, 1874-03-19
4 Visit to the Notorious Ogden
Ditch.
An Account Of the Mischief It Hath
Wrought.
How It Interfcrcs with Cleaning
lilo River.
The Wnter-Power at Lockport.

dAY made hll excursion from th1R city to LOCK-
port, III tho small steamer "Illinols." Tho
Mayor, tho Board OF Health, Board Of Public
Works, and various other perRouH had boon In
vitcd to make tho trip down tho canal, and ut
$3.50 yesterday morning tho
FOLLOWING NAMED rERRoNs
assembled at Madison street bridge and took
paaaago III tho steamor: Canal Commissioners,
Joseph Utlcy, II. G. Anderson, and ". N. Drain-
ard; Canal Superintendent, William Thomas;
State Chtof Engineer, D. @. Jonno Board Of
Public Works, Commissioners j. X. Thomp-
son and Redmond priudiyillo; Board Of
uoaltl,, DR.. ]. A. ualn, DR.. Bon 9. Miller, DR..
George sohlootzor, Moses uooko, aud Joseph
brough A1cHsrH. ". Fl. Cartor, II. NJ. Singer, n.
daily paporg.
THE OBJECT OF THE TN1p
waB to oxanluo whnt effect tho canal Ind in
cleaning tho Chicago River, aud what improve-
mentH could be made, II my, In tho prosont ar-
raneomentH. The Board Of Health wished to
examine what effect tho rcfuBo OF tho river bud
1,pon tho health Of tho Inhabitants Of Lockport,
at east, thore seemed to bo no other particular
reason why they should haye made tho trip be-
low Bridgeport.
TIE WEST FORK.
Leaving tic doolr ut Madison stroct at 8:45
O'Clock, the Hta,lnch little Illinois steamed at q
fair speed up tho South Branch aB far AZ Bridge
rort, wl,oro Commissioner WGhl mot tho Btoanor
aud took passago. Horo attention WIS called to
tho current flowing in from tho woBt
fork, which joins tho south fork in
milking wLat ia called the South Branch of
tho river. Tho currnnt was quito rapid, nnd it
was noticed thnt tue wator, as 1t owed in, swopt
nrount thu point crenting q number Of cdd'os,
nnd ontered tho canal. It not only, thelo ofo1o,
BY 1nocting mud arreBting tho progroBB u tho
southwark current, prevented tho dirty water OF
tho city from roacliing tho cannt mouth, but. by
filling the canal to its wlue capacity, prevented
It from carrying Off the liver water, oyon II tho
tuttcr lul iur chanco to got into tue catla!.
Nor was this tho only di9icnlty. THO watcr
from this fork waa Of o turbld, muddy color,
showing tint it contained largo Quantities ot
earth WHICH wuu.d inevitably DO deposited
i'll tho mouth uf tho cannf, sinco at
that point tho current WIS checked and turned
iu m opnoeito direction Tho callbo Of this
trouble WIS tie celebrated OSden Ditch, which
llaH been tho occasion Of US muol controversy AZ
tho Dutch Gap Ca, ca.al: a.nr,, ,,r,,,
In order to examine this ditch, tho Btean1or
etoppcd on tho right bank near tho middle of tlo
low flats known as Mud Lake, and tho whole
party walked ovor to one branch OF tue ditch.
Of about 8t6 foet. nnd width Of l2 feot
Following It up to bridge whoro the two
branches Of tho tlitcl, separated, tho volume Of
water could be readily Hoon and calCnlatcd anu
It was ostimatod by nlr. Chcsbrough TINT tho
n1nuuut was nbout 20, 400 cubic ftet per minute
at the present tin,o. Tie llow through the
cauel, III determined by the avorago OF seven
actual measurements recently takon, waB only
about 2GS00 CUBIC feet per minute, 80 TINT tho
Ogden Ditch, during more than four months Of
Tho year. was taxing the cannl to within ono
fourth Of it's capacity. :,
After spending half-hour in gazing Mt tho
molancboly wnste Of gwamp-laud whoa oxtond-
ed Oh fur "a tho Aux Plainea lIYof, tho party
gnthored together OIL the bridge to discuss the
difficulties in tho way Of makltE wa.cr run up
hill.
word OF EXPLANATION.
Tho Canal Commissioner briefly explained the
history Of tho Ogden Ditch, and tho objects for
which it WIS constructed. somo. years ago,
William 3. Ogden, john Wentworth. Matt Latln,
bIul Lake, thought that deep, ditch would
lrain tho lnarsh aud nuke tho lalid available for
farming, or at least for growing course hay:
Accordingly tho Ogden Ditcl. was commenced
with spade and batro% ana % tho Soe'n iesls waa
oratey dry, except in tic, spring. But
In tic Spring frcBhets it was found
Tint tic AUX piaines niver, which skirtod the
southwest edgo Of the swamp overflowod and
made q swift current through tho ditch, empty
ing into tho west fork Of the South Branch. Tic
Aux PLANES, at this point, Dopg twelve feet
nboye tho wost fork wl,oro tho ditch emptied,
tlsc water rapidly cut deeper tho artiiicinl chnn-
ne1 provided for it.. It then occurred to tho
straight into tllo Aux Plainos River the hitter
would mot flood the low lan itB surplus being
carried of through tho ditch, and nlRo that tic
swift current would soon wash ont cllnnnol
which would bo deop enough to uso for nayiga-
ton. aud Tint q judioious systcm Of slips
would mako tlleir swamp land valuable for