The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-01-10

proper drainage of the Kankakee marsh
is the most important project now be-
fore the people of this state. The rock
ledge at Momence has been removed I'M
der the able direction of Mr.. Written,
the water in the marsh lowered about
four feet and hundred thousand acres
of land reclaimed for cultivation. Tho
question now arises as to how to COM
plete the work thus commenced. Three
million acres of as rich land as there
is in the state of Indiana yet lie beneath
the surface of this swamp, the mean
elevation OF which is seventy-five feet
above Lake Michigan, twenty-five miles
away. The water in this swamp is per-
fectly pure, sweet and clear, and even
among the early hunters in the Indiana
forests was noted for its purity. The
highest point of the Kankakee swamp
is at Burns's bridge, twenty-five miles
from Lake Michigan, forty miles from
the heart of the great city Of Chicago
and fifteen miles from the Lake Michi-
gan plain. The only question is how to
get rid Of this water, as it stands at
present useless and an obstruction,
and make it serve the uses which it is
qualified to do A double purpose has
then been served. Three million acres
Of rich and valuable farming land will
have been reclaimed to the state and an
inexhaustible quantity Of pure water
viii have been utilized for domestic pur-
poses and public commerce.
Il have two suggestions TO make, and
in offering them i shall state that they
are the product Of much labor, research
and thought
I'm the first place. I wish to make
what has always been a blot on the map
Of Indiana, a region dry and fertile.
There seems to be no doubt that in the
near future there will be built up con-
tiguous TO South Chicago manufacture
ing region along Lake Michigan I'M
equalled in the world. For the supply
Of this vast congregation and cOnges-
ton Of people and industries a supply
Of pure water is absolutely indiSpensi-
BILE. New York by the utilization of the
CrOton water shed by means Of aqua
ducts, brought water to her people from
a distance Of forty-five miles, and now
has the finest supply in the world. By
a system Of conduitS the ineXhauStible
supply of pure and wholesome water
furnished by the Kankakee can be taken
to Chicago and its future contiguous
manufacturing centers, and the great
question of a perfect water supply to
this city will have been solved, and the
Kankakee marsh made to serve a double
purpose. The expense would be far less
than the cost of the Croton system in
New York.
Another suggestion which I deem of
the utmost Importance: This is the con-
StructiOn of government ship canal
from Lake Michigan to the Gulf Of
MEXICO through the hdnhdhee swamp
to the Tecumseh river by its waters to
the Wabash, then to the Ohio and so
TO the AIississippi-here we have solved
the great question of the commercial
union OF the great lakes and the Gulf
Of Mexico. This canal I would have
cross the Kankakee at Burns's bridge,
the highest point, and then by some
work on the Tecumseh and Wabash
rivers we have the work completed.
The Kankakee marsh would be per-
petual feeder for the summit of the
canal, a question always so troublesome
to solve in all canal projects, the waters
would be utilized in connecting the
traffic centers of the lakes and gulf and
the marsh would be converted into a
vast district comprising one Of the
finest farming sections in the country.
This, of course, should be done by the
government"
The address was warmly applauded and
a committee was appointed to at once
take active steps to bring about the i'm
provements outlined by Prof. Campbell
c. G. H. Goss Of Martinsville told Of
the difficulties which lie in the way Of
a rational system of carrying out public
improvements in a small city; technical
subjects by Wallace Marshall Of La
| fayette. J. F. O'Brien of Cloverdale and
E. B. Vawter of LAFAYETTE.
At the evening session sewers were
the subject under discussion. Papers
were read by Charles c. Brown of In
dianapOlis upon the separate system of
sewers for the smaller cities: by George
NJ. Cheney Of LoganSpOrt upon his eX-
periences in sewer building; by Charles
L. Kinney of Elkhart upon the con-
structiOn of sewers at that place, and
by William Fortune of Indianapolis
upon the question OF good roads.
Reports of the committees, election Of
| officers and the appointment Of the
standing committees will complete the
work of the convention today
The fourteenth annual convention Of
the Indiana engineering society COM
pleted its work and adjourned Thurs
day after a most successful
meeting. The following are the new Of
fcers elected:
President-C. G. H. Goss, Martinsville
SecrCtary-J. r. Brown, Frankfort.
Executive Committee-Presiden sec
rotary and H. B. Fatout, G. L. Kinney
and r. J. Morrison.
The session was devoted entirely to
business, the only matter Of Importance
that came up being a motion by J. T.
O'Brien Of Frankfort to appoint a COM
mittee to prepare a new road law for
presentation to the next legislature. It
was defeated upon the ground that such
an action should be taken by the regu-
larly organized road congress. The con-
Vention then adjourned
II