, 1874-11-11

Will Hoon coaao to be respected. Tho respect Of
tho buaiuesH community onoe forfeited, the
Board must lose tho produce business Of tho
Northwest; and some othor medium must DO
provided for tsansaoting that commerce in Tits
city, OF largo part of the produce trade will DO
lost to Chicago.
TIE ROCK ISLAND & HENNEplN CANAL
It has boon itfully proposed from timo to
time during the last few years, to dig canal
botween Honnopin, on the Illinois. and Rock
Island, on the MisaIssippi Waving for the mo-
mens the question. "Who oughs to dig It ?" NO
propose to consider, nrst whether 1t ought to be
dug ut I'LL.
Tho route whloh has boen several times sur
veyed, il substantially that OF tho noatorn por-
tiou Of tho Chicago T. Rock Island Railroad.
The country Ia noarly lovel. Tho rise from Hen
nepn to the Summit Is only 300 teeh which
would be divided between nineteen locks. There
would bo one stretch OF IL miles on tho Greon
River without d lock. Tho fall from the Summit
to tho Mississippi is 88 foot. This would require
only eight locks. Tho 8ummit-ou. itsoH would
DO only miles long. with depth OF roclsoxcava-
ton varying from s to IL feet. There Ia scarcely
any rock to be cut through outside OF thls ahort
stretch. The whole length Of tho canal
would bo 84 mileB. This is exclusive OF q feeder,
28 miles long. from the Summit to the Rock
River At Dixon, 1t Is claimed that the quau-
tity Of water taken BY this fceder from the
river would be so small that tho manufacturing
industries Of the Rock Valley would not suffer
Ut all. Tho higAeat estimate Of tho cost Of the
whole WORK made BY tho enginoors engaged on
tho different surveys Is e4,5oo,ooo. This Is for
a largo canal.
Tho Canadian canals will be finished within
three years. When they are, the present cost of
transporting grain from Chicago 10 Montreal
viii be scnsibly lowered. At present tho rate
per bnahol is IL u cents. From Chicago to New
York, by the Eric, It is 151<. Tho real differ
ence In decidedly greater, however, for these
figures do not include tho cost Of trausshipmont
ut either Montreal OF Nov York. They are worry
much higher at tho latter, Tho average cost Of
wator-trausportation to Now York during tho
last aoven years has boan 20 cents per bushoL
Even at this high rate. tho saving in freights,
aa compared with what railroad carriage Of the
sams amount would have cost ls 1eckouad, for
tho three years, 18656-7 at ovor $40, 900 900. It
Ia fair to calculate that Illinois gained one~tonth
Of shis- These figures aetve to Bhow how esseu-
tial to the Western graiu-growor waterways are.
1t must not bo forgotten. moreover, that this ID
but part OF tho gain. Canal competition keeps
down railroad rates. Every winter, as Soon IS
tho Erie freezes, Eastern freights by rail ad-
vance largoly,-the railroads taking advantage
Of the closing.
It in now proposed to cxtend tho great water-
way provided By tho Ut. Lawrence, the Erie, aud
the Lakes from tho 6eaboard to Chicago wost-
wnrd to the mississippi by way Of tho Illinois l.
Michigan Canal. the Illinois River, and the Rock
island i Hounepin Canal, Tho cos: Of tho last
link nodded to complete this chain would be-, as
We hayo said, $780, 900. This IL just about
equal to tho sum which Illinois sayed by using
tho Erie, deapite It's high charges. in throe
yearsl Tho proposed canh would tap,
ct Rock Island, tho currents Of grain
which flow down tho Mississippi from
tho whole Northwest. How great this flow
is may be inferred from the fnot that Iowa. Min
nosota, Wisconsin, and Illinois produced, IN
1870, over 100, 900, 900 bushels Of wheat alone.
Tic grain grown IN theae states could be loated
down the Mississippi in bargos, and tho bargoa
could then be towed directly to Chicago. This
towing might bs dono by locomotive running
on = nsr1ow-gauge railway along the bank, OF
| tho ateam canal-boats now bcing tried On the
Erie may prove successful enough to warrant
| their use hero. II only thirty boats passed
| through the canal per day. thoy would transport
! s,400 tons OF grain. It would take foEsy-two
heavjly.loaded railroad trains to carry tho Same
amount. Tho aavipg in cost of transportation
| would be great. Not only would tho goods cas-
sjed on tue canal pay low fseights, but also those
transported by rail. The opening Of the water.
way would compel tho chicago l. Rock Island
Railway to reduce Its ratea at ouce. Tic
| Burlington Is Quincy and tho Northwest
| ern would quickly be forced to follow
suit, A similar reduction by al the
| east-apd-woat lincB would be only ques.
tiou Of timo. Thus the whole West, whether Of
not 1t used the canal, would be the gamer by It.
! It IL eyilont that it would pay, and pay richly
to dig thiu ditch bstween Rock Island and Hen
ueniu, but Illinois il forbidden by her Cou-
atttution to do 1t by tho Balo OF bonds. The
enterprise is Of too groat magnitude, po1.
haps, for : private corporation to undertake
although it would surely Yield \ handsome
profit. II the General Government Ia tc
pursue \ policy Of Internal improvement
wo know Of no wAy Ia whtah Il eau spend