundred feet in length
and there is this popularity about it at the
lower end or foot of the inclined plane the
water is deepened, at the upper it IS too shah
low, there being not more than two feet of
water at a low stage Hence there must be
sufhclent excavation on it to get a proper
depth from the head of the chain to its foot
without disturbing the foot of the chain
Hence if we excavate it will be similar to a
wedge with the base up stream. Z 1t is now
l,200 feet long, and even with 1900 feet
there would be more elevation to break than
| now; IN other words, | found the water
plane, instead ofhaving to break an elevation
OF one foot and :fourtenths in LOO feet will
break 1t IN. 1000 feet. Here is where the
velocity of the current will be less than now
In passing from Moline chain to Duck
Creek chain, we get another allyarying from
II to 10 feet in depth. There is about l,50O
81 feet at Duck Creek chain to be improved
1 After that the balance consists of individual
boulders and 50 on to be taken of. AT Duck
Creek chain there is very sensible variation
in the levelment of the surface, hence the
improvement there will not affect the cur
rents at all, nor the volume of water nor the
depth of the channel above the chain.
| will now passto Campbeps chain. There
is no incline plane there at the pool above
this chain in which there is scarcely, any
current at ALL AT CampbeFs Island and the
slough behind it there is a cross section of
| 200 to 5000 feet or Whereabouts.
The proposition is to throw wall across
that slough and to tie the island in with the
. main land, throwing the water back in the
o main channel, thereby increasing the volume
: of water on Campbels chain, about one fourth.
| From there to st. Louis chain there are no
, distinctions, and in St. Louis chain there
: are two small distractions that need. or need
: not to be taken out as circumstances offer.
q At Sycamore chain we have one of those
f abrupt inclined planes, like that at Moline.
= though not so long. The current is
frequently tortuous and has one
!, peculiarly about it, that none Of the
others evidence. The reefs on the ont
Il side of the channel are worn under
until they present an angle of declina-
ton of about to 10 degrees; hence the
action of the water under there creates what
the pilots call boils, and they determine the
location of the water by calling it big boils
5 | and little boils. And if there are any river
men present, they will bear me out in the as
sertion that often boats, Of the size of the
| Hawkeye or Sucker State in passing up that
n | channel have been struck bv the boils, one
e discharge of which will carry the boat out of
| its line. These Instructions will have to be
e taken off. and heavy mass of rock taken
e | Off on the right hand of the channel going
| up, not exceeding 500, engineering lessening
u | the velocity of the current about one-fourth
One of the means used for that, is to tie in
: an island, Immediately opposite to the foot of
4 | Sycamore Chain, on the other side, opposite
J | that island and cross section very nearly
D 1000 feet That cross section Will throw
y back the water in the main channel and will
Q raise the water at the foot of Sycamore chain
from four TO FIVE inches, and raising the wa
: ter at the foot of Sycamore chain viii lessen
I the force OF the current that much on the
a chain. s. ~ w.-
| IIoil tHcTt We proceed 10 smith cnaln.
In Smiths chain there are no distractions.
except centre patch known as Sugar patch.
1 That patch viii have to be removed but the
amount ofNexcavation is only about 700 vds;
that amount of excavation only makes a
cross section OF about eighty feet; hence the
disturbance of the natural channel in that
: place will amount to nothing. especially when
, we consider the fact that the point to be con-
sldered above 1t cross sections about 400
feet, and therefore that win be disturbed by
taking out that cross section. Another phe-
| nUrnenon about these rar,iaa ~a 49, h-..~
; | understood 10 appreciate something on the
lower rapids about 500 feet wide, cross sec
toned equal to $4,000 feet. On Smiths
: chain we have cross section of $4,000 feet.
On Sycamore chain we have cross section of
E $4,000 or $4,000 feet. | forget which Be
= low st. Louis chain cross of 30 1000 feet
At Duck Greek chain cross section of 10
= 900 or $4,000 feet, and at Molnes chain we
have a cross section of less than 1000 feet
I Why is it that at Moline chain we have n
d cross section of only about 1000 feet, and at
: | Sycamore chain ii 600 or $4,000 feet 1t Is
t owing to the fact of the frequency of the
! currents and the velocity of the water, being
SO much faster, it takes SO much less space.
Hence we have more water on the lower rap
ids than on the upper rapids, though the wa
ter on the lower rapids is SO many feet wider
and with creeks entering into it.
Again allow me to call your attention to
one fact. | sometimes hear it said that ca
nal improvements would probably exhaust
the water of the Mississippi river, and that
it is wrong to make such Improvements, even
when they are necessary. That is one side
of the question which should always be met
Now the cross section of the canal at the
lower rapids is 1924 feet. The cross sec
ton above the rapids, where the current is
Just the same that it will be in the canal, is
$4,000 feet, hence we have water enough
there to fill somewhere about eighteen such
canals. (Applause.)
At the close of Mr. Abbott's remarks, Mr..
Russell, OF Davenport, undertook to get a
vote to refer all resolutions to the committee
on resolutions without debate--but the CON
vention concluded it didn't want to be gagged
and therefore squelched Mr.. Russell's propo-
sition.
Letters from governors of States members
of congress, and other distinguished men
were then read.
Mr.. Cook, chairman of the committee on
resolutions, then presented the report of the
committee, and made the following remarks :
Mr. President and Gentlemen, of the Con-
| rention-The committee on resolutions hav-
ing honored me with the position of chair
man, report the following resolutions Be-
fnro then, ,oay ha rrC,or 49,, A.,