The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1895-06-27
THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 1895
THE ERA OF CANALS.

While the eyes of the civilized world
are turned toward the little strip of sand
that connects the Danish peninsula with
the continent and the big ditch therein
dug to protect and advance German
commercial interests, it will be we'll for
US to look at one of the most important
engineering projects in the worlds his
tory, now rapidly approaching compile
ton in our own land. Twenty four mill
lion dollars are expended, or contracted
for, and before 1896 will have past, the
''old order" will have returDed-or
more properly, geologically speaking,
one of the old ordeIs-and the waters of
the great lake system of our continent
will resume their ancient outflow
through the Illinois river and through
the Mississippi into the gulf. This
ancient outflow was before the ice of the
glacial era had melted from the east
end of the lakes, setting free the open
ing toward the Atlantic. This present
work was primarily undertaken as a
sanitary measure, to dispose of the sew
age of Chicago. but the requisite
size of the canal, before legislative con-
sent could be obtained, WAS to be of suf-
fcient capacity to carry ten thousand
cubic feet of water per second, and pro-
vide at the same time for deep water
navigation. No where does the surface
of the land rise more than eight feet
above the lake level. The possibility of
this construction is secured by one of
the most marvellous adjustments in the
world.
The great glacialist, George Frederick
Wright, says: "The thiee great lakes,
Erie, Huron and Michigan. are practic-
ally on the same level, $50 feet above
the sea, though Lake Erie is seven or
eight feet lower. The basin of these
lakes may be compared to a great
saucer about 500 miles in diameter from
rim to rim, with three nicks on differ
ent sides, through any one of which
drainage may be directed by very slight
changes of level If the region about
Chicago were to settle fifty feet, the
drainage would all be diverted to the
Mississippi. Lake Erie would be its
tributary. and Niagara would be dry
bed. The leYel of the rock rim at the
bead of the Niagara river is only thirty
feet below that separating Lake Michi-
gan from the Mississippi basin at Chi
cago." The amount of water to be dis
charged will raise the level of the Mis-
sissippi at st. Louis one foot, and
provide free navigation without locks
for the lower 200 miles of the Illinois.
Major Ruffner's estimates are that the
future probable engagements may re-
quire as much as 15 or 20 per cent oi
the water now flowing over Niagara.
Our own government has just expended
$4,000, 900 to deepen the channel in the
lakes two feet. 1t is not strange then
that the government has just appointed
three com missioners, of whom Major
Ruffner is one, to determine the facts
and proper remedies, while the Domin-
ion of Canada has appointed similar
commission to protect their own inter
ests.
In old times the phraseology used tc
be "Oregon or the states,'' and We
might be pardoned if we took scanty
interest in the goings on in ''the states .
Now happily, thanks to the iron bands
we are one of them, and what benefits
one is a gain to Us all. More especially
do we on this coast derive great benefit
in the wonderfully increased mechanical
appliances developed by this great work
and which will render more certain and
easy the ful6llmentn1f our own great
hope, the completion the Nicaraguar
ship canal in the near future. No feai
there of lowering either Atlantic or Pa.
eific to anybody's detriment.