Telegram-herald., 1889-10-02
THE BIG SHIP CANAL
TIE PROJECT 4 VERY FEASIBLE one
ths rs@pis whs Wsht-Entsrt.fnsd q
nSiaAaa-fas Ola River Bsd-r0es-
sr4PhT sr ne Csaatry-AasthsE
IrlE ~ bs M4ds soan-

aAd others yesterday made TIP %
Holland ard looked over the proposed
route Tor snip canal Ihey started
a. $50 ia TIE morning and arrived
home al 30 p. m, travelling IN
syee.ai car. There were III the party
T. G. srudley. c. B. Judd. H. b. G.
Van Asmls, VI. g. Randall. T. J.
Pierce, ". II. Powecs, Charles K. Sigh.
/. II Wtney, %. A. Bali, o. T. Brown,
&. II Leonard. Henry ldema and l.. G.
Stove VI the Board ol Trade, and Con
gresham KNAPP, J. Y. B4rnham,
John >n-tzeler and pfesentauves OF
the -FOUR daily qaper-- They were met
al tae Holland depot oy Mayor Krem-
er- ex-Alav0rs ". H. Beach, +. j Har-
Tnstol and g. j. De Roo. Dr. Charles
Scott, pres.den OF Hop College, Prof.
q. j. kOllen, u. Z Hummer, Dr. .. +.
Yates, o'. J. Van Duren, Heber Walsh
and g.. Van >chelven, and the party
drove 0ut - the Waverly stone quarry
"a carryal.s They then proceeded 10
toe cry Hote. and after partaking Of
rectan gular meal they inspected the
Government survey OF the harbor and
ard we'll executed map OK the pro-
posed .ue ot tAg ship canal, prepared
ty Mr.. Van >cAelyeu. Tie latter map
was executed in two days and does
credit -o Us protector.
Carriages We're then driven 70 the
door OK tho hotel and the party were
loaded 10, with the press gang dis
tr.nuted 50 that they could be well
WA,cned, and long aud delightful
Cr.ye commenced Iae topography of
the country between Holland aud
Jeuison could hardly be- better for the
purpose IA view. The Black river Il
deep sluggish stream emptylug INTO the
heat Of Nacatawa Bay and extending
up the valley toward iceland. IL IS
lad down as Government water up a
far as SChouteu's bridge, two
miles this side Of Holland. and
from that point II curves gracefully to- /
ward the Valley City unit. IL IS lost i'm /
the ICELAND swamp. 20 level i the |
ted OF the stream that there is scarcely /
any perccptlble motion OF the water. /
The great marsh extending from below /
Iceland 20 within q snort distance |
OF JeulsOn, viii average a half mile IN !
I'll a ~
free-tradc editorial. The greater part !
OF ths marsh has been reclaimed by /
the digging of big ditch thirteen feet |
wide az the top, sx feet deep and /
eleven miles IN length. At HudsOnville /
a road u built across &. and the road /
is the dividing line or watershed of the
swamp. Ou one side the water supplies /
Rush creek, and on the other Il flows /
% Black river. l. Y. BuUnham and ex- /
SENATOR Van Loo have been acquainted /
with "A. that part OF the country for the 4
past thirty years, and knowing every 4
lncn OF Il they were able 20 give the /
visitors all the Information they could /
ct without a careful survey. Mr.. |
kurnnam a the owner OF 300 acres of l
land IN this valley and made the survey
for the big ditch. He declares that this /
valley WAS once the river bed of Grand /
rlveri that the river formerly flowed
across the country below Grandville 20
tie Jen'sou hats and thence through
tins valley to Macatawa bay. lie has
made soundings through the valley,
and boru.s ia this soil show that the
muck extends to a depth varying from
twenty % ntty feet, and on each side
ar vel defined banks Ut hard clay and
gravel, plainly showing the water
-
ally accounts for the remarkable and |
c0nven ent formation OF the soil for the
required purpose. Mr. Burnham esti-
mates the cost Of cvcavatiug the canal.
e'ghty feet vide and fourteen feet
q ep. from Jen.son % >chouten's
brf-c. no Sl,057 ooo bat could not
MAKE an estimate Of the cost between
Jcn.son and Grand Rapids.
lne idea Of constructing 4 canal in
the present r.ver bed seems mpracti-
caale, because Of the current and the
Ioose nature ot Ine soil, the numerous
kff IS tfesuets ant the drifting zee IN
tuo spr,rg. These are serious and
almost inslrm0uu'aole difficulties. and
would cause serOIs and frequent
damage 20 a canal. North OF Jenn.s0n
aud east of lrrandvil.o isa continuation
ot the valley. which runs toward this
e. ~. nearly parallel WITH the river and
about a half mile east Of L.
slight rse or ground begins
re'r.y opposite the sv.ng bridge, +
art thcn falls away into a fat.
passing to thc vest af the Alabss-ne /
nI.l and between trraDdville-ave. and
tnr Back Hills o. where the new Nc
t0ri IS frat1e.i furniture factory now
stands To- q person passing over the
f@1fe . sppesrs AT easy matter 20
uU.d a canal. The only 3 ficultv az
s.t seems to ne between this city and
Grsudvae. where toe on apparent
elevation occurs. and there the SOL =
coarse grave easily eVravstcd ami Kept
in place. - surur eel and pleased
were che gentlemen af tae purity rltn
the appearance 81 the route shat they
w.l tt once have A survey and "A
estimate made hy competent engineer.
ar1 ( the project = as feasible ss 20
l.o<s the citizens 0f Grand Rapids AMI
Holland nill move heaven and earth
arf perhaps the National Congress.
bur vhat they Rl have sh Q canal.
The people of trrandvtIle Ieu.s0u.
HndsCnvi ae and Iceland Are a enthu-
s'asuc over the plsn, but i6s magnitude
taxes their breath away Ir. Byron
toifrev. Who joined the party AZ hud-
snrVale. thought the right 90 way
0or 3 1o donated al along the route,
and Mr n1ruham vas quite sure oft
81 wrl'i gre the farmers cheap
s-t ernrer r~r transportation 70 mar
3 e .or -he'r products
IHr country through vh'ch the
party iroVa was one ~ the richest and +
n -st rra1afu e Nch gsr. The farms
arfar ~cr. level ara vel managed
a e 1r appearance III tnrtt
f- tne rcrte
hE n-ru tre rartv assembled r
fe sr.frers Store ana trfet
AtnrT chairman. Charles rs.
81 Ire1 presented e, tie ~,-et.nr
e CTS Thanking tre rantle-