Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-07-23
OUR CAPITAL LETTER
Canals aud Railroads Advantages
OF the Hennepin Canal to Iowa
and the West Some Facts
About this Proposed Great
Improvement.

hUu tht SoUlt Eatts
About this Proposed Great
Improvement
DIS MONIES, July 20. Special corr
resrondence: A half century ago, or
one century ago, canals played very
important part in the commerce of the
world. Great railroad systems have
to some extent made canals and rivers
Of little valua; still waterways will
ever serve as n check on the greed of
railroad managers. To-day wherever
railroads touch rivors, canals and lakes
the freight charges arc much lower
than under any other circumstances
therefore we find those cities growing
rapidly that are situated where rail
and water connections come in contact
with each other. In tho OLD world
canals are yet in active use, and there
is scarcely river or lake in civilized
Europe that is not connected with
some other river or lake by means Of
canal, through which the ordinary ca
nal boat. and in some instances, great
ships go burdenod with the products of
the soil and the crop. The city OF
Amsterdam owes its present CONNER
cial prosperity to n ship canal 81 miles
long, connecting with the North Sea-
Canal building in the United States be.
gan about u century ago by the con-
struction OF the Erie canal, the first
part Of which was 1863 miles IN length.
The canal has since been doubled In
length, and is probably the longest ca
nal in the world. There are canals in
the United States aggregating 1000
miles and costing about $3.50, 900, 600.
The canals in the state of New York
alone cost fully 800, 900, 600.
The business men Of the city Of Des
Moines, whore there are seventeen
railroads entering, and where the COM
MERGE Of the city, aside from manufac-
turing, amounts to $50, 600, 600 per
year, and where the manufacturing
aggregates $l5, 900, 600 per annum,
and where there ara GO, 600 people
gathered engaged IN the various pur-
suits have been greatly interested In
the development Of the scheme pro
jected more than twenty years ago for
the building of the canal from Hennc-
pin, Illinois, to Davenport, on the Mis-
sissippi, .hus bringing the river and
lake competition in contact with the
railway systems of Iowa in carrying
the millions Of Iowa products to the
sea-board. II has been estimated that
upon completion OF the llennepin ca
nal grain can reach New York during
the greater part OF the year ut six
cents per bushel less than at the pres
ent time. II this should be true the
saving in one year to the farmers Of
Iowa would equal one-third OF the cost
of the canal.
Anticipating that the United States
government would build the sixty
miles OF canal necessary TO connect
lake Michigan with the Mississippi
river, the state OF Illinois, which
owned the Illinois and Michigan canal
in 1882 coded that canal to the United
States, provided the canal should be
extended to connect lake Michigan
with the Mississippi. In 1872 the
state of Illinois had enlarged the Hi
nois and Michigan canal by building n
lock ut Henry costing $40, 900, and an
other ut Coppcras Creek in 1887 cost
ing $4,000. The two locks gave 90
miles of water feet deep. When
this canal system is extended 10 the
Mississippi river, near Davenport, it
will be 200 miles in length, and will
be wide and deep enough for lake YES
cole IN from fhn lnl tn, tho ,.i lya ~
with their cargoes. Such canal
would necessarily nave TO be at least
20 feet deep and 175 feet wido. Tho
proposed extension from Hcnnepin to
the Mississippi will meet with many
difficulties in the way Of engineering
along the way. One difficulty would
be the crossing Of Rock river, where
dams and locks will be necessary. ms
il is proposed that the new canal use
The bed Of Rock river a short dis
lance. Trouble has also been
experienced in finding n way
to get into the Mississippi after reach
ing il, on account Of the difference in
level between the Rock river and the
Mississippi. All these difficulties engi-
neers of the Hennepin enterprise claim
now TO have surmounted The last
congress appropriated $500, 600 to be-
gin the canal, and the government en-
gineers have been at work on the en-
terprise, and some attempt has been
made to purchase the right of way.
However, it has been suddenly discov-
cred that the land lying around the
canal has become OF unusual value, and
condemnation proceedings will have 10
be resorted to to secure the right OF
way. The canal, as surveyed now,
will pass through small lake, and
thus save several miles of dredging,
there being nothing necessary except to
elevate the banks OF the lake and use it
as part OF the canal. According TO
the present plans it is estimated that
when the Mississippi reaches its ex-
IRENE high water mark, which il does
three or four times in century, the
middle lock OF the canal will be
opened, and none but the guard lock
at the beginning OF the canal will be
necessary. IL this canal should be built
at cost OF several millions to the
government, although il shall be loca-
ted entirely within the state of Illinois,
it will be OF untold value to cities like
Des Moines which have many railroads
running TO the Mississippi where ele-
vators can be erected, and the grains
and the commerce Of Iowa be trans
ferred to vessels leading direct to tho
ocean.
The canal will also serve to immor-
talize the name OF Louis Hennepin, n
Franciscan missionary and explorer
OF the Mississippi and an associate OF
La Sale. In 1880 Hennepin rowed in
a canoe down the Illinois river 10 its
mouth. He Also discovered and named
the falls OF st. Anthony, and wrote a
book concerning the discoveries of La
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