Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-10-24
FIRST FIVE MILES.
The. Portion Of the Canal that
is Completed.
SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS

SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS.
Tho Hlstory Of the Great Commercial Pro-
ject and OF What Has Been Done In the
Vicinity Of Milan and Beyond-Bridge
Erection - when the water WIN he
Turned In.
| MILAN, Oct. 2i.-The first five
miles of the Illinois and Mississippi
canal at Milan are complete. The
first survey for this canal was made
in 1870, and later on a survey was
made in 1890. together with bill
passed in 1855, chose the present
route. The question of choosing the
best location for this canal was one
OF no little interest and took quite
while to decide. The value of this
canal for shipping purposes cannot
be disputed, as lit EXISTS mainly in
the shortness offhe route. The pres
emit water roud from Chicago to
Rock Island is 6p7 miles, and by way
OF the canal only 1873. meaning a saw
ing of 419 mile4 The first dirt was
thrown in AuguFt, 1892, by a delega-
ton of citizenS from the tri-cities,
who assembled Rock river on
steamer and he a celebration at Big
island. The spkde with which the
first dirt was th Fown was plated with
silver and lettef led with gold, having
the name oil the canal COM
mittee, date, letc., of the Gel
ebration on It. The spade is
now at the Smt thsonian institute at
Washington as national relic. The
first actual worE was begun in July
1892, at lock 81. The Illinois and
Mississippi canal contains SO locks,
six aqueducts, B culverts, five dams,
81 highway bridges, eight railroad
bridges and APO feet of wiers, spill
aways, etc. Nj Ian secured large
share of the canal, having two dams,
one culvert, oneshighway bridge, one
railroad bridge $nd about four-and-a-
half miles of e$rthwork. The two
dams above Mil hn are known as the
North and South dams and have the
following dimensions: The South
dam is is 762 feet long. 20 feet wide
and six feet high and the North dam
is 59S feet long, 20 feet wide and six
feet high. the tw dams costing $25.-
900. The culvert mentioned is at the
Guard lock, bei4g used to prevent
the water FRONT backing over the
farms which would be the result if
the drain water bf the farms would
be allowed to enter the canal. The
water is conveyed under the lock by
this culvert into the river, the size
being 2O2 feet ldng, inside width 10
feet, side walls tOur-and-a-half feet
high, height to thu rim of the arch six
Observation-Disclosures. The highway
bridge and RAILROAD bridge are Pratt
truss bridges andEhave the following
dimensions: Thd highway bridge is
126 feet long, 81 feet wide and IA feet
high, and the railway. bridge is $50
feet long, 49, feet wide and "a feet
high, the cost of bth being $25, 200.
The three locks aIe numbered Sc, 81
and Guard lock. Lock SO is 40 feet
long between thu quoins, 16 feet
high, IS feet widel lift six feet, cost
of masonry being k19.404. Lock 81
is 40 feet long between the quoins,
height of walls "A feet high. lift IL
feet, width IS feet;l cost of masonry,
$3.50 Guard loSk is 40 feet be-
tween the quoins, 81 feet wide, height
of walls 16 feet. lif9 six feet; cost of
masonry, $31.SS7. tAbout sixty feet
east of lock Sc ares abutments for a
pontoon bridge to connect the farm
of Albert Hansen, the canal separat-
ing the farm into two parts. The
abutments measure as follows: The
main walls as well as the wing walls
have top width of two feet, height
of walls 10 feet on a Foundation one
and-two-thirds feet thick and contain
1872 cubic yards of sconcrete. The
contract for residences at the locks
were let to Lindsay & Phelps, OF
Davenport, for 81, 4OW each house to
be a 2-story frame. eight rooms, eel
lar and all conveniences of a modern
house. The constructor of the first,
second and third mile1 of earthwork.
locks SO and 81 and I'll bridges was
under the supervision kf A. o. Rouse.
From the survey of ~ up to actual
work in '92 was all in Charge of l.. l..
Wheeler as resident engineer. The
fourth and fifth miles WE'RE in charge
of j. w. Woermann. The contract
for excavating lock 81 Jas let to A.
j. Whitney, lock Sc I'd John Kill
leen and the Guard lick to Da-
vid Sears. Three miles of earth
work were completed by d. Lynch.
The two concrete abukments on
Carr's island for the dam p, contain
254 cubic yards of concrete, and cost
50, 1926. The concrete worn on the
Taintor gates, at Mill creef, consists
of three piers 80 feet longt and six
feet wide, and two abutm(nts four
feet wide on top. and 80 4 Get long
with additional wing wallsl IA feet