, 1875-02-15
LOCAL LETTERS.

AANht- +E EF0s
THE CopPEEAs GREER LOCK Aap DAN.
r. tie Editor ~ Tbs Chscaa. Tribune:
CHICAGO, Fob. 14.-1n your Issue OF Saturday
moruluE thero appeared paragraph 10 utterly
opposed to tho ofi-rcpeated oplnions Of TIE
TRIBUNE upon tho Importance OF ths early CON-
pletion Of Tho work now in 'progress for tie I'M
provotnent Of tho navigation OF tho Illinois
! RiycE, that am convinced 1t mtss have 6oen
| written cartlessty, or by tho night editor. who
| may havo but liltle knowledge Of Tho subject.
| There is no appropriation asked for the lock
| and dam 1t Henry. that work having been COM
| pleted two years ago. The small sum Of $4,000
asked from the Treasury Of tho State to complete
| tho lock and dam 1t copperaa Crock bAr, is IN
| strict conformity with Tho enlightened policy
| hitherto adopted. and IN perfect harmony with
tho Constitution of the stato. the Constitutional
Convention having pnrpossly dropped the m-
proveDeI3t Of Rivera from the clause prohibiting
appropriations FROM the State Treasury for the
| construction or improvement OF caGalb.
. The minority report from the Committee on
Appropriations IL 1t fau!t in eYerY particular.
Tho work is not local IN effects, but. when COM
p'eted, ts benefits will DO falt ty ,overy coansy
in tho State which touches the banka OF the
Mississippi. Oh,o. and Wabash. as NEIL ~ tho
Illinois River. Nor will thaso benefits be cou-
tined to river counties alone. but all interior
counties which eau reach river navigation by =
short railroad route Will 1aye it In their power
TO avoid the extortions OF long railroad lines i,t
reaching tha largest grain, stock, aud lumber
| market in tho world, or to compel lines to carry
| their freight for 4 reasonable compensation.
Tho general advantages to tho whole country
Of the completion OF Bteanboat-navigation be-
tween tue hrlsatssippl hnd tho efeas Ialses woro
to Some oxtent discussed in communication to
TIE TRIBUNE last summer: and roceiycd the
hearty Indorsomeus Of the editor at the Tina OF
its publication and In several subsequent articles
in your editorial columns The Importance Of thla
connecting link waH urged upon public attention.
Such being the fact, cannot think tha editor
in.chiaf can have sAnctfoned The paragraph
which called for this notice. Fory truly yours
A. ]. GALLOWAY.
Nr, Galloway Is correct In bis susmiHo that tht
writer Of the item In question WAS not aware o.
tho facts. No more important matter will com,
befos> the Gonersl Assembly than the making O.
provision for the construction Of tho steamboa
lock at CopperAs Creek. which, when finished
will add co miles at magnificent navigation tt
tho Illinois Riyer.-ED, TRIBUNE.
EcoNoIT IN FUEL.
70 the Editor cr The Ch,caao J'rr6un:
CHICAGO, Feb. 14.-Your articles and tho cor
respondence they have called forth upon tbs fue
question, have, no doubt, had = healthful inau
enoe, and opened tile way tor Improvement
which sss much needed to abate the smoke
nuisance and sayc the fuel wasted thereby.
My e4pe7ience has bsen of practical nature
and 80 successful in small way that an led t
believe 1t worth giving TO the public, espec!ali
as tho public are the ones moat Interested In thl
particular cass, az they pay the bills. For 1lsthe
! the COIL no use bo donated bv vcoai-deaess ("hic
It haa been 10 far this rinter) OF paid for !
/. zuoney the money ia contributed. with which "
. pay the bill. Our building id tGx75 feet, and "
: use tAree stories aud basement We heat u
: steam Eskaa in = locomossvs fogty-soAr 2-!nc
! tube boiler, with return t!ue. When We uss sh
butter qualities Of soft coal --say different knd
. OF Erie,-"o onlyuse from one-lAtf to two-thirl
| | OF = ton for each twen:y-four hours. But "
Use grost caro- III atoking, Nothing bl. c,nde,
. or clean ashes are left to be thrown away N
thick, heavy clouds Of smoks arc ever Boeu
como from our building.
Uy keeplug tle coal in tho front of tho are-bc
] until it IL half consumed, and burning over II
: line. hall f.bu ned Goa. which Sits through II
. grate, NO succeed In keeping hotter md stea
: !er flfe, and save tue fearful deinge Of smo,
!; which follows tho ct nmn1ing Of = tre-bo1 tnDl
Q coal. we cannot do this with tho Iow-priced
q cheapest coal and find no saving in using tieI
d but the cual have named NO uso upscroene
o This may uot be vary Eclentihc. but 1t there
y y any une heating building like ours on less tks:
d tuo-sAisds Ut ton Of soft coal for each twout
{. four Aousa should like to kno* how thur do
10 ". l. DILLISu9
= General Superintendent Nsxshoys' Home.
ID
y PARENTS AND THE PUBLIC ecnooLs.
!, 70 ths Ea1for ef III cheasa Tribune:
i CHlcA0o. Feb. 13,-l have frequently had .
10 cssou to notice, aud hoard teachers make Il
same remark. that the patoats Of scholars .e
seldom yisit The public schools. Perhaps not o
psrspt In hundred syar enters 4 school roo
from ono years Gua to nnother. How can su
l. parents know With certainty whether their Gu
II dreu attend punotua1ty or not .. whethar .he
10 conduct or mental progress s what il should hi
], This lack of intercourse or acquaintance heswe
g. teacher md parent cannot ba 10 she pupils q