The morning call., 1894-04-12
AROUND THE CORRIDORS,

A. II. Curtiss OF Chicago, gentleman who Is
connected with the work Of cutting the big ca
nal which the city mentioned has undertaken
Ia the valley OF DespIanes River, Is in the
city. The object of this work is to once more
turn the waters OF Lake Michigan toward the
Mississippi River, and Mr.. Curtiss says this will
be accomplished within three years, and when
completed 1t viii afford all the Great Lakes
citis direct communication with the Gulf OF
Mexico by means of an internal waterway,
"Tbe canal begins at Bridgeport, which is six
miles from the double-beaded lagoon which Is
called lbe Chicago River" said Mr.. Curtiss YES
terday, "aDd from that point to Joliet, where
the canal will end, IL is thirty.three miles, For
probably one-thrd Of this distance the canal
Will run through rock which Is covered by but
few feet OF dirt. Through the rock the canal
Will be 1e0 feet wide with almost perpendicular
sides, while where the excavations are through
clay the canal will be 202 feet wide at the bot.
tom and 200 feet wide at the water level. AL.
though the big ditch Is called a sanitary canal
It's purposes are not fully expressed In that
term. 1t Is In effect furtherance OF the plans
for an internal waterway from the Atlantic to
the Mississippi which gave rise to the construc-
ton OF the Erie canal. Some Idea OF the enor-
nous work entailed may be gained by the est.
mate that the total excavation will be IL. 600
600 cubic yards Of rock and 30, 600, 900 cubic
yards OF dirt and glacial deposit. which will
more than grade the longest railroad petwee n
Chicago and San Francisco, and The rock alone
would ballast $4,000 miles of railroad track.
For blasting purposes 100000 pounds, or
5000 IONS, OF dynamite will be required, and
each blast will consist OF 900 pounds of dypa-
mite, which, fl is expected. will move about 800
cubic yards of material. During the coming
summer from six TO eight tons OF dynamite will
b. used each day. The law under which the
Improvement is being made authorizes an ex-
penditure of $4,000. coo, but 1t is estimated
now that the work will be accomplished for a
sum considerably less than that amount. In
few weeks at least 10000 men VIII be placed
at task which, considering Its enormous ex.
tent, has attracted bul little attention"
Nothing so quickly attracts the attention of
visitor In strange city as wellkept Streets
said W. s. Carter OF Boston yesterday, "and of
all the large centers OF population which have
visited Berlin, think, stands we'll 10 the front.
IL Is fast becoming a city OF asphalt, and you
can drop your handkerchief almost anywhere
and pick it up without soIling 1t. The city
takes care OF Its own sewers. and II has a mum.
ber Of farms on its outskirts over which the
street sweepings are scattered by the paupers
OF the city. The sewerage Is pumped oul OF the
sewers on TO the farms, and through this the
land has become the m0sl fertile in Germany.
large part OF the cleaning OF the streets is
done by boys who get something like 25 cents
a day and who are at work on every block
gathering up the dirt as 1t falls. and on wet
day scrubbing on the streets with rubber
brooms and a sort of rubber hose, These boys