The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-09-29
THE ILLINOIS CANAL.

The notion that the Illinois canal i
about played out and that as trahsporla
ton line It's importance-never great
rapidly running down to insigniticapce, /
very cfIec,ually dlsslpated by an able artl
Gle in the last LIZ Sale Press, giving fig
ures which to most people will be sur
prise. In point OF fact, the business of the
canal, instead of being on Il decline, is on
a steady increase, its tonnage last year be
ing 1,0ll 1884, against 1865, the highest
of any preceding year, and the tonnage for
the present year it is believed will show
another handsome increase. We copy
from the Press:
The canal was first opened for naviga
ton in lS4S and the tolls that year aggrc-
gated IN round numbers $4,000 and
Increased to $l2S000 in 1854. liz 1859
they dropped from $4,000 the year pre-
vlous to $4,000, but again went up and
in 1862 to $sG5,000, when the number OF
boats running was 2ll and the tons Of
freight transported G7iO00. In 1864 the
tolls had dropped to $4,000, the number
of boats running beng 22S and the ton
mage 10000. An Increase Of rates, coupled
with an increased tonnage in 1863 brought
the tolls up to 1901 $40 and the following
year the tolls were the largest ever re.
ccived, being 500, 95S, the tonnage Of that
year beng 74G,Sl5 and the number OF
boats running 23O. Later the tonnage has
fluctuatcd, going up as high as $4,000 In
1873 and going down to 100000 in 1878.
Since then there has been gradual III
crease and in 1882 the largest tonnage in
the whole existence of the canal Is report
ed 10li,2S1 In 1866 the rates per ton
per mile averaged almost exactly 400 per
cent. higher than they are now or were in
1889. Since 1866 the number Of boats
running has regularly declined from 230
TO 1879 IN 1882, and of this number % are
steam canal boats and tugs. In 1866 the
number of clearanCcs was 5,fSS and the
number of miles run was I0G,1 S4. In 1882
the clearances were 1855 and the number
OF miles run 335,tlO Summarizing the
above statements 1t would appear that IN
1866, the year of Tie NAHUM tolls, it took
$50 boats making J,4SS clearanCes and
400, IS4 miles to transport TAG, Sl5 tons, and
in 1882, the year Of maximum tonnage, 1t
took 123 canal boats and tugs, making
4,0j5 clearances, including those at Henry
and Copperas creek, and 1876, 40 miles to
transport 1,0ll,2S7 tons. In other words,
boat now carries nearly 219 times as
much freight as 1t did lG years ago, and
pays % per cent. as much toll.
Figures are remarkable for their vcraCi-I
ty always, The above somewhat extensiveI
array certainly argues very strongly in ia
vor of the proposition that the canal IS not
yet a played out' institution, but flour
ishing and prosperous transportation line
The waterway over which
last year was transported 5000, 900 bushels
OF grain, 4l,00O,0 900 feet Of lumber $4,000
600 shingles, 5000 tons OF coal, Al 900 tons
of ice, $4,000 tons of saEd, with thousands
OF tons of other merchandise of classes too
to mention, isn't defunct insti-
tuition yet, If some docks have gone to de.
cay and boatmen no longer fight for prefer.
ence In chances to get through locks
crowded with business
The figures of the Press are no less elo
quent and forciblc in defense OF the canal
as an important means OF transportation in
Its present condition, than rs an argument
in favor Of Its enlargement to q ship
canal The 100000 bushels of gram
npon the canal last year, and |
upon which the farmers saved at least
$l50000 in freight charges by reason of
having the canal, were drawn from com
parativcly limited probably not
over dozen of Illinois counties Enlarge
the canal SO that steamers from the Upper
Mississippi and Missouri, each with a
flock OF barges in tow, can pass through
the canal, and the grain passing through
The canal would at once run up from four
10 100000 Of bushels a year, saving
millions year in the shape of freight to
The producers OF the northwest instead of
a few thousands, as now. In a word, as Il
freight regular alone the ship canal would
pay for itself over and over again every
year.
In the contest in Massachusetts for Coy