Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-04-11
CURIOUS LOGIC.
\ Newspaper Correspondent
Queer ldeas as to the Canal.
Favorable News Concerning the Hen.
nepin mise onstrued by the chicago
Tribunes Washington Representa-
tive.

There is big surprise in store for the
waterway aad drainage people. The
iiehneplners nave stolen a march on
them. The river and harbor committee.
OF which Gen. 7. j. Henderson is chair.
man. today voted to include the Henne
PIN canal in the river and harbor bill and
TO appropriate $500,000 for beginning
The work. There were only two votes in
the committee against this half million as
a starter. The Hennepin forces have not
oeen strong this session because the ma
Jorlty OF Illinois congressman looked up
on the waterway as likely to take its
place. The fact that Gen Henderson is
chairman of the committee, however,
gees long Way towards accounting for
the favorable action taken. The friends
OF the drainage and waterway project
have not been in position to 90 before
committee and ask that anything be put
IN this years river and harbor bill. By
common consent it has been thought de.
slraole to await the decision on the coh>
stltuhonahty of the drainage law and the
operations of the. drainage commission
before asking anything from the general
government in the line of national
waterway. Al that the supporters of
The waterway asked was that the
Hennepin should not be pressed But
The supporters of the canal. with the
scars of many congressional battles upon
them, didn't propose to wait and be
ditched. and the result is now apparent.
When the river and harbor bill comes up
In the house the Hennepin provision will
be attacked or two points bv members
who opposed the scheme in past years.
They will raise the point of order that
the proposed appropriation has no place
in river and hsrbor bill, as the subject
properly belongs to the railway and canal
committee. II this is overruled they will
fight the scheme on its merits The Illi-
nois members will be placed in an en-
barrassing posi- ion. A majority of them
are of the opinion that Hennepin should
give way for the present TO the water
project. but having heretofore supported
the canal enterprise it won't be pleasant
for them to vote against it. Neverthe>
less, the line will have to be drawn. An
appropriation of half million to start
Hennepin meaDs there won't be any ma
tionsl waterway this generation.
1t is a curious fact that the committee
had before it Capt Msrsha,l's report on
the waterway, which was sent TO con-
gress a month ago, but did not have the
report on the Hennepin surveys. The
latter report reached the house from the
secretary of war todsy, after the river
and harbor committee had agreed on the
half million starter for Hennepin. It's
light was thereio ore not gotten from Off
cial documents. Capt. Marshall saws the
adopted line over the route approved by
the secretary o. war in 1888 is from the
Illinois river about one and a quarter
| miles above the town of Hennepin, at the
great bend of the Illinois riverr, thence
via Bureau Creek Valley, Penney's
Slough, and Rock river to the Mississippi
| river at the mouth of Rock river. with a
feeder to Rock river near Dixon. Ill.
From the Illinois river to the feeder Juno
| ton the route is nearly identical with the
main line located in 1882. The first
| deviation is in the crossing of the main
| inc of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
| from the third 10 the seventh mile. Sec
| ond, the STRENGTHENING of the line at the
end of the thirteenth miles. across a large
| bend in Bureau Creek.
| Detailed plans of all work necessary to
establish navigation over the route will
he completed in a few days, and the full
estimates will be completed and submits
| ted within six weeks. 1t is practicable
at present to submit only partial esti.
mate of the~cOst of the work, any by
comparison with former estimates give q
general conclusion. The estimates of
cost in 1885 made total of 81, 95l, SIT
for locks, culverts, wears, .aqueducts
right of way. and fencing. The present
estimates for the same thing foot up
2.7l5,05S.
AS to the feeder line, the estimate in
1882 was $1,664,1l7 The present esti-
mate is 81, 759 PA For the entire work
the detailed estimates will not vary from
these preliminary estimates more than
S105 600.
The news is exceedingly gratifying as far
as it pertains to The committees action,
but 'he correspondent has probably put
his foot in it in his efforts TO create an,
tagnnism to a measure of national i'm
portance, by the champions CT the ditch
for the draining of Chicago. which is OF
purely local interest. There should
really be no rivalry between these two
projects. and it is to be hoped that the
ideas of the Tribune correspondent are
no criterion to the general sentiment il
Chicago, which should favor the Hen
nepin canal, if it expects in return
to receive the cooperation of the
friends of the great project in securing
the success of its scheme, which i. such
as will not be apt to enlist the enthus
iastic support OF any other than those di
rectly affected