, 1879-03-07

DEtA1N ANtE.
RE ronT SUBMITTED TO ruE ILLINOIS ENGr-
HEEns' cLun.
,sotesal Dhpa.h to The Tribune.
SrR1x0rtrLp, ILL.,, March G.-Tllo following
report, which was rendered at tho meeting Of
tho Engineers Club on the 9TH inst., IL worthy
the careful pcrusnl OF nll who orc Interested iu
the Drainage bills now under discussion tu tho
Legislature:
Tic undersigned having been appointed q
committee, with no otItcr instructions than tbs
gcneral one, ''tu rcpurt on tile bills now uutler
consideration III the Legislature for tho framing
Of lava relating to drainage" respcctfutly ro-
port: That alter 0nc Or two meetings Ut the
Committee. during which We examined n1ul dts-
cussctl tic BILLS which haa been placed in our
llAnds, wo dcencl It desirable, tt, consideration
Q! .hp Importance OF TIC s,tbtect, to visit
Springfield in order to gather s1ch i,lfor,nn-
tIon 10 could only bo had ". pcrsunal
interview with meulhara at tllc Legislature WHO
were Interested In tllc subject. Mcasrs. Colo
a,1 Rtylcy, huwcver, wcro unable to Eo, and tho
mt N!r. Isol,rns Ut tlat city, a!s0 q member Of
fl!e Committee, nlNl in Ills couIpany saw md
gonyerscd with various 1actnbcls VI tt1u l.rgls-
lature an1 others interested. Tic necesstty for
very careful Legislation on tho subject lies In
tie fact tint very lurge portions of The State
ate 30 nearly level tint the work Ut druInngo
| requires concerted uct!on not only nf illtl~
vtdnals, but often of many townships or
! It's advantages without the inilictton Of TILL
| necessary Injury or tlAtnngo upon my ono ,lur-
| ton, II fhrnor can ttnl an outlet On Ills own
land Into which lc can carry tls tlrafnaes Of ali
| urc In reyard to the mods Ut doing tho work,
mid may spend US much ,noney al llu chooses In
experimenting on depth Of drains atzcs ot tiles
| ete.
to sce.ire an outlet, to cut q ditch Or canal
across the lands uf one Or urt OF his ncfgttlDTs,
IL obylnHs lot only HAT p.cr intcrcsts must
be consulted, but thas lie interests OF the
Of tiie few, nId IN onlcr TINT juNtco may be sc-
cured fer nil thu work mist hu intrustcd to
competent. experienced. uIld dstntcrcstc1 uell.
In urlcrao arrange system ot drll,lagp fur a
plus.water could ba 50 ciract.,a1ly carried or US
nryer seriously to interiors Will tho tiagt of
tho soil a,,tl tic growth Of crops. each drainage
district must nreessarlly enbraro The wl'nle area
tEtlc,a!'y provided. Tho proprtstors OF lands "
| my u},un river may be nblo 10 drain them
clfectally without requiring tho ai,l Or affecting
the interests Of their nulghbors. Hut i Is n,u
Of {l!e eelllarttcs Ut tho Topography Ut Illinois
that tho prairtca are everywhere dotied mud In.
tersectctl with sloug.ss, which dlsi!xIiEn iii.
farms, nItl N tllo aggregate anlo!snt to billions
uf acres, which, II tlrasnrtl, would 10 thu Iost
iE.nlsttisu EMll u tllu atntc. III urtltr to drain
shea, howcyur, In nlMry rlscs II becomes ncse,.
snry to construct tIltc!lcs OF rana!S. nften ni
great extcnt, n,ld every drainage district must
| necessarily. include tic w'lolt Ut thu reg0t
w!lcl, woltl ilinl It's natural outlet through any
| Eurh channel.
An estimate must therefore First 10 made ot
tho amount Ut watnr which at an} ttlne would
have to he provided fhr, anl 1t il obsluus thai
thess calculations ,nuat bo based UPON llle uatu
raj tonngrlphY Ut the region. altd entirely III
dupeinent vi boundary lines ot counties, tuwns
or Individual prupr,otors. lllu boundaries ul
every drainage district are already estab1!iet
by tho laws ot nnturG, nN ttIUsu laws will crr
tainiy defeat nntt rcH Icr cboEtiVa my attesnn
on tho part Ut n,ar TO sol thrtn uslut, Or alI,
| falurp 10 TerogI!ze their bnulns forrG i,l
hlly 0r broken country these districts Art
comparatively email, and tle intereat
OF landed propEiet0Fs rarely drsuaN1 cun
certe1 action nYer VERY extended Aftu
hut IN such vnst rnacllcs vi flat country ~ cx
tent over tho lAr1eF portions u tlir btase u
| lliu,fs, It is In many caaes Impossible for rro
pfsetors, VI townships ot rounttes 10 eoint,Ant
Drainage, aIil ts,e uttclnpt to do tbs work un
smaller sra!c II yearrcly lrss abslrd or extrava
giant than II would bu for atnsle block In
rty to pfoyde for its uWu sewage lNdrpe1.C
emily ot It's nci.llors.
We ltayr 5Iudu this si1nule statement of fact
~ prrlltn!ilury TO what Wn h4ye tu sny ot III
bills ursler Observation-Disclosures upeninK portioll
. uranasu dstrIrts, a,la Mre csssutsaaly tic sam
In eArh
Thu iiEst section ID Aa fo1lows:
"Tho County E0uria Ut tic several connttG
OF this State shall llays powrF and 1urasdrtla
tt, establish drainage Districts ut anF ruguli
pruhatu term tEtFcDf ~ hereinafter proviicti."
; W. uliect tu The wording Of tlts scStlol,, {
bcnE llable to cOnVey ai4 erruneuus idea ~
what golstItutca a drainagu district. II
| bcnulnrtaA OF aYaFf drntunyn t!strIek ha1