Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-07-05
Fox and Wisconsin River Canal.

he OF some interest TO our readers.
By reference to Q map Of Wiscon-
sin it will be seen that the Fox Riv-
or runs in q northeast direction
through Winnebago Lake and Green
Bay, emptying its waters into Lake
Michigan. The Wisconsin river
flows in an almost entirely opposite
direction, and discharges its waters
into the Mississippi at Prairie du
Chen. These two rivers closely ap-
proximate TO each other at Portage,
where they have been connected by
means Of canal affording easy
transition from one to the other, so
that even at present, in seasons OF
high water, small steamboats, per-
form regular trips from the Missis-
sippi to the lakes The States
most particularly interested in the
contemplated improvement are Wis
consin, Iowa and Minnesota al
though it must be conceded that the
whole Northwest, il not the entire
Union, would be more or less bene-
fitted by such improved facilities for
transportation, materially reducing
the cost of transporting from West
to East and from East to West ex-
changeable commodities, serving the
interests Of each in turn.
The expense Of conveying Western
products to Eastern markets by wa
ter, is but ono third OF the cost by
rail and in addition to this fact the
railroads arc not competent to per.
form 20 great q task. We must Oh
thor havo more railroads or improved
watcr facilities. Tho present rates
81 transportation by railroad leaves
bUt a small margin Of profit 10 the
producer, when wheat is as low as
IL has been for some time past. Most
of tho railroad monopolics are be-
coming unendurablo--for the present
sort Of necessary evil. Railroads
are indispensable agencies, it is true,
taken in the abstract, but TO exercise
the prerogative Of absolute control
oyor commercial affairs is neither to
DO desired or permitted when il can
bc avoided.
The interests OF both producer
and consumer would suggest the
propriety Of laying under contribu-
ton every element that will contrib
uto toward chcapening transporta-
TONS that it shall not cost as much
to ret corn and wheat to market as
the farmer realizes for them. In
deed there is no better way of redn-
cling present exorbitant rates, than
by constructing the contemplated
river canal between the "Father OF
Waters and the chain Of lakes by
means Of which a bushel of wheat
eau be conveyed from Wisconsin to
New York for one third of the pres
ent cost.
In 1867 Gen. Warren, United
States Engineer, made an estimate OF
a river canal from Prairie du Chen
to Green Bay, securing depth of at
least five feet of water and his calcu-
lations were that it could be accom-
pishod for little above four million
dollars, and whom once done it will
be lasting benefit to all concerned,
IA there will always be sufficiency
of water for the purpose.
Governors Fairchild, Merrill and
Austin, and other prominent men OF
the West have at last succeeded
in enlisting the favor Of the general
government in the gigantic underta-
king, but "the powers that be" at
Washington have seemed rather re-
luctant to engage in the laudable en-
torprise, though Congress has not
becn entirely deaf to tho suggestions
81 tho governors OF three great West
ern States, having appropriated one
hundred and fifty thousand dollar:
to the enterprise small sum, it is
true, but better than none. IL is
possible. aud more than probable
that il tho improvement is ever con
-ummated, that in less than a single
decade it would repay all expenses
snd eyor after be a source of revenue
TO the parties controlling tho same
and tho sooner it is done, if done al
nil, the bottor for all parties concern.
ed. It is true that in this northern
latitude q canal cannot he used du.
ring the winter months, but the same
is true of many Eastern ones in sue
cessful operation. During the peri
od between tho middle OF April and
hat of November, vast quantities Of
Grain and other articles Of commerce
can be shipped to the Atlantic coast
A few years ago tho idea Of con-
structinG an artificial channel be-
tween the mississippi and Lake
Michigan would have been regarded
rs exuberant fanaticism or an indi-
cation Of mental alteration but in
this age of astounding human achieve
ments, when the Isthmus of Suez is
bisected by huge ship canal two
hundred feet wide, on an average,
and twenty-nine feet deep when the
the Pacific railroad has become a real
highway across the plains and over
the mountains; when it is eontem-
plated to construct a ship canal