, 1877-12-31
FUTURE SEWERAGE OF CHICAGO.
~, ykA f..tftar At 3-bA Trihuu&

10 me ttfAof ~ l6$ IFtoAHf.
CHICAGO, Dec. 23.-Thera Is no ono question
that has moro to do with tho fnturc growth Of
ChIcaro as great metropolitan city than this
question OF sewerage. There are so many
other things contingent on this that tho sub
jeet seemingly ovcstops oil Others In Importance,
No city can evcr sustain population of MILL
Inn aud upwards without n thorough anil com.
plctc sYstem Of sewerage, md this includes not
unty the Sewerage proper Of tho city and !.s
suburbs, but tho disposal OF tho sewerage
1uatter, md Tho larger the city the moro difficult
becomes the latter prublcn1. In fifteen
years Chicago will have, It Is safe
To say, about 1,0D,000 Inhabitants, and
lake View 10000, Jefferson 900, Cicero 10,OOo,
Lake 10000, and Hyde Park 81, ,o0o, making
total Of 100000 within territory large
proportion Of which Will require to be drained
and scwered either into Like Michigan or down
southwest Into tho Illinois Hscr, where there Is
plenty Of falt
II scoms Tint when tho time nrrEc4 rcicrrol
t. as a .ersr r oo e pts M Ss Mnns e e
Chicago, Lake View, and 1args portion Of
HYDE Iark and Lake ase. nos ata! WILL ue thea
obtaining their supply oE water directly from
matter that will then accumulate, II cmptied as
It now is into tho lake, will very scrpusiy nllcvt
tho qualify Of tho watcr Of tho lake within a
dlstanec 9t two IN miles fron thy shore; st,i The
ot tho stock.Yarde, will bu unbcarablc.
The ln1sncss Of tho stock Yart1s will, IL Is
hope'i, keep POGO with the Increased population,
source alone Is difficult problem. But as dill
cut as Il Is, It IL far better to to!yc tl.e ptohlc
than 10 dispense With the stock-Yur1a.
Ge0rEe C. aorgan E;q gooa tia practical n
| through the columns Of The TRIBUNE, TINT 10
remedy tho eyils here spoken nf, a tunnel about
ten feet In diameter and about forty msies N
South I'raneh on a direct line to tho Illinois
! River, sufficiently fer enough that-by startling
! tho bottom snY about twenty feet below tho
lcvel Of the tncan surface OF tko lakc. and dc.
foot to tho 100 fcot, Or ono foot and thlrty-two
one-lundrelths Of foot to the mile, anA Alsy-
two feet ind cfght-tcnths Of q foot to forty
milcs,-malxlpg scycuty.t.o feet and eIght-
tcnths Of font below Tho iakc's surface IN run
| Ming forty mtlcs-thc bottom Of the tunnel will
come out on tue surface OF tue bottom Of thl
river: This plan Is perfectly prnetleabte an9
the object: But tho question in my mind Is ,'oh
what would it cost bnt whether 1t is tho beat
,,lan for all time to eone.
waen apus thu illaos / Miei1au Canal t. loo fest
vi viii is W width W d aty W fcct, 1t dspth Of ten @
feet; and 5wcnty.ave feet nt depth Of twelve
ilva feet. but more cspecallY the Inst three feet
would be thu roccptaGle for aii the sediment
that failed to pass oH With the current, aud THO
clear would DO confined 10 this narrow channel
In the bottom. Tho taual will eventually lavo
to be uscl principally, for dEainago a'la scwer-
pfposss an with thls w. u vtsW to eur st
deep, IT wouil draw OF thu foul mntter IN
l!,e bottom OF tho South iranch, md would
nlforI an outlet for tho tmme1lsu amount Ut
packing houses, rendering anu fertflfziDg estab-
llah1uctlts. gluo factories, etc.. that line tile
South Dranch and it, soiith fork. The moro
current tho canal has tho sooner tho water 10 1t
becomes purified, for motion OF itself helps TO
The grcat depth Of fifteen fcot aud width OF
100 feet, with IN Increased current. together
with tlla incrrascd quantity Ut comparative pure
water that would force i.seIf Into tho cana! from
tho Increased drainage Eiyen to the surfacs, and
from tho Increased seopa0c at tho sides ami bot
tom, mixed as u would be with lsEge, proper.
tim OF purG luke water, would keep the cAnal
comparatively Enrct especially lhe surface,
would moyo nearer tho bottom, and so;ro of
more OF less t!'at'ti,u tunnel would cost had
better ho employed IN widening and .leepentng
, tho canal ns hcrcln contemplated. We're thIa
project completed tho bcncts would ba very
great, anl soIa af them might 10 summed up
| uA follows:
Rraf-It would kcepa constant stream Of
nurp lake water passng through about four
S, # s s sy tnas a - M tho pssSc syn
|
tto!, OF the water In TIM South Branch,
4Sesund-It would take all tho scwage matter
that now finds its war Into tho luke dowunto tho
Illinois River ard into the t'ull Of Me!ieo,
\ whrte IT would ae lust IN the great OCEAN, thua
lisposng of thu sewage matter moro cIcctually
than 1t could be ~ any other way.
Thfrd-tt wo.sit be the tMcans IT draining Of
tho refuse matter nt,w lying on tho hottu'n d
tho river aud branches and sending 1t down Che
canal, Il t,clng asuoss Impossible 70 clean the
bottom Of the river In my other way cxctot bl
] Fonrth-'rhc stocx-Yasls could then have I
= tliroyt outlet for alt its drainage nnd sewag'
Into tho canal without passing through an!
;" % %Fyt%olt t would greatly benefit the ad]nosn
land by giving additional and lower drainage, .,
= the surface VI the cunol would probably b
- from one foot lowes At the upper cut TO thtes
!. St1thErhu water Of tue:lakc would tltus al
wars be kept Al purp as It IL zttost Of tue ttnl
J.. at preacut, enabling Chicago TO truthfuly a.,
" that sho has tue best water OF any CITY Ill th'
= Sssrnsh-The sanitary condition Of Chicago
u and surroundings would oe benefited greatly.
IL IN ft, this Is thn greatest teu ot bcns1t 81 al
:. II nothing else, the Improvement ought to b
luailu. As u tho coat, IL would be difficult Il
,uuke cotrect estttnato wltlout more data, bu
% il IS bclIurol that + would not very much ex
G 7. ccol tho cost of Mr.. aforgants tunnel. blu
~ even suppose 1t should cust one or two a,iion
y = mora, yet the improvement ts adyisPble. 1t
IL ! TING nu% ~ AiaeUaa tlA HueS%soHs )
~ will take till tho uc1t session Ut til
General Assembly befura the necessar
legislation Gould be secured, then the pralin
er nares woul.t l.aye TO 1a settled hY tho Comtno
ut Council Of Chicago, which would probably co,
~ auma two or threa ye41. more, to gve thu pee
~ pic sufficient tlo to thoroughly discusa 80 tIs
~ rortant . question. Then the surveEs, est
~ uaates, plans, and specifications would haso I
~ he completed. anl then tue advertisement an
~ ~ letting, which would taxo nearly another YEA
at for It might haTs to ba advertised twice belut
Nv the bids would III aecapted. Aftet whct.
q, would take f17s or six winters to compiese Il
~. w. work, a. no work could be dong summers will
~ Out stopping navigation. 1t Will thus 10 see
- tlut itWuulA take 1buut ten yeAfs fru 10 day
~. ~. complete this gigantic improvement. As 4
~ tho money, It could bo provided for 10 sone wa
~ t.o work proREessed. d.-perllaps by assistan,
t1om the State. Chirago must sooutf OK latt
have Ahts improvement completed. How Gun
~, be accomplished ts the question: 1t Is evi!en
~ u. trunl tue ahoYe. that It would bs Ece!Sd It
W W inutaeut 1t could bo carried through. Tic 0
~ rrt in writing thIs articu u u lurle diaeusst