The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-07-01
The Senators Still Occupied
With the Bill.
NUMEROUS HEAVY INCREASES.
The Father of Waters Considered the
Most Important Waterway
Canal Projects-Etc.
SENATE.

dozen senators present anu IeSuulou
consideration of the river and harbor
bill. The following amendments,
among others, were agreed to: In
creasing the appropriation bill for the
Mississippi from the head passes to
the mouth of the Ohio from 100000
to 50, SOC, 900; insertinr items of $1,i00,-
900 for the Mississippi River from the
mouth to Fort Benton; reducing the
appropriation of the San Joaquin
River, California, from $25 900 to $780,
600; increasing the appropriations for
the canal at the Cascades, Oregon,
from $4,000 to 100000; from
this mouth OF the Columbia,
Oregon, from $35O,0OO to $780,
600; to lower the Willamette
| and Columbia River (below Portland,
Oregon, from $50 600 to 100000 for
Willamette River, above Portland, from
S15, 900 to $29 900; for Cyuill River, Ore
gon, from $22 900 to $25, 900; and for the
Cowlitz River, Washington Territory
from $25 900 to $40, 600; inserting two
new stations authorizing the construc-
ton (under the direction of the Secre-
tary of War; of practical and sufficient
I 1SnWdY anu lAG SSIdU1lSHllOAl VI hdI-
Dor lines wherever essential to the
preservation and protection of harbors;
provision is inserted for the appoint
ment of a board of three army
engineers to examine the distractions
to navigation in the Columbia
river at The Dalles, Oregon, with view
to boat railway; amendment directing
q survey for a snip canal from La Sale,
Ills, to Lake Michigan, near Chicago,
100 feet wide and fourteen feet deep ;
opposed by Sherman, on the ground
that it might flower the level OF the lake
and that its principal utility would be
to provide sewerage for Chicago. No
canal. he thought, should be built by
the United States unless to cut
off some imperfection or obstruc-
ton as Lake Michigan, Lake
Superior, or the OhioT8Ri7er at
Louisville. He also expressed opposi-
ton to 8 simili. p position to The
Hennepin Canal.
Teller advocated botI opositions as
being in the interest of t.. and COM
MERGE. The great metropolitan jour-
mails, influenced or owned largely by
railroads, have been in the habit of
speaking on the Hennepin fraud"
The railway companies have been the
sturdy opponent OF waterways across
the continent. If there was meritor-
Gus thing in the bill, it was PROPOSE
ton to open ship canals from Lake
Michigan down through the Illinois
River, and from Lake Michigan across
the country which would accommodate
the people of the upper Mississippi and
extreme northwest.
Dow expressed doubt as to the wisdom
of the Illinois River scheme, but saw
no reason why the survey should not be
made, the estimated cost having been
S. 81 900, and the present proposition
was not tor a survey, but for perma-
nent location. He had persitently and
consistently opposed the putting of
canal projects into the river and harbor
bill. If the friends of the Hen
nepin Canal wanted an appro-
D iation made. they should bring
it before Congress as separate
bill and have the matter fairly DIS
cussed, but putting such projects into
the RYE and harbor bills would bring
the whole system of hibernate improve
ments into scandal aud odium.
Sherman spoke of the magnitude of
the proposed canal. He said the dis
lance from Chicago to the mouth of
the Illinois River was $50 miles, a
greater distance than the proposed
Nicaragua canal from ocean to ocean.
and the estimates of the cost of the
Nicaragua canal were $95, 100000
The discussion was further continued
by Senators el9r, Vest, Gall and
advocated both propositions.
| Vest argued against the Eennepin
project but having less objection to the
| DcnnOco1 cnrvnu nf the canal frarY1 To
Sale to Chicago.
Call favored all international i'm
provements.
Allison stated that as far back as 1861
a ship canal between the lakes and the
Mississippi river was regarded by mill
tary men and by the people as Of the
utmos Importance.
| Allison's remarks that if the harbor
and river bill was worth the paper
on which it was written, this was
| the most important waterway project in
it, through densely populated region
! teaming with industries and commerce,
and was Congress to appropriate $22,-
600 900, he asked, for rivers and harbors
and to oggle about proposition which
was to connect the great lake system
with the Mississippi? He regarded the
propositions as the two most important
| in the bill, and II they were to be
whistled down by the wind and all the
little streams of the country were
to be dug out and enlarged,
be would feel very little interest to
"swab"4 1.-The guns of the bill. Every
civilized nation, except US, made a
large expenditure of public money for
canals and waterways. France and
Great Britain were honeycembed with
great canals.
Gorman favored a proposition for a
surv of a canal from La Sale to
Lake Michigan, but moved to strike
out the words land capable of carrying
no: less than 600 900 cubic feet of water
per minute, flowing at the rate of two
nile IS per h ur." The motion was agreed
to nd the amendment so modified was
asreed to. 1t reads for he purpose of
ecur ng continuous navigable water
way between Lake Michigan and the
NJ csissippi River, having a capacity
and facilities a0eouate for the larsest