The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-12-18
THE TRANSPORTATION CUES
TON.
The Hennepin = Rock island and the
Illinois 3 Michigan Canals.

The Hennepin = Rock Island and the
Illinois & Michigan Canals.
To the Editor of the Chicago Tribune:
SIR. If any further proof were desireu
that vigorous onslaught is to be MAGE
upon congress for large appropriations FOR
yarious works of internal Improvement,
which wonld cost hundreds of millions to
comnlete. we have the proof in the pro.
ceadines of the convention recently in SEES
s;on AZ Richmond, Va. You are doing
the country good service by Internationally
condemning the qulxotlc schemes advocated
there There would be no danger, proba-
bly,, that any Of these wild projects would
be successful if considered by themselves
but there Is danger that they ou-tlckle me
and I'lltickle, you policy may prevail.
In their extreme anxiety to obtain arpro
priations for meritorious works. very hon
est men sometimes advocate large expen-
ditures for works Of doubtful utility.
| do not number as one OF these the
Henneplp & Rock Island canal $50 called,
which, it is reported, was warmly discuss
ed in the Richmond convention. From
this and what | have seen in the papers
for some time past, am satisfied that
strong effort will be made, during this win
ter S session OF congress, to secure All APP
preparation for the immediate construction
of that canal. Now, there can be no OBJ
lection to this, propided it can be done
without prejudice to the Illinois river i'm,
provement and the Illinois & Michigan ca
nal-which doubt. These important
works all lie within the limits of our own
state, and don't believe that there is any
probability of securing appropriations suf-
ticiently large to prosecute both lines sim
ultaneously to an early completion. Would
it not, then, be the true policy to concen-
trate operations first upon the main line,
to-wit: the Improvement of the Illinois
river and the Illinois & Michigan canal?
In making this suggestion | would not
have it understood that | am unfavorable
to the construction of the Hennepin &
Rock Island canal. | was one of its ear
Hest advocates, and believed in its prac-
ticaDity even before the preliminary sur
veys which demonstrated the fact were
made. In 1866. survey and estimate Of
the main line from Rock Island to Henne-
pin, and for a navigabe feeder from Dixon,
on Rock river. to said line. were made by
Col. J. 0. Hudnuft, practical and thor
oughly- competent engineer He was limi
ted il time and expense; but | consider
his report as entirely reliable in regard to
the main facts, and think that his estimate
was as fair an approximation to the cost OF
canal of the capacity estimated, as could
be made without more critical survey.
According to his report, the length Of
the main line of canal would be Ga miles,
and of the feeder from Dixon 80 miles the
capacity of the main channel to be 60 feet
in width at the surface and 6 feet deep,
and the feeder the same in width 5 feet
deep. There was 2O9 feet of lockage from
the Illinois river to the summit and the
cost of the whole work, canal and feeder,
was estimated at something less than 81,
100000.
A glance at the map will show that this
canal would be an almost direct western
extension of the Illinois & Michigan Ca
nal. to the Mississippi: and, of its great
importance, there can be no doubt And
yet, if | question whether the greatest
good to the greatest number would be pro
NOTED by pressing its immediate construc-
ton, to the delay Of another Improvement
which | regard as of still greater inipor
tance to a wider extent of the country, |
hope that | shall not be charged with at
tempting to embarrass its ultimate con
structiOn.
To make this canal what it should be to
meet the demands OF commerce at no dis
tant day, it should have such capacity,
and be constructed in such a permanent
manner tits banks being walled Tor its en-,
tire length, as to be properly adapted to
steam navigation; and this would involve
large additional cost But, it will he in
quired, why make the capacity of this
proposed improvement greater than that
of the existing Illinois d Michigan Ca
nal, since il is through the. latter canal
that the connection must be made with
Lake Michigan? | reply, because the
time has already come when, to secure the
cheapest possible transportation by this
route, tho illinois & Michigan Canal
should be enlarged, and its length shorten
ed by extending the same kind of river i'm.
provement above LaSale to near Joliet.
that is now in progress but very slow
below that point. Would it not
be better, then, to first enlarge the Illinois
u Michigan canal, and complete the river
so that steamboats, of large
class may pass freely between Lake Michi- |
gan and the Gulf of Mexico? By using all
the funds obtainable FROM all sources for
the completion at the earliest day possible
Of this main line of improvement, would
not the ultimate construction of the Hen.
nepin u Rock Island canal of the desired
capacity, be more certainly secured? Nor
would little delay in the construction of
this canal be so serious an injury to the
country to be most directly benefited by it,
as might at first be supposed When an
uninterrupted navigation for steamboats, of
large class is obtained from Rock Island
down the Mississippi to the mouth of the
Illinois, and thence up that river, and
through the Illinois q Michigan canal to
Chicago, transportation must become cheap,
notwithstanding the greatly-increased dis
tance
L am Informed by persons we'll posted in
this kind OF transportation, that a powerful
steam tug could easily take barges in tow.
carrying 100000 bushels of grain, or EQUIV.
alent freight. At all events, very large
amount of freight could be thus transport
ed at moderate cost, and upon the rivers
much more rapidly than through a close
canal, however well built. The Illinois & !
Michigan Canal would be reduced in length
SO as to be some 25 miles shorter than the |
canal from Hennepin to Rock Island |
whilst, on the latter canal, lockage would |
De nearly 40 feet greater than on the whole |
line of canal and river from Lake Michigan
to the mouth ofthe Illinois River. 1t will, |
therefore, be perceived, as before stated. /
that the advantages of the direct rpute