Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-08-13
THE IMPROVEMENT.
PracticAbility OF tho Fox and wisconsin River
oute-Compavative efficiency with tho
Krie CAMILLA work OF Great Eatisuti

PracticAbillty OF tho Fox and Wisconsip Rive.
te-Comparative Eniciency with tho
Krie CAMILLA work OF Great Madsnu
Importance.
(From the osh kosh Time..)
The great Importance OF the Fox
and Wisconsin River Route, as q link
in the claim of water communication
between the great lakes and the Mis-.
sisippi river cannot be over estimat.
ed. 1t will be to Wisconsin, and the
Mississippi, what the Erie canal
has been TO New York. Under the
touch of Improvement its capacity
for public service will greatly exceed
the palmiest days of "Clinton's
ditch" 1t possesses all the elements
of an adequate inter-water commu.
nication for many decades to come
the adverse Opinions or croakers
out of its range, Notwithstanding.
The Wisconsin river, so long fear-
ed from its treacherous sand bars, and
truant channel, is no longer a BARRIE
to the hopes of those whose interest
it is proved capable of serving.
Capt. John Nader, under Col.
Houston (both practical and skillful
engiaeers)has so brought the turgid
Wisconsin into the family of steam.
bearing rivers, that surprise takes the
place of doubt, and no longer a ques-
ton exists as to the feasibility of
making the Wisconsin a navigsole
stream at the lowest stages of water,
The wing dams put in last year in
stead CT yielding before the floods
and sands, as predicted by enemies
of the Improvement, have not been
injured in the least by ice gorges or
spring freshets, and fair channel is
assured from Portage to the Missis-
sippi.
The steamer Winneconne, q boat
well known in Oshkosh, drawing
three feet three inches of water, will
be able to pass from Lone Rork to
the mouth of the river, in the very
lowest summer stage of water, this
season. Also, that the boat now at
work near Portage, will be able at
the same time to reach Lone Rock
from Portage, so that our people
need not be surprised if, during the
present year, (and the work is not
yet completely we have a reliable
channel of three feet of water in the
Wisconsin River, during tho dryest
season, from Portage to the mouth.
With three feet of wster(an it is
now estimated that half million of
dollars will give good ire feet under
our system of navigation, and with
our class of boats, the channel hence
to the Mississippi will be as efficient,
in commercial point of view, when
we take into account the carrying
power of our boats, as the Erie ca
nal, with six feet of water.
The movement on the Erie Canal
is but one-and one-half miles per
hour, while our river movement, in
Guiding Lockage, is over sic miles
per hour.
There are ~ locks on the Erie Ca
nal, while between Green Bay and
Prairie du CHEN, there are but %.
The whole distance from Green
Bay to the Mississippi is 275 miles,
while the Erie Canal is $50 miles
long.
So, that it will take but 46 hours
to make tho trip from Green Bay to
Prairie du Chen, where's it takes
233 hours TO pass boat from Buffa-
10 to Albany or q little over five
times as long as it does from Green
Bay to the mouth of the Wisconsin.
And, besides, though the present
style of boats are Of less capacity
than the locks will warrant, they
will carry 300 tons, while 200 tons
is the maximum of the Erie Canal.
Our locks are 35x160. The Erie
locks are 17x110, giving ours nearly
double the capacity.
The great point of efficiency IN ca
nal navigation is to have plenty Of
water at the summit level, to supply
the waste of lockage. At our sum-
NIT level we have the Wisconsin Riv-
er, with a volume of water twenty
times greater than is needed for all
lockage purposes.
The summit level of the Erie Ca
nal is the long 55 miles level between
Syracuse and Utica, which, for the
greater part of the way, is nearly
twenty feet above the level of the
surrounding country.
There are to that level ten feeders,
which cost the State of New York
81, 900, 900, or about twenty-five
times the entire cost of procuring a
FIVE feet channel to the Mississippi.