The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-03-10

|
rer second Suppose We find il TO be one
million cubic feet of water per second OF
time. Then II we obstruct that discharge
one per cent, or one hund,eGth part, why
i, follows tina, ten thousand cubic feet per
second are thus held back to help Hood the
land. And, In only one day, tins slight
obstruction holds back $4,000, 600 cubic
fee! Of water. BIZ this We can easily see
that it is a very serlons and dangerous
thing TO obstruct river channel or outlet.
Yet that is jpat'whal sthe world has been
dong for ages. And now it would appear
that great climax OF dangers and disas-
tiers has arrived, and that u remedy must
be found. n
And il is found Instead ofiobs,rucl'ne
these great aud splendid rivers, NC mus,
simply clean them out And when We re-
solve to do the WORK, rightly, We will find
very wide, safe and general benefits there.
from, in every good sense, and will better
realize the Completeness, grandeur and
utility of the arrangement written in ma
,ure by the great architect, and will gain Il
better use of the resources Of nature, that
should lead to better and safer condition
for a large part OF the worlds people.
And this can hardly fail to promote the
common good Of al Butaf sedo moth
ing, what ihenr Why, inevitably the situ.
anon will get worse There will bc great
er and greater danger aud disaster, with
same amount Of rainfall. Fer example !
have before me chart of the works a, the
Sallnn, mouth Of the Danube, and none
can deny that inevitably they have caused
some degree of filling up in the channel
above, AID consequently lessened oapacl-
ty I'M thcrivet 70 freely convey tho surplus
water from the Danube basin to the sea,
and hence inevitably higher food levels.
| The jetles at the mouth of the Mississippi
are dihcrent from those built by Hartley
for the Danube The outer ends Of the lat.
ter converge. But Capt. Eads constructed
the former parallel, and further apart than
The banks ofsthe south pass. This would
seenito ne much more favorable. as to flll.
/ ing in above BY deposits of siit. Yet the
Submerged dams placed across Pass a
l. Outrc and Southwest Pass, would newt.
ably fill up The channel above more or
! less, and ..retard the rivers discharge.
Passing on up the river We find that few
wrecks have ever been removed from the
channels. SO with sunken trees aud logs
| The water is deep and they have no! i'm
pcded navigation much until VIC get above
Memphis, nor greatly until wo pass CAIRO
From there to st. Louis, owing 10 sunkcn
wrecks, snags, logs, bars &c. is the worst
part Of the river as to navigation. But
everywhere tho obstruction of the river
has been very great, both III It's entire
channel and It's natural outlets
Capt. Cowdcn's proposed food mouth
will be OF immense help, aud will take the
place of natural outlets that have been oh
structed SO the natural channel OF the
Rhine has been encroached upon by
wharves, docks, bikes, bridges, wrecks
rubbish, &c, end by the bars and shoals
these in some cn#s have caused, Yet
probably no river has been INSTRUCTED
more IN the las; twenty. five years than the
| Illinois RI
The water shea of the Illinois includes
Il very large part OF the whole state, and
throughout It's whole extent the drainage
Of these prairies has been pushed Oh great
ly since 1869. and especially IN the last
three or four years. And with such rains
as we had In Juno OF that year. the in
creased amount of water from improved
drainage and less evaporation, might CAS-
lily carry the food levels on that stream
ten or twenty feet higher than ever yet
known, as its obstruction in various ways
has been and Is very great, III several diff
ierent ways, and at ST. Louis the channel
has been impeded more perhaps than any
where on the Mississippi. For y long
time ii has been cncroached upon from
both sides OF the channel between banks,
while tho Illinois bottom is crossed by I'm.
mcnse bikes, And just below is very
bad bar Aud thence on to Cairo sue.
cesson o! bars, mostly The result If neglect
to clear Oc cleI.aei Of rreckS, trees, dc
From La sale to the gulf the capacity of
the channels of The two rivers, between
banks, has been greatly impeded by need.
less distractions, while the amount of
drainage Of lands has been very largely
Increased, 10 lesson the destructive ct
ioets OF floods the channels Of the OHIO,
Illinois aud Mississippi must be cleared.
CoRgEL,TryEwlril ritts, N2epGD WORN
Is THE ESikRGEmENTy or am CANAL
FROM CHICAGO TO La SALLE, no SUIT
ABLY CONNECT THE GREAT LtKE AND MIS-.
slssurI SYSTEMS,
And now that the people CT Illinois
have voted It's ccssIon TO the United States,
ali the great interests OF the country
should at once unite in urging that il be
MT under contract without DELAY and fin.