Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-20
IRRIGATION AND NAVIGATION.

We have several times called atten-
ton to the liberal rainfall in Tennes-
see, and the economy of utilizing more
of this water to increase the fertility of
our farms and improve the navigation
of the Tennessee and Cumberland riv-
ers, and many of their tributaries. The
President in his last message to Con-
gross recommended a canal from the
eastern base of the Rocky Mountains
TO the Missouri river TO be used partly
for irrigation and partly for transpor-
tation purposes. Studying the same
great interest Gen. Roberts proposes
to direct enough Of the water of Lake
Superior into the Chippewa river to
make that river, which is tributary to
the Mississippi, navigable to steamers,
and to so feed the latter river
that it shall be navigable in seasons of
drouth and low water. He also pro-
poses to feed the Illinois river with
water from Lakes Huron and Michi-
GIN, and the Wabash and Ohio rivers
with water from Lake Erie so as to open
these lakes and their commerce direct
to the Gulf.
The discharge of water per second
from Lake Superior is 9O,7S3 cubicfeet,
and this vast waste of the surplus water
of this lake into Lake Huron and Lake
Michigan is spread out over an evapo-
rating surface of 70,26O square miles.
The lake averages 900 feet depth of wa
ter, and is $50 feet above thelevelof the
sea. Lakes Huron and Michigan have
a rain shed in square miles of 70,22O;
superficial area of water, in square
miles, 81, 72l; yearly rain fall of rain
shed, in square inches, pops; yearly
evaporation, in square inches, 1927;
excessive rainfall over evaporation, in
square inches, SCI. These lakes dis
charge per second, through St. Clair
lake and river, 235,626 cubic feet of
their surplus water, and they are 600
feet above the lSel of the sea. Lake
Erie has a superficial area of 30,l84
square miles. The superficial area of
It's rain-shed is 10,114 square miles; its
yearly rainfall Is, in square inches,
1924; its yearly evaporation, in square
inches, 2+25; excess of rainfall over
evaporation; in square inches, 500. This
lake discharges every secondOyer Mag
ara Falls 242, 500 cubic feet. Its aver
age depth is 100 feet, and is $50 feet
above the level of the sea.
Lakes Huron and Michigan feed
Lake Erie with 253,726 cubic feet of
water per second, and Lake Erie dis
charges over the Niagara Falls into
Lake Ontario 272, S39 cubic feet per
second.
Gen. Roberts project is to take from
the west end of Lake Superior, 200 feet
above sea level, some twenty Thousand
cubic feet per second, which will be
turned by an artificial channel into the
Chippewa river which empties into the
Mississippi near Lake Pepin. In the
same manner, Gen. Roberts says that
the surplus waters Of Lakes Huron and
Michigan can be carried as a constant
feeder to the Illinois river, so as to keep
it navigable In seasons of low water, by
charging, into the proportions of a
river for steamers, the Chicago and H.
inois River Canal.
The enlargement of the Toledo and
Wabash River Canal presents no seri-
GUS obstacles. 1t requires only deep
cutting, so as to let the flow of water
toward the Wabash and Ohio rivers at
the point where the difference of level
takes the rain all to the Ohio river.
These are extensive projects and In
volve the expenditure of large amounts
of money. Where that is to come from
is another question. OF course the
projectors of these great works desire
the government to furnish the means,
and very likely "lobby" viii appear