The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-03-01
during the season Of navigation, and to raise
/ han npx xviptpr


is mt on next winter
During IL" season nf 1877 we suffered scri
lously from y larvc dutch leafiiur INTO the cana
-, The crossing OF the Danyilo railroad about
three miles south of Bridgeport Late in De
ccmhrr H't completed arrangements with the
railroad company by which | constructed Il
cess pool with substantial mason work, which
E29 proved I Success, ~ Il cost Ot 81 ,1d), til,
lrallroad company paying $1,000 Of the cost.
Navigation on the canal was opened through
from LA Sale 10 bridgeport March 20 for
boats drawing four feet eight inches, and with
only two exceptions has not been uninterrupted
closing December |, having suffered but one
small break, which occurred on The Dresden
level September i)tn, washing away 1000
yards OF tow-palh banks. No boats were de
| laycu over -four days AT this time. The cost OF
repairing the break was S50247. The other
dc!ay ~ Interruption was on June H. caused
by drawing off the Joliet level to allow cot.
fer dam 20 be put in so that . culvcri could be
constructed iuI the water power leased to
Mc,srs. Ford and Slater for their new oai meal
mill. The longest delay AT this time was three
days making 2j7 continuous DAYS of naviga-
ton with the loss of but seven days.
! Our expenses for the year ending November
! &c properly classified are u, follows:
Illinois and Michigan Canal, cxtraordin-
airy repairs .'....................S 39 OH rs
do ordinary repairs. - 81 10
Salaries Of collectors lock tenders, in.
spectors, clerks and ncidentals not
properly chargeablc to Superintend.
cnl's department. Observation-Disclosures. II 954 43
So $50 81
Lock at Henry, expenses for year 244i 2S
Lock at CoppcraS Creek, exp for year. 5O.T 6}
Total expenses. ..................s9 800 $40 ~
II Will be seen by the foregoing that our cX-
pcnscs for the year are quite large bn' Chen
!, SC "or"idc-"d th"' No f,linoiS and Michigan
canal was opened for navigation April 49,
1913, thirty wears ago last April, and that the
locks, dams, aqucducts, culvers and bridges
a. well as banks, are all thirty years old and
over, @El ,hnt for tweEty-cight years ii was
managed solely with II view to get money
oAousn out OF /. 10 Fay ioi lis construction, Or
10 uuliu II lock ana dam in the Illinois river
at Coppcras creek, with but little regard To its
rotton aQueducts, bridges and lock gates; its
ock-wals crumblnp to pieces; ITS prism fast
hiiing up with mud; It's banks failing down,
and It's channel growing smaller; it will not
be dtilcuI: to understand why the expenses
are now OF necessity so crcat; had the three
hundred IN JuaaDd dUlIars and over, that were
taken from il and put into the Copperas Creek
lock and dam, been spent III putting the Hi.
nos and Michigan canal III snch condition
as any canal ought to be, the canal would not
now be at the mercy of the railroad compan-
les.
The following items Of expense will have to
be borne during the coming season, towit:-
Ordinary repairs .....................S41 600 col
Dredging, eight months. 10000 90
Completion of lock H. now rebuilding. $500 CO.
Fox river aqucduct, with rcp'rs 10 piers 1000 60
NcrmilliOn aquedGCt .......... 2,1UO 0O
Completion OF Aux Sable aqueduct.... $500 90
Two new repair boats Observation-Disclosures. $500 90
Twenty new lock gatcs................ 5000 90
Six new bridges. Observation-Disclosures. 26OU 90
Two new lock houses. ..,.............. 900 90
TOTAL. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, $40 500 %
There are many other repairs which are
pressing upon our attention, but must he put
off another year, All the locks north of u ".
settles, except the two guard locks at Cha3ua-
hon and Joliet are in bad condition and need
attention. oEy, 1t least, should be rebuilt each
winter until the whole seven are completed,
bat owing TO there being two aqucducts. to r.
buIld during the year 1919, none of the locks
can he rebuilt however much they need it,
Owing to the very uncertain condition of
the two locks mentioned above, the expenses
for the present year will be more likely 10 en-.
coed than fall short Of the foregoing estimate.
THE OGDEN DITCH.
In my report TO your Board, December, 1877,
referred ut some length to the effects Of theI
OgIen ditch upon the lllinol, and Michigan
canal; that difficulty has continued during
the season of 1873, large quantities Of mud
having been washed into the canal, but | am
glad to he able to report that such an arrange
ment has been effected us is believed will pre-.
vent further trouble from that quarter as theI
State is now the owner Uor the canal of Il strip
of land commencing at the southeast corner
of the northeast fractional quarter of Section
II, Township 50, north range II, east Sd p. NJ
extended north $50 rods, and covering the
head Of said ditch and am now at work fill
ing said ditch, and making such other arrange
ments ~ will protect the cana from further
loss or damage from that source.
C0PrERAs CREEK LOCK AND DAM.
Early in the month Of September, it was dis.
covered that the filling above the dam at Cop.
peraS creek had been washed out prompt
measures were taken for rc.iilling the same,
and the work IL now nearly completed, ut Il
cost to date OF $2,3S4.59.
rIsuwAYs
BY order of your Board, fshways were con-
Structcd in each Of the dams in the Illinois
river, The timber used beng what was left at
Coppcras Creek after the construction of the
dam, thus making the cost much less than i'll
would otherwise have been. The piles driven
above the dam at Henry in 1872 being of soft
wood, were very much dccayed, and rs the
safety of nuvIgation during high water requires
that something he provided for boats to tie 20.
fory-eght new whltc-oak piles were purchased
and driven N that point while the fish way
was being put in. The cost of the two fch.
ways and piles was MS follows: piles and driv.
ing, 5000; ish-way ut Henry, $t4s02: fish.
ways ut Copperas Creek, $l1S17 A tish.way
having been put into the Dayton dam on the
Fox river two years ago, by order of your
Board, and nj the kankakee dam, nj the head
of The Kankakcc feeder, SO constructed that
fish can pass up and over 1t, all the state dams
are now ma,c To comply with The Joint reso-
luton passed 10y the last General Assembly, |
except me Little Wabash.