The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-23
THE CANAL,

The report OF the Commissioners of the HI
inos and Michigan canal has been laid be.
fore the Governor, and its substance is pub
lshed in several Chicago papers. The tolls
for the year, in spite Of the heavy reductions
made last spring, show an increase over the
preceding year Of :3,j1G 30, indicating an in.
crease OF nearly 80 per cent. in the business
done on the canal. Total tolls for The year
were Sill, G0G.1j against $l14, l2llS for 1875
ordinary expenses about the same, but the
board were put to an extraordinary expense
OF Sl332431 to repair damage done By the
Ogden ditch, and several pages are devoted
to eXecratlAg that nuisance, over which the
but which the board insist the state shall
abate as Chicago persists in treating it with
scandalous neglect.
The board ha' much 10 say we copy from
a synopsis in the Ttmey) of the use Of steam
caHalboats. 1t says, ia substance, that the
use of steam has been attended with many
difficulties, bu. thai most Of these have been
overcome by the enterprise and perseverance,
of the citizens Of this state. The results at.
tanned show a material saving III time and ex.
| pense by the use of steam. The steam canal.
boats usually take q full load Of freight and
tow one or two ordinary boats, which are at.
taCbed in a direct line ahead or behind the
motive boat, and they are usually attached by
the Raymond and Hunter coupling, Boats
so moved avoid the delays that other boats
are subject to IN waiting for a steam tug IN
Chicago harbOr, and also delays IN waiting
for towage from La Sale to points on the H.
lnois river, aud The board predicts that IN fu.
ture the steam canal. boat will be a successful
competitor in our western rivers with regular
steamboats, tor the carriage ofal bulk freights.
In this connection the completion Of the Hi.
nois river improvement is declared to be OF
great benefit to the interests of the Illinois
and Mississippi river valley. There are now
90 steam canal.bOat on the Illinois river and
canal and some of these excel in the con-
struc,lon of the model and machinery, any
similar boats in this or any other country,
and show better results of service for a given
expense than any others. OF these boats the
NJ, Talcolt and the Montauk are selected as
specimens, and from the owners Of these boats
the board has certificates showing work done
and expenses incurred. The Talcott made
her trial trip May Is, and up to Nov. Is made
S2round trips from Chicago &c Lemont, being
80 miles per trip. These trips, with the tow
age, brought lS5 loads Of stone, averaging | 80
tons to the load. The consumption of coal
has been ell pounds per ton per mile. The
owners report that they have made saving
Of 33ls per cent over the ordinary method Of
canal transportation. The Montauk has also
been employed during the season, and her
owners report that the cost Of transportation
by her. exclusive of expenses Of loading and
unloading, is 3 G10 mills per ton per mile.
OF the Copperas creek lock and dam 1t is
reported that on Dec. /, 1875, the total amount
of work done was $l10,Si0, and the payments
! $ljO,7l4. Satisfactory progress has been
made by the contractor during the past year,
and with reasonably low water IN the river
next season it is expected that the lock will
| be brought into use as early as Sept /, 1877.
The estimated cost of the work at contract
price is $3.50, 239, and up to date of the report,
work to the aRIount of 1878, 400 has been
done, leaving $G0710 to be done 1t is est.
mated that the amount needed to complete
the work, including the - per cent. assumed
on the contract, is $I06, 260j5, and the funds
in the state treasury to the credit of the work
$H SiG57, leaving a balance of SCI, 453.1S
To supply this the board reports that ifno un,
usual damage occurs TO the canal by the spring
of $l00O0 in its hands next spring. and to
make up the balance required it Is recon-
meuded that an appropriation be made by the
general assembly.
In relation to the completion of the i'm
provement of the Illinois, the board uses those
arguments based on facts which have never
been controverted AMI hardly denied. The
lock at lIenry is in successful and profitable
operation, and Copperas creek will be COM
peted as already rs stated next year. To com
plete the whole improvement three more locks
are needed-one near Beardstown, one near
Bedford, and one near Grafton. 1t is estimat-
ed the total cost of these vii! be 10000, and
it is recommended by the board that the gen
cral assembly appropriate S6OO,O00 for the
years 1877 and 1875 and put all these locks
under contract at once.
The report Is accompanied by many com
pe,c tables, showing in detail the facts Set
forth above
Morton's mouth-piece delivers, under his
inspiration, the subjoined menacing utter
ancc: