The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-27
10 be continued.
THE CHICAGO RIVER.
An Open Sewer Navigable for Good-Sized
Vessels for Its sixteen Miles Length.

An Open Sewer NRvignb1e for GoOd-Sized
Vessels for Its sixteen Miles Length.
From d. Metropolitan.
The smallest and busiest river in the world.
Where do you think 1t is? Theodore Dresser
locates 1t in Chicago and has this to say about
It: The first popularity OF this little stream
is that It is the smaller river doing the largest
business in the world. or. in other words. the
busiest river in the world. In the next place.
1t has the greatest depth for the narrowest
width OF any known river. In the third place.
It has the largest number OF bridges spanning
II Of any river OF equal or greater length. bar
ring the Mississippi-or a total Of ffty-two
bridges. All these are draw or swinging
bridges and carry q traffic of their own over
head almost as important as that which passes
below. Next, this river has little or no current
to speak Of. and flows upward instead OF down.
It is the only known river whose current has
been turned round and made. as It were. TO
flow the other way. Lastly. it is a sort Of an
orphan river. for whereas all rivers and har.
bors are owned and cared for by the United
States Government. the Secretary. of War.
whose province it is to care for these things.
will have nothing to do with it. and Chicago re-
pairs 1t only sufficient for its now needs. but
lays no claim to the right OF way. .
In this strange predicament the little stream
flows wretchedly backward. loaded with the
largest and most valuable collection Of vessels
that ever crowded an inland sea. 1t ia one tu-
multuous highway, far more exciting than
the Hudson. The city uses 1t as an emptying
place for its levers and the Street Cleaning
and yet it is the most valuable factor in the
lie lie. Of b 0h GaSe 't and c Inc one one more a. Re than al el Ne
thse h rtye mae IN the seG w faty w wasi Possesses DC IS sssaa or pro No
tends to the appearance of this peculiar stream.
In its busiest hours It is a sight for gods and
den OF an ocean. The great deep-drauRht pro-
pellers tear the water into splattering frag-
tire stream from view with great clouds Of
smoke, The ingoipg and outgoing, vessels
| Tug, pilots handle their craft with a skill that
would Iut to shame the manners Of the heavy
The longest branch Of the: river to-day is
more, than ten miles in length. and the total
it is no more than 900 feet wide, and the fact
stream Is due to the fact that It was made so *
wide at Randolph, a block further on l95 feet at
single Hooks apartNand so on until It became
SO small as to be unnavigable by boats drawing
T %as t dfed 90 T and made uh s a Uniform s1n' w nGMsC OF 3,oG
feet in the, south branch. and 1t is kept that
width by the walls OF the immense buildings
which have now encroached to the very waters
edge. and which in most cases form the only
this poor little stream. Nowhere along its
shores within the great city limits Is there a
foot OF unoccupied ground where a tree may
And root. No branch or blade of green Rraces
its shores. No bountiful springs rise from
point to point and feed it. Its tributaries, are
dark. stone-arched sewers which empty theiI
subterranean blackness into it in continuous
stream. Its banks are for the most part sheer
walls OF red brick. Where an open space oc-
ours railroad tracks skirt the waters edge &C
closely as to stir a fear for the safety Of the
other portions. and groups of belching smoke
stacks. sooty black. rise IN. forest-like mum.
beers at regular intervals; No single space bul
warehouse. filling up the last available inch
stock yards, lumber Yards. railroad yards. stone
yards, coal ~yards-these interspersed witt
docks. elevators, manufactures and breweriei
make its banks interesting. II not beautiful.