The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-02-05
1 HENNEPIN HOPE.
The Subject Disc0ursed in New Orleans
>-.Legislatiye Action in Iowa..
Resolutions.
WATERWAYS.

livered an address on waterways in gen>
eral, in which he alluded to the Hennepin |
canal as follows:
The purpose of the Hennepin canal is
to connect. by water, lake Michigan and
the Mississippi river. The state of Hi
nois owns canal--the Michigan and
Illinois canal-which extends from lake
Michigan to the Illinois river at LaSale,
a distance of about hundred miles. The
people of the state, by general vote,
have ceded this canal to the national
government, for the purpose of extension
and improvement. 1t is said that some
fifty years ago the Indians, in the spring
of the year, used to float their canoes
from lake Michigan to the Mississippi
river, there being, at high water, a nat>
ural waterway connecting the two. This
as it may, is at present established, by
the patient investigation of TIE best en-
gineers in the land, that but little arti
fetal labor is required to connect more
directly than nature has, these two great
waterways The especial difficulty in
the way is. that from LaSalle, directly
across to the Mississippi river, at Rock
Island, is high and rocky land
But in 1866 Major j A. Hoduett,
civil engineer, in the employ of
the government, overcame this difficulty.
and became delirious with delight in the
prosecutions of his Investigations, when
he placed his instruments on Rock river
and took the water elevation at the dam
at Dixon and found it to be three feet
higher than the highest land summit be
tween LaSalle aud Rock Island. "Eure i.
kaI' was the delightful utterance Of his
heart And since that day 10 this the
feasibility of a canal to connect these two
mighty waterways has been evident to
every intelligent man. In 1888, W. II. II.
Benyaurd, major of |. 5. engineers, re-
surveyed this route for IL canal, by orders
of an act of congress, and declared in an
able and convincing report TO congress,
that 1.-THE surveys demonstrate that a per
fectly feast Die route exists for canal
from the Illinois river, near IeRnepin, to
the Mississippi, at or above Rock Island "
| And. to avoid confusion of terms let me
explain to you, that, to save expense, the
| Illinois river is. in the construction OF
this work, used from LaSalle 10 place
in Putnam county, called Hennepin.
From this the canal to Rock Island de
| rived its name; but it has been changed
| of late to a more expressive term-one
that conveys the full meaning of the
| proJect-the Michigan and Mississippi
canal, - and such in the future shall cal
| it.
Major Benyaurd proposes to make this
canal and its feeder TO Dixon 50 feet
wide, on the water surface. and : feet
deep The total length of this canal is
"A s miles. The total length of the feed
er is 81 miles, without lock, and afall
of feet The aggregate lockage from
the Illinois river to the summit level i,
205 feet, requiring % locks, with lifts
from : TO 10 feet, and thence to the Mis-
sisslppi the descending lockage is 10 and
the descent is 10l feet In regard tr
water consumption from Rock river to
supply lockage, it is as nothing, for The
reason that the canal is filled in the
| spring. when the river has an over sup
ply and when a relief would be a benefit
The lockage for the main canal is IL
feet long and 35 feet wide, and the mum
Der of boats that can pass the SUNNI
level in one day is placed at 80; but the
movement is not entirely in one direction
the same number of boats are likely to g,
each way, and it is estimated that a hal
lOCkful of water for each boat is an am
pie allowance.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
Yesterday, Hon. W O. Schmidt, o
Davenport, introduced in the Iowa sea,
ate, the following memorial and join
resolution relative to the construction O
a canal from the Mississippi river to tn
Illinois river, at Hennepin, in the stat
OF Illinois"
WHEREAS The agricultural, manufac
turing, and commercial interests, not onl
of the northwest but of the entire coun
try, are largely dependent for their dc
veiopmeDt upon full enjoyment of fac
,,ilities for the transportation of product
a nd commodities; and
WHEREAS, The two great interi5
r water-routes of transportation in til
United States are those Of the Mississippi
river, from north to south. and of tn
river with the Erie canal and Hndso
river, from west to east; and
RI WHEREAS, A direct all water connee
ton between these two great routes
Indispensable to complete service Il
the interests which SO lmperaiively dt
!, mand improved and cheaper routes c
: transportation, since without such a COZ
nection there can be no real use by th
northwest of water-route to the cas-
> nor by the east to the northwest; and
t WHEREAS. The general Assem- bly, {
the state of Iowa did in 1864 in 1870
, again in 1874. and still again in 1880, an
in 1882, memorabilia congress for the con
struction of a canal to connect the Mis-
: sissippi river with the Illinois river, on
line running eastward from or near Roc
Island; and
WHEREAS. Various boards of trad
and commercial bodies, both east an
west, together with the legislatures {
e numerous states, are urging upon con
gress the construction of said canal; al
WHEREAS, The congress of the Unite
States, by act of August ?, 1882. al
l thorIzed the secretary OF war to cause
e survey to be made for the purpose of a
certaiGing the most practicable route fo
y such proposed canal. which survey h.
been made and an official report theret
e transmitted to congress; therefore.
e Be At resoleed by the senate. tie Hon
l, c0ncu9rang, That our senators and r
representatives. in congress be requisite
to vote for and use their active iniluent
IS to effect such legislation in congress
s will secure the construction at an ear
, day of said canal. for commercial pu
:, poses, from Hennepin, on the lllino
} river, TO or near Rock Island, on Il
Mississippi river, and to vote libeT
: appropriation therefor, to the end tn
n said canal may be completed and opent
;. to the commerce of the country at Il
" earliest date possible.
! Rsso'eed. That the secretary of sta
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