The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-30
HOOSIER SHIP CANAL
PROF. CAMPBELL, OF WABASH COL
LEGE, HAS AN EMBRYO SCHEME.
Loading Wheat ON Ocean Steamers
I'm yfgo County = First Railroad
Wreck I'm Indiana.

A tall slender man, With keen blue eyes
and a stubby gray beard. lounged about the
corridors of the Denison Hotel Christmas
morning. He was Prof. John L. Campbell.
Of Wabash College Professor Campbell for
years has been interested in the geodetic
survey OF Indiana He conceived the plan
OF removing the Momence rock from the
Kankakee river. and successfully accom-
plshed the task He is familiar with every
curve Of the Kankakee channel. and knows
every foot of the marsh land lying in the
northern part OF the State. Four or five
years ago the Professor startled his friends
by proposition to furnish the city of Chi
cago with water from the Kankakee river,
but the scheme is yet in embryo. Prof.
Campbell Is now nursing the hobby of a
ship canal through Indiana He believes it
is only a question OF few years when
ocean steamers will be plying between the
seaboard and the great lakes. and expects
to witness the sight OF an ocean schooner
blowing Its way through the Hoosier State.
''The demand for a ship canal through
Indiana grows greater every day." said the
Professor. "Other States are agitating the
question. and Ohio is preparing to get
appropriation through Congress for the
purpose. I have talked to Governor Mat
thews about 1t, and he is highly in favor
of the plan. 1 think that ship canal
through Indiana should follow the course
OF the old Erie canal. which touched Hunt
ington on the north and Vincennes the
south. There is no reason why the Indiana
farmer should not load his grain on board
figured that ship canal through the State
would save the farmer cents bushel on
Years canal Will be f bn 1a the AtaS
tic ocean west to the lakes, and Indiana
might as well get the benefit Of it. OF
to get the movement through. and it would
have to be done by Congress"
Professor CampbelPs plan to furnish Kan
kakee water to the Chicago people is a
novel one. He says that lire of pipe could
be run from Baum's bridge in Porter coun-
~ to Chicago, distance of about sixty
miles He thinks that the Kankakae and
its tributaries could furnish the city with
an ample supply of pure water.
The recurrence of the holidays recalls to
many Of the old inhabitants the first seri-
Gus railroad wreck that occurred anywhere
In Indiana. 1t happened about two miles
south of this city on the day before Christ
mas, 1853, only few years after the road
was completed from Madison to this city
The bridge gang was at work about thirty
miles south, and the foreman desired to
come TO indianapolis Ito secure money for
the pay roll, so as to allow the men to buy
whatever they wanted for Christmas He
started on a freight train, and was riding
In the cab with the fireman and engineer.
The season had been rainy one, but on
the day before Christmas 1t was just such
day. 1t is said, as last Monday. There
were faint traces of snow in the air and
the streams We're running high. Early in
the morning the town was shocked to hear
mat the train lad gone down in a creek
The tram was running at full speed and
the engine ran so far over the bridge that
when 1T fell the engine stood up against the
pank Seven cars piled top of it, The
bridge carpenter and the engineer and fire.
man We're all killed. The engineers body
was never found. and 1t was afterward sup
posed that. having had costly gold watch
on MS person. some thief had found the
pody before the crowd arrived and. after
hide the crime. The bodies of the other two
men were recovered from the stream after
several days The cause OF the accident
bridge by the flood. A farmer who lived
near by afterward reported that he knew
mat the bridge supports had given away.
out as he had later seen employees of the
railroad crossing the bridge. he thought the
CONDITION OF the structure was known to the
road officers. The occurrence made a deem
impression upon the people of the capitai'
and Christmas was much saddened.
said an old inhabitant of Indiana 1.-The
locomotives of fifty years ago were much
smaller than now. AMI cost from 1900 to
$4,000. Nov they cost about 5000, but they
are several times more powerful. The coal
cars OF to-day carry thirty tons. The cars
OF that period carried only seven and a half
tons. and nine tons overloaded car. The
journals OF that period were two and a half
inches long and one and three-quarters i'm
diameter Now they eight and one
nalf inches long and four and quarter
inches In diameter. There were no eleva-
tors In those days, and the wheat and flour
were shipped in barrels. Wheat would be
shipped East in barrels and the same pack
ages used in shipping the flour back to this
country. This made the cooperage business
good The millers bought the barrels with
the wheat for the purpose of packing the
hour N them. / have known trains to wait
Tor woman 10 change her dress but that
Is not the way things are done now"
In the Free Kindergarten School for col
ored children in this city is a cute, wee tot
who frequently surprises his teachers by
asking the oldest kinds Of questions One of
the teachers is a young lady. petite
Dlonue. with delicate, pale face. Recently
the little chap stood before her. WONDERING
". After studying her countenance, he sud
denly asked:
Miss -. did God mix you with milk?''