The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-06
CHICAGO'S CANAL.
Work ON the Big Drainage Channel
Almost Complete.

Almost complete.
CHICAGO, Nov 5.-Nearly IS per
cent of the work of excavation for the
great Chicago drainage canal is COM
plete, and within a year, probably, the
sluggish waters Of the Chicago river
will be quickened as they seek an out
let toward the Mississippi river and the
Gulf of Mexico.
The digging Of this canal has been
tremendous undertaking, and Chief En-
gineer Randolph says the rock and dirt
removed from the channel would fill a
train of freight cars which would girdle
the earth at the equator.
| The channel is being built under a
sanitary law passed by the Illinois leg
islature in 1889. The work is under
| control Of a board Of trustees, elected
by the people Of Chicago. They are
| authorized to levy and collect taxes for
the work to the extent Of 111 per cent
of the value Of the taxable property
within the sanitary district. This dis
trict includes a part of Chicago and
forty-three square miles Of Cock coun-
ty, and the assessed value of the prop
erty is $24O, 00O, 900, which is about one
tenth Of its real value. The district
has issued $12,800 900 Of bonds, Of which
So, 900 are at and the remainder at
Az per cent. The taxes will pay off
these bonds in twenty years.
On the LIST of May, 1896, when the last
amounted to 21,654,O64 cubic yards of
glacial drift and II, 112 1911 cubic yards
of solid rock-enough. to bury good
part of Chicago as Pompeii was buried.
This was 81.2 per cent of the whole
work, and it had cost 1854 S1229
1t is not intended that this canal shall
be navigable for large boats. The ex-
penditure of so per cent more would
make a channel from Chicago on the
Mississippi navigable for the largest
boats now plying between st. Louis
and New Orleans. The channel as
planned will be navigable only for craft
drawing less than % feet Of water. In
time it is believed the channel will be
widened so as to give the big New Or
leans steamers a chance to run right
through to Chicago. This will give
Chicago goods cheap outlet to the
southwest. But this will not interfere
with st. Louis supremacy in that sec
ticn The river is not serious factor
now in transportation except in the
hauling of grain.
The main channel excavation was to
be completed by April last, but extern
sions Of time have been given the con-
tractors, and they expect now to COM
plete the excavation some time in De-
cember. This channel extends from the
south branch of the Chicago river at
Robey street in this city to Lockport,
it's southern terminus. At the southern
end of the channel are the controlling
works. Beyond these works the flow
will take the course Of the Desplaines
river. This stream has an unreliable
supply, and it ranges from rivulet to
flood. A new channel about Is miles
long was excavated for it parallel with
the location of the main drainage chan
mel, and 10 miles of levee was built.
This levee separates the waters of the
Desplaines watershed from the channel
which is to receive the waters from the
canal
From Lockport the waters will follow
the trough Of the valley down a steep
declivity to the canal basin in Joliet.
Passing through Joliet, it will reach the
Illinois river, a navigable stream which
empties into the Mississippi.
Up to May 1 the trustees had paid
out 81, 49,, 244 for right Of way and $13,-
543,4 73 for construction, which, with
administrative expenses, etc., brought
the total expenditure up to $21. 936, coo.
The estimated cost OF all the right Of
way and construction under contract
then was $21, S49,056.