Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-22
AT THE EAST END.
Work on the Hennepin Canal
Being Rapidly Pushed.
CONTRACTS FOR FOUR MORE NILES.

All Is Ready for Giving II . Grand Start
Thousands Of Men to be Given Employ
ment-General Rejoicing ut Princeton
Importance OF the Great waterway
Again Set Forth.
The Chicago Inter Ocean has the
following from Princeton today,
showing that work at the east end of
the Hennepin canal is to rapidly fol-
low the completion of operations at
the west end:
The Illinois and Mississippi canal.
commonly known as the Hennepin
canal, was brought into prominence
here today by the commencement of
work on the east end. This MORN
ing $50 men were put to work clear
in the trees and underground from
the right of way, and in less than
three weeks over 1000 will be at
work constructing the bitches and in
making ready for the locks. The
men are being taken from the ranks
OF the unemployed in this district,
and will be given steady employ
ment. This canal, which, with the
Chicago drainage canal and Illinois
river. is to form an important water
way connecting the northwestern
states with the Chicago grain market,
will now be pushed with as much
speed as the present and future ap-
preparations of congress will allow.
The route at the east end for dis
lance Of 35 miles has been definitely
settled upon. Twelve miles of this
distance has been condemned by the
United States district court, and
eight miles has been paid for and
possession secured. Additional tracts
are now being condemned as fast as
the machinery OF the court can oper-
ate.
Contracts to he Let M onday.
Next Monday the contracts for the
first four miles will be let, with the
provision that active work be COM
menced by the contractors within 10
days. The excavations will then be
commenced along the entire four
miles, under the supervision of 20
government employees. The con-
tracts will be let for each mile and
each lock separately.
The east end of the canal will con-
tain % locks and the west end Il
locks. The last lock on the west end
will be at point about one mile
west of Wyanet or about u miles
from the Illinois river. At that
point the summit level is reached.
being the level that will be MAIN
tanned across the prairie until the
descent to the Mississippi is reached.
The Illinois river at the intersection
Of canal is 100 feet lower than the
point on the Mississippi river where
| the canal terminates, For this rea-
| son about twice as many locks are
required on the east end as on the
| west end. The canal opens into the
Illinois river directly opposite
Spring lake, in Bureau county, and
running west parallels the tracks of
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
railroad for considerable distance.
After passing the towns Of Tiskilwa,
Pond Greek and Wyanet the canal
leaves the railroad for the remainder
Of the way and goes through the
prairie at a distance of from two to
four miles from the Rock Island rail-
road.
Rock River Will be tapped.
| The summit stretch of the canal
will be supplied with water by a
feeder that will leave the main canal
north of Wyanet and tap Rock river
at a point near Dixon. The feeder
will be of the same width and depth
as the main canal. and will be used
as commercial channel as well as a
water supply. The locks of the east
end will be supplied by feeder
from Bureau river.
| The contracts to be let by the gov
eminent provide that if the work is
done by other than animal power a
deduction Of cent cubic yard will
be made. This deduction is made as
the government engineers consider
the trampling of horses and men
over the ground is worth that much
in the way of packing the embank-
ment.
| The commencement of work here
today was an occasion for general re-
ioicing on the part of the people of
this entire vicinity, and persons
from all directions turned out to see
work started. They are pleased not
only on account of the large mum Der
Of men that are and will be en-
ployed in the work, but also because
they consider that when completed
the canal will be the means of ma
terially reducing freight rates be-
tween eastern and western points.