The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-08-16
From Our Chicago Correspondent
ChicagO's Ship Canal and Drainage,

From Our Chicago Correspondent.
ChicagO's Ship Canal and Drainage.
Perhaps the greatest work now in progress
in the United States, and second only to
that of the Nicaragua canal on this hemi-
sphere, is the construction of the ship canal
which is to connect the upper lakes with
the Mississippi river at this point. This
scheme, which has been in contemplation
for many years, has finally materiaized.
The work is no less than that of building a
canal of sufficient size to float the largest
river vessels from the Mississippi into the
waters of Lake Michigan, up the Illinois
river to Joliet, and thence through the
canal, about forty miles in length, to the
lakes, at a cost of about 1913 600, 900.
AT the same time the canal is to be made
to answer another and more important i'm
mediate purpose-of drainage. Chicago is
city about sixty years Of age-a small trad
ing post at first, but now containing about
million and quarter of people. The
nucleus of Chicago was the river, or creek
which empties into the lake, a small, slug
gisb affair, into which the Indian canoe and
other vessels might sail and find a harbor
long before government breakwaters were
built
The Chicago river has trunk and two
branches, something after the fashion of the
letter Y, the main stem extending about
half a mile from the lake and then diverg-
ing in two branches, one to the northwest
and the other to the southwest, the shore of
the lake being substantially north and south.
These sections, so divided by the river, are
known as the north, south and west sides,
the north comprising all that territory be-
tween the lake, stem and north fork of the
river, the west that portion west of both
forks, and the south the other ter
ritory on the south of the trunk and be-
tween the lake and the south branch. By
constant annexations, from a single town.
lIt N 1a linn utnnG of tha .nftx L.
to be about twenty five miles along the lake
and extending about nine miles back-about
the size of the average of six Vermont towns.
of six miles square each.
The business portion of the city, as it is
understood, is on the south side" where
are situated the post-offce. custom house,
banks, insurance offices, the principal com
mercial or mercantile houses, ETC.. and on
the territory comprised in a half mile
square, of the "apex," the greatest wealth
of the city is concentrated. Here the Ma
sonic temple is located, the highest business
building in the world, twenty-One stories
high, and other sky.scrapers."
BY constant dredging and engagements,
Chicago river has been appropriated for YES
sci and commercial purposes rather than the
lake front. Along the river in every direc-
ton is to be found the densest population,
and the worst, while along the lake shore
are to be found the best residences The
city is severed into the river generally, and
the waters from one end to the other have
become mass of filth such as only large
city can produce. From a lazy, pure
watered creek, the river had become moth
ing short of huge sewer emptying its filth
into the lake.
The city pumps and water works are
located on the north side and at some dis
lance from the mouth of the river, but soon
after the war it was found necessary to go
| farther away into the lake for water, when
| q wv mill IN na1 W. ntaH 10
was supposed to be sufficient for all time,
but the growth of the city within twenty
| years admonished the people that this was
| not enough. Plans were matured to extend
| another eight-foot tunnel two miles further
| into the lake, four miles, which was CON-
pleted last winter No matter what the
| difficulties have been, they have been sur
mounted in every instance and Chicago's
water, so far, has ranked among the very
| best.
AS further means of protection it was
deemed advisable to relieve the lake of the
immense pressure of sewage made upon it,
and in 1884 pumping establishment was
set in operation at point on the south
| branch of the river called Bridgeport
about six miles from the mouth of the river
to throw volume of water into the old
Illinois and Michigan canal there, and SO
establish flow down the tributaries of the
Mississippi into that river
The earth-bed of rock out from Bridge
port is but two feet higher than Lake
| Michigan, so that the pumps are obliged TO
| lift the water from the river only four feet
| to secure a lively current. Four rotary
pumps are constantly at work twenty-four
| hours of every day, whose united capacity
is $1,000 cubic feet per minute. The Des-
PLANES river, or creek, which has its source
TO the northwest, swings around to point
near Bridgeport and then turns TO the
southwest, emptying into the Illinois at
Joliet. 1t is along this valley " that the
ship and drainage canal is being con.
structed, and at present there are 2,50C
men at work upon it. The decline from
Lake Michigan to Joliet is about seventy.
five feet but much of the way is of solid
rock, and, as the average depth of the canal
is to be thirty-fve feet, and its width at the
bottom about 200 feet the great expense OF
the waterway will be appreciated. The
average depth of the water in the canal is tC
be twenty-five feet, and the drainage ca
pacity 600 900 cubic feet per minute. 1t il
estimated that the canal will be completed
for use within four years.
The future of Chicago no man can predict
the city has already outrun all predictions.
The prairies are wide and people keep on
covering them with buildings. While the
pumping station at Bridgeport succeeds in
some measure in turning the river current
that way, at times it is too feeble to copt
with the necessities of the case. Ordinarily
the filth of the river is At standstill, anC
after every rain the pollution is lakeward
With the four.mile lake tunnel all is wei
at present, but with the great drainage ant
ship canal completed no approximations neeC
be felt for the future. And Chicago expects
to balance the expense account with in
creased commercial facilities and trade.
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