Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-06-22
GAGo'S GREAT DITCH


following interesting article is
Chlcag0 special corresnondent
oe 81 Louis Globe Demoerat-
rafe q aoa0oo cubic feet a minnie
nsanage vim b carried southward
I'LL That 10 TIE measure OF interest
49, S Aus h.s In the big ditch being cut
Lain Mich1kan and the Missis.ir,i
a0w OF 01.ooo cubic feet a minute
- eOodsized water course. n viii
CAleaRo river I'VE times in twenty-sour
eed e.,ow Is 20 an as often with clean
M the lake Il II equal TO one-sixth
whole volume OF the Mississippi AZ ST..
enen the river Ia at low stage Through
roSk part Of the big ditch this eooooo
1919 soct minute win make body OF water
"a and Nicaragua canals are ali smaller ,ban
appears that the ditch is like so
.ay other Chicago projects. the biggest ever
HnAerfaken-
8pcu& Twothirds OF the whole distance IL
oer contract E5pt for labor troubles based
@ anffpathy to black help and on a hone of
0esnins better than Is cents an hour there
0aao De Z5W men delving IN the ditch to-day
Nn1sracts let call for the completion in three
years from this time The ditch NAV not he
SoSareay ready for the water in the spring of
~ but not much later than that Lake Michi-
9zn 1an be what it once was. a tributary of the
Afisstssippl
1he man who win be made famous IL the
9ene9e fulhiis the expectations based upon #.
u L. e Cooley He Is the father Of it. With
.experience Of years on the Improvement of
80 Illinois. the Missouri and the Mississippi
Ii Cooley came to Chicago in 1884 and showed
% Paper how this nat city at the forks of
sek1A bayou could solve the vital question
81 drainage and by the same act secure q ship
-0uGaee 70 the gulf Of Mexico. Only Mr. Cooley
-ooosnt put IL In that way. In his comprehen-
80 md the commercial purpose is the main
90 me drainage Of tho whole city Of Chi
49, Is merely an incident assured. He speaks
q sae work as ship canal. not a drainage
what win this eoo.oW cubic fee. minute
.to the river at St Louis.'' Mr.. Cooley was
lt win add about 81 Per cent. to the nominal
Aow-Waser dow." he said: "I was in ST. Louis
Ax yeAEs under Cen Suter when he had charge
. the government work ON that part Of the
easoc From my knowledge gained then. e.
e1.4e this Lake Michigan contribution will
E1ene the river about foot or foot and 2 I0ths
- 6W water At Grafton the increase will be
n4 foek ,oBelow Cairo the addition will be
1ro9 6 TO inches But while that much water
ytA be added. the good effect on navigation
I'm be greater. More win be gained by scour-
GsG the bottom than by raising the surface.
a deeper channel than that much additional
Wazer represents win be gained"
8teAmb0afmen have long claimed that a foot
80 OG Il the Illinois river gives double that
Increase In channel depth below. while a foot
Efss Of tie Missouri viii reduce rather than in
crease channel depth. This is because the Hi
na8 Increase is clear water with great SCOUT
1AG power. while the Missouri water Is loaded
W1A silt which deposits Mr.. Cooley spoke of
1is I'm support of his theory that the % per
eEak added to the volume of water at St
LsNks when the river is low. Is only about half
WA1k viii be gained in channel depth
3 that viii be the effect on high water
-8 asked
AZ times OF food" was the reply this flow
-HrR the lake win add about IL per cent 10
.eAe volume. In the case of high water. like
-G1nk of 81. say, doubt il the addition would
-o9nt to An inch As matter of fact how
O~. take this view Any addition low
W1nr yin 50 improve the channel to more
-0na compensate Tor the addition This i'm
ogement will enable the channel to carry the
-AfsA water ON a lower plane The more nearly
- md low water planes approach the more
< from floods In the Mississippi with the addi-
- a this steady fiow from the lake
<n<c.zo builds the ditch from her river to the
MDnufs at Joliet She has established n taxing
<Gxlct including the whole OF the city south OF
eighth street and strip outside of the
"a che west
~ law under which this work is under
-" said George E. Dawson. the principal
-11nn4 attorney. authorizes a mills tax
- resent valuations this yields s1.s0.ooO q
-s1aas6e& is authorized to make special issue Of
49, We have sold 100000 Of per cent
49, at premiCm- The income from the tax
- eruw rs valuations increase Under the
- - interest and principal are to be paid on
W1nAln twenty years The total cost is
-auDceed to fall within SS00.0O- There
- - nc charge for tolls on the canal
- TIE act provinces for an income
- 6pcAsL Dock privileges along the Chicago
H1vR are very valuable They valuable
- G>ay seldom change hands The sanitary
<f1e - it Is called. elects nine commission
0ning body We have already paid out for
49, q way about $1.50o.0Oo. We have con-
$3.50 loo acres and secured strip from
$50 i0o0 feet wide on the - miles of the
xsuao eesow Summit From summit in to the
49, - ordinance authorizes US % acquire n
- lcet wide- On that part of the route
1911 have to deal on n basis of city lots,
80 - rixht OF way will be more expensive.
- nnA below Summit we acquired at from
&~ne&5 aa acre We had to buy out three
<S-a fes pSnnss at $4,000. sll00O0 and s1eD 900:
-5-@ : stcne company $4,000 That swelled
= 50 q right of way considerably"
- vork begins to make good deal OF
SoDn after leaving Joliet. coming north
-, - chicago Alton. the traveller sees great
z@--u1sau and ridges of freshly broken lime
-S- Ms Is the spoil" The canal is let in
of about n mile. The lower part is al
|z:=1S z1farely in rock. There is about foot of
IA then comes limestone The cut is
- tide. and in SUCH y place 'tF'ftz-
$ Mound the bottom is rs feet below
In other sections the depth is B
A average depth Of much Of the work
- aafcet. The bottom OF the canal viii be
ne2Dw the water level Of the lake
nnished the canal wih be a thing OF
TAcro arc only four curves in the
nA5rxy miles. Thereare straight reaches
and ten miles. While the width Is 100
ene rOck with perpendicular sides. In
- purtioAs il win be s10 feet wide at the
"A 80 feet wide ut the surface of the
ma current flowing southwark viii be
Snnd . quarter in the clay sections. and
N hoQr in the rock. From the edge
- uSdcs tn contractors are required to
- clean space Of 50 feet. Beyond that
- up the sspoir' mountain high Each
- has his own idea about the cheapest
S1 % get the material out of the cut
ehe dump Some run trains
in1Srrs I'm and out, moving the track rs the
lnSclr sections and raise the material in
SnSkeAs, which are run out on either side
-ue5ed Stin others use the cantiiever q
=S-.. frcm the end of which the mass is
- swung around and dropped There
S>-sscsus coutrivance which chisels a slit in
- n inch wide and Il feet deep. Com
-SH air drills prepare the way for giant
5z@5- m various ways the excavation is car
ne future use OF this great mass of
sock Is . yet unsettled problem. One
..-- -rouositions is to carry il to the CITY
-=S;r. me Lake Front park.
.sS1.er uoins to DO determined is how to get
- cubic feet of water n minute into
<-~a "A q present planned the ditch
- 18th branch Of the Chicago river
ns,