The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-01-02

vantage, at . moderate cost, allowing canal
boats to be taken from the mouth Of the can.
al as Rock Island to all points on the river
between there and ST. Paul; opening IN ed
tire water communication bstwsen st. Paul
and New York, with no breaking Of bulk ex-
csps at Chicago.and d Buffalo Of Oswego. -
The improvement of the river shou1d be for
the largest class of steamers, with the expec-
tation that the Illinois and Michigan canal
will be enlarged to admit them to Chicago
With these improvements he thinks that
much of the business of the upper Mississ-
ippi would be done very much as 1t is done
on the Hudson river, in canal boats, and bar
ges towed by tug boats, and the Rock Island
canal and the Illinois and Michigan canal
will be to Illinois what the Erie canal is to
New York.
~. SPEECH BY GEN.J, h. WILSON.
General ]. H. Wilson, detailed by the war
department. at Washington to superintend
Ike survey of the Mississippi, Illinois and
Rock rivers, for the purpose of efecting an
improvement of navigation, addressed the
convention at some length. he considered
the improvement of the Mississippi to be
work of FIRST Importance, and believed that
there was but one opinion among the people
in regard to this work. His plans for the
of that great river would be
ready within the next three weeks there
would be no obstruction to navigation 80 far
as the rapids were concerned. The rapids on
the Illinois and Rock rivers are not in suoh
condition as yet to enable exact estimates to
be formed. They would be ready In January.
He believed the state of Illinois to be blessed
with greater facilities for internal navigation
than any other state in the Union, and her
advancement In wealth and commerce depend
upon her improvement of those facilities
Measures should be Immediately taken to
connect Illinois with the lnexhaushble sum-
NIT of Lake Michigan, when the commerce
along that river is developed. Rock river
must be improved through Lake Horizon to
Green Bay Chicago, St. Louis, and ell the
neighboring cities are interested in these i'm
provemen:s. In making his surveys he was
surprised to find what would be the cost of
making navigabls depth of four feet, and
also to see how steamboats, could be got
through from Lake Michigan to the Mississ-
ippi.
General Wilson submitted the following
unofficial memorandum of facts relating TO
the i'm provement OF Illinois river. In order to
give seven feet of navigation between Lssslle
and the mouth, to overcome the fell without
flooding too large q tract of low ground, six
locks will be required: r-.s IL s.
No. 1-At Chillicothe, with $40 feet life,
dam 81 feet in hight, A. miles long.
Lock No. 2-Ten miles below Copperas Greek,
lift 7 feet, dam 10 feet, pond III miles.
Lock No Sat Frederick, lift $40 feet dam
IL feet, pond 43 miles.
Lock No. AT Naples, feet lift dam IL
feet, pond 27k miles.
Lock No. 5-Near Apple Creek, z 2-lO feet
lift, dam II 2-lo feet high, length of pond ass
miles.
Lock No. 6-At Six Mile Island, left $40
feet, dam Il $40 feet, length of pond 2Si miles.
The six locks, which, with two dams, will cost
$2,577,264 the amount of dredging to give four
feet water will be about two and a half million
cubic yards, st a total cost of 81 ,2l3,472.
Gen. Wilson believed the Improvement of the
Mississippi and the inland navigation of Illinois
of greater Importance, in military view, than
the Pacific railroad.
REPORT OF ENGINEER HUDNUTT.
BY request of the convention, Col. j. a. Hud-
mutt, chief engineer of the canal survey, made a
report of the result OF his investigation last sum-
mer. The survey demonstrated the praotiea bill
ity of canal from the Illinois river, at La SalIe
to the Mississippi, at Rock Island also that
such water connection can be made by construct
ing "a miles of main line, and that il can be sup
piled with water abnndantly by feeder from
Dixon, of Is miles in length, On total length of
canal and feeder of 10 miles, costing about
a, 800, 600. The notes of Col. Hudnutt show
the following in regard to the elevation of var
ious points; the descent from Lake Michigan to
La Sale is 120 feet to Bureau junction, los
feet She field is So feet above Lake Michigan ::
the bed of Rock river is IS feet below Lake
Michigan at Rock Island bridge; the Mississippi
at Rock Island is 40 feet below Lake Michigan :;
There il ITO feet difference between the Missis-
sippi, at Rock Island, and Ls saIIo 4-era Ia
Sale to Alton is q feet fall.
REMAKs BY COL wARRRLL..
Col. Worrell, the state engineer engaged in
the survey of the Mississippi, Rock and illinois
rivers, made short address, giving some ac-
count of the extent and progress of the survey
In order to get correct view of the magnitude
of the great work, he observed, he must first
tase glance at the systems of navigation that
can be brought into use on the west bank of the
Mississippi; then he must look ct the extraordin-
airy connections that can be made, between the
Mississippi river and the lakes. How can you get
rid of the vast amount of the products of these
fertile plains? The answer is, Nature has left the
lakes as one grand outlet towards the northeast,
and the Mississippi is another towards the south
west. Between the Mississippi and the western
part of Lake Superior there are several small
streams flowing over the land. The wisest en-
gineer in the world could not put them in posi-
ton more advantageous TO the commercial inter-
ests of the country. The general course of the
lakes is almost directly northeast and 20 these
Lake Michigan bends 500 miles south, inviting
connection In Rock river there is a lake at the
head ofthe river, which affords an inexhaustible
supply of water A cut can readily be made
from this lake into Lake Winnebago ; and Lake
Winnebago is capable of supplying also an un-
limited amount of water. Two or three centur.
les ago Jesuit passed from the head of Rock
river to the lake in canoe. The improvements
of the Illinois and Rock rivers are not rivals
they are 40 far removed from each other tn a,
they never can be rivals. They are SO necessary
that they must be made, and when made, they
will have all they do to transport the pro
ducts of the country. The Illinois river may bs
so improved to allow of the passage of the lar
gest vessels and therefore the improvement o.
the Illinois river ought to claim the preference
but when Rock river is considered il will be
found that it has abundance ofwa A can
al can be constructed in it TO furnish lock
age Cor boats of 800 tons. The Erie canal o.
New York has transported 8 10000 tons o
merchandise per annum and if censl could bt
made of the length and size of the Erie canal
which would accommodate equal amount Of
traffic, when all those improvements under consic
Grafton shall be made, they will bring into use ar
amount of 30, 900 miles of internal navigation
The coasts of the Mississippi and of the lakes
more in extent the the coasts of the Atlanti.
and Pacific. The government is spending none
all the time upon the coast of the Atlantic anC
upon the coasts of the lakes. Should it no
spend something on the coasts of the Mississippi
10, Eorir g..