The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-09-21

contained population of 10, 1872 people. The
city is divided into wards, for public pur-
Q......s Gal INTO .ogr distinct districts by
water lines. The Illinois river flowing east
and vest separate from the city portion
h-. q as ''SHr.h '.awa;" COX river coming
IRON &c ..r,h, -n through Il ant of the
city and leaves o.4tward part bounded on
the south ''y the Illinois river which Is called
u beautiful location for residences, and is
comnosed ofmany orthe better class of resi-
dcal Ia the cIgg. Tic Einoisan3 Michigan
Canal runs through the city east and west par
allied with the Illinois river and about one mile
north ot it. That portion otthc city north II
the canal is known us North Ottawa. About u
mile west of the acqueduct, an immense stone
structure, which carries the canal ever Fox
river, is the side cut, or feeder to the hydraul,
ic basin.
This clrllcs water from the Fox river taken at
Dayton four miles north of Ottawa, through
the city South, thus leaving space between
the canal on the NORTH the Illinois river on
the south The side cut on the west and Fox
river Oh the east and Is properly Ottawa cen
ter West OF the side cut and bounded by
the,weslern limits Of the city near the Fair
Grounds is West Ottawa.
OUR CONNECTION WITH THE WORLD.
Our great resources of coal and water pow.
er, the abundance Of building material here,
such as brick of superior quality, made at
home, and lumber put down at the yards here
at Chicago prices, the unsurpassed farming
region around Us. the low price of living and
all these lnnu nerable advantages for marutac-
turing would avai, Us Hst.. !. j, had 10 ,,oUd
means OF reaching the great markets vi the
world Fortunately we have silk Great q &C..
oughf.res, by which we can siph our goods
wherever the demand will call them Running
east and west through Ottawa is the Illinois d
Michigan Canal which connects e.. wa..r. nr
Lake Michigan with those of the Illinois. and
thence with the Mississippi a. N'm. #euH
receive goods in the bulk Lt.. u0 r... f..
bulk direct from our own Uoo.s IL New
Orleans, if we choose. Besides the Canal
which gives US an outlet east and west, we
have the great Chicago Rock Island Il Pacific
raIroad, In direct connection with the road to
San Francisco. west and New York east. In
, addition and again 10y separate and com
pctng line we nave the Fox River valley
branch Of the c. b & Q. railroad which gives
us connection with all the great roads that
cross Cur state from east 20 west. This road
will ultimately open up to us the vast pine
region Of Wisconsin on tue n'r,h. and gives us
IA grand route direct to the Ohio river on the
south. The Illinois river is naylgahlc 10 La
Sale. and when the system of locks begun and
partly finished IN places, as far up as Henry
not far from Ottawa. II have been extended
trlhe further, we will become the head OF
steamboat navigation on this rlver
PURE WATER.
One of the inestimable advantages az any
city, and especially large one, Is pure water
Ottawa in this particular Is without rival,
probably in the United States.
The city stands as we have said upon =
level plat of ground between the bluffs Of the
river, perhaps once the bed OF "a mighty stream
This ground slopes gradually towards the two
rivers, and thus affords most excellent dram.
age Under this is bed OF por,s or water.
bearing sandstone rock, at depth Of from
three to twelve feet. Mos; of the cellars are
entirely, or in part, cut out of this rock, at the
depth ut twelve to fifteen feet EVERYWHERE
is found an abundance of pure water, and the
rock being soft, wells are dug at a tritling en-
pcnse, the walls beng rock, so that much of
the curb,ng is the rock itself. The water
thus obtained never fails, and is OF ample
oil, during the excitement in 1865. that at a
depth OF 325 to 400 feet, the pressure would
cause water to flow in prodigious quantities,
rising in a stream in places % feet above the
ground. This discovery has been turned to
valuable account, and now tcetce of these
wells have been sunk within the city limits,
each pouring out its liquid treasure in streams
of about 30 gallons per minute night aud day,
in b never varying stream. One of these wells
supplies Il public drinking fountain and wa
ter!ng trough at the court house square, and
another is IN the enclosure Of the fair grounds
Besides these numerous arteSian wells, we
have the purest OF spring water, carried in
pipes from the magnificent series OF springs
two miles south, across the Illinois river