The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-12-27
ing works and into the Desplaines river
SMOOTH WALLS.

SMOOTH WALLS.
The first thing that the visitor notices
On Looking al the rock sections Is the eN-
ceoding smoothness of the vertical planes
Of solid limestone walls, ana ne thlhhs ~
must have been great deal OF trounlc
IN chin down the rock to such uniformity
after the blasting. But the Work "a'
done before the blasting, by an ingenious
little machine known "a the chahneHc,'
This machine, which consists OF Il NeIu-
cal boiler and engine. furnishing power
Coz a Great chisel with a Z-shaped cut
fling edpe. is placed in such position that
the chisel will come directly on the line OF
the edee Of the channel, and the chahhtl-
ter moves backward and forward on It's
section Of railroad track as the chisel uoeS
ite work OF cutting a groove three inches
wide and sinking downward ten feet into
the course OF rock on which the machine
stands. Then the drills OF steam or com
pressed air are set at work, dynamite
sticks are put into the holes maze, ana
the blasts are set Off. breaking up all the
rock IN that course for the width OF tho
channel the three-inch clefts on each
side. however preventing the disfguring
OF the smooth and level appearance OF
the side walls.
The blasted material is removed by
various cOntrivances, OF which the i'm
proved cantilever conveyer has proved by
far the most efficient. As many as eleven
Of these cantlevers have been in opera
ton at one time. and several are stiil at
work. The machine stands on the bank
at the level OF the canal wallis coping,
and rests on four sets OF trucks, which
carry the structure along on heavy
steel railroad tracks. In the centre
supported directly by the four sets Of
trucks. is a platform forty feet square.
on which are the engine, boilers and 9TH
er machinery. Rising from this plat
form Is steel tower, composed Of four
posts. supporting the cantilever. a steel
bridge 2lj feet long, which Is inclined at
an angle the lower end, of course, point
ing toward the channel, across which IL
extends about 40 feet Along the bridge
drawn by an endless cable runs troll
ley-car. 10 which are attached the 'skips %
or great iron buckets IN which the blast
cd rock is placed.
Nine or ten Of these skips are used In
conjunction with one cantllever, and four
or five men are kept constantly busy
enOvoling the rock into each Of them. As
soon as skip is filed cable with tris-
Ger arms attached runs down from the
end OF thc cantilever 10 the channel bed.
the skin is attached and raised 10 tho
bridge level. where IL Is automatically
swiftly runs the length OF the bridge up
ward 20 a given point above the spoil
bank. where IL discharges the conten's
of the skip and as swiftly brings the emp
~ receptacle back 10 the starting point.
the total time necessary for the round
trip being only nifty seconds.
MOVING DIRT
Another good conyeyer has been the
IIl-.rNo0d galloway. Two wOden tow
era. about CD feet high. stand about 700
feet apart spanning the channel and the
spoil area" Between them IS stretch
od am endless cable. which drag5 back
and forth n cage 20 which the loaded
shius or hO9s are attached. 10 be run
ont 20 the spoil bank. These machines.
AZ which nineteen have been i'm use on
the works. move along the banks on rail
road tracks. as occasion may reuire. like
the cantilevors. Their cost. both In plan.
and operation IS much less than that %
Tie cantlevers Another device. whi,l
however. has not met the expectations ~
fle builders D. the high power derrick
and Conveyer which O. essentially der
rick mounted on turntable. Ike a SWING
bridge, and is capable Of hoisting *.
coodingly heavy loads. which are dis
charged into cars running on tracks 20
D
are dumped on the spoil bank.
The confident expectation is that TIVE
United states government will ultima ely
make the necessary improvements in the
Desplaines and Illinois rivers. The total
distance from the end OF the drainage
canal. az Lockport. 10 the mouth OF tho
Illinois riveg IL about POO miles.
Mr.. Randolph's estimate Tor iinprov-
irg this stretch ~ waferW-F tw0-thirl-
of the cost OF the sanitary canal. would
be about s200o00o0 Lyman T.. Cooley
one II Mr. Randolph's predecessors "a
chief engineer. as the result Of a careful
calculation year ago. estimated that
tho entire cost OF carrying fourteen fee.
OF water from the end OF the sanitary
canal 10 the Mississippi would be s2j.-
o000o pointing out In addition that rhe
improvements on the latter river would
insure a depth OF ten feet at extreme 'oy
water from st. Louis to the Gulf Inc
same eminent engineer IN IN address,
some time ago discussing the practical
l'itv Of the projected ship canal route
said IN part. within the environs OF Chi
casO raindvop could split on a blade OF
grass and part run each way. The di-
vide between the Great Lakes and tie
Mississippi system IS only eight or tea
feet above the level OF Lake Michigan and
Chicago IS to-day cutting a channel
through IT, The bottom OF II is on the
exact level Of the Niagara river at Buff
falo. a00 miles away. so you can see by
what a narrow margin the geological for
nation of the continent favored the -
Lawrence route rather than that by she
Gulf OF Mexico. The idea which | wish
to impress upon you L. tha idea OF a