, 1880-06-27
THE CHICAGO RIVER.

! 80 .@.A.-~---
THE CHICAGO RIVER.
The absence Of the Mayor from the city
and his recent close application to Nationa!
politics must be accepted as partial apol-
| ogy for the want OF any attention on his part
to the universal complaint concerning the
condition of the Chicago River. Now that
I the Mayor has returned, it is to be hoped
that immediate action will be taken On this
| most serious Of all questions pertaining to
the health of the city.
There ure certain points in relation to this
! matter which have been, absolutely deter
| mined by long experience. One Of these is,
that the natural flow of water from the river
to the lake Is not sufficient to keep the river
clean; and another point Is, that the river
| must be drained by a flow of water there
from through the canal and thence south.
The city in 1870 expended over three millions
of dollars to so deepen and enlarge the
canal as to carry off sufficient of the river
| water to keep the South Branch and
| the main river comparatively clean.
| Since that time, however, the use
| of the river as sewer mas
! so Increased and the lake level has 50
| fall9n that the discharge Of water through
| the canal is no longer equal to what tho
! exigencies Of the city require. It is there
| fore an ascertained and determined fact that
| the river can only be kept clean by maintain
Ing sufficient flood Of water through the
river from tile lake to the canal. On that
| point there is no controversy.
The next question is, how this flow Of
water from the lake to the canal is to be
maintained. There are two ways III which
this can be done. One is to further deepen
and widen the canal; and by deepening
it the canal and the river will be on the same
level and depth, with an inclination through
the canal to the south. This will require
widening Of the canal at the top and down
the sides to the bottom. To do this will re-
Quire deep and severe cutting through the
rock deposit OF several miles extent, and,
supposing the supply Of money to be regular
anu unbroken, will require several years in
which to perform the work, ut a cost not
less than, but perhaps exceeding, S., 100000.
That is one mode in which the work can be
accomplished.
The other plan is simpler, more direct, and
of immediate accomplishment It is to re-
place the gate at the junction Of the canal
and river, and to replace on the line Of the
canal the pumpingworks which had been i'll
use, and which were removed in 1S10. By the
use of these pumps the water In the river can
be lifted into the canal. ,giving several addi-
taonal feet of water in the latter stream, fur
nislling deeper and broader volume Of water
i'll the canal with all increased flow and cur
rent. The difference in the amount Of water
moved by that process and that now fur
nished can best be understood by the rela-
tive figures Of the performance. Thus the
water now finding its way from the river into
the canal varies from 1900 to "a goo cubic
feet per minute, according to the direction of
the wind and the amount Of drainage follow
ing rains finding its way into the canal. When
the rains are heavy, the drainage into the
canal fills the latter to the exclusion Of water
from the river.
Now, the erection Of IN engine and the
pump will furnish all enlarged capacity for
the canal. Closing the gate Mt the entrance
Of the canal will permit the increase Of water
in the canal several feet above the present
river level With increased depth, procured
in that matter the breadth Of water In the
EdI4AA h41A N4At<AA 6NA tA4AAA
the pump can lift from the river into the
canal G5,0o0 cubic feet Of water per minute.
That is an amount of water three times
greater than the present average discharge,
and is equal to the removal Of the foul
water in the river and its replacement by clear,
pure water from the lake every day, even
by working less than twenty-four hours In
forty'-eigllt hours after that pump is put at
work the water i'll the river and canal from
the lake to Lockport will be clear and free
from odor, and by tile use of the pump ac-
cording to necessity the water in the river
and the canal can be kept clear and odorless
continuously.
The cost of this improvement will be $780,
600 for machinery, and the cost Of operating
will not exceed $4,000 year.
This remedy is direct, immediate, and eff
fective. 1t will supply the water now needed
for navigation i'll the canal; it will keep the
main river and South Branch clean and odor-
less, and send each days accumulation in the
river down the cana! so diluted and purified
by the copious flood Of pure lake water as
to silence the loud, just, and earnest protests
how coming from the people living along the
canal and river down lis far as Peoria. This
expenditure has been authorized by the City
Council, and an appropriation to cover it was
made last April 1t was then estimated that
the whole work could be completed and the
pumps put in operation in ninety days; but
up to this time the Mayer has steadily ig-
nored the matter, and not one step has been
taken looking to the beginning or completion
of the much-needed improvement.
The condition Of the river during the last
ten days Of hot weather has left no possible
doubt as to the immediate and urgent neces-
sity for this relief from the foul and pesti-
1ential bed Of disease and death whose odors
at1iict the sick and the well by day and by
night.
The whole cost Of this improvement will
not exceed 20 cents per inhabitant, or 81
per family. Mayor Harrison must assume
the responsibility Of continuing the present
fearful condition Of the river by his obstinate
refusal to expend this money. He may de-
feat the measure by refusing to expend the
money in order to show economy, but it is
fearful economy that locks money in the
Treasury and leaves the community to perish |
by disease and pestilence sl1d all atmosphere |
poisoned by the most destructive exhala-
tiOnc