The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-03-11
THE CHICAGO RIVER

THE CHICAGO RIVER
An Open Sewer Navigable for Vessels Tor III
Sixteen Miles Lenght
The smallest and busiest river IN
the world. Where do you think II Is:
Theodore Dresser locates 1t In chicago |
and has this to say about 1t: The hrst
regularity of this little stream is tna'
It Is the smaller river doing the larg- |
est business in the world, or in other
words, the busiest river in the wor4d. |
In the next place, it has the greatest
depth for the narrowest width OF any
known river. In the third place, 1t mas
the largest number of bridges span
ming 1t of any river or equal length OK
greater length, barring the Mississippi
"a total of fifty-two bridges. All these
are draw or swinging bridges ana car
ry a traffic of their own overhead al
most as important as that which pass
es below. Next, this river has little or
no current to speak Of. and flows up
ward instead Of down. 1t is the only
known river whose current has been
turned round and made, as it were, 10
flow the other way. Lastly, is is
sort of an orphan river, for whereas all
rivers and harbors are owned ana
cared for by the United States govern
ment, the Secretary Of War. whose
province 1t is to care for these things,
will have nothing to do with 1t, anu
Chicago repairs it only sufficient for
its now needs, but lays no claim to the
right Of way.
In this strange predicamentthisl little
stream flows wretchedly backward,
loaded with the largest and most val.
liable collection of vessels that ever
crowded an inland sea. 1t is one tn
multuous highway, far more exciting
than Broadway and somewhat less
charming than the Hudson. The city
uses it as an emptying place for it'
sewers and the Street Cleaning De
partment as a dumping ground for it'
waste, and yet it is the most valuabi,
factor in the life Of Chicago, and tin
one more than all else that has mad'
the city what 1t Is today. No othe
river in the wide world possesses o.
pretends to the appearance Of this pc
culiar stream. In It's busiest hours |
is q sight for gods and men. A mer,
creek, it struggles with the burden o
an ocean. The great deep-draugh
propellers tear the water into splatter
ing fragments. Their huge stack
often hide the entire stream from viey
with great clouds Of smoke. The In
going and outgoing vessels quarrel TO
the right of way with all the vehe
mence inherent in gongs and whistles
Tug pilots handle their craft with
skill that would put to shame tn
manners of the heavy transfers in
crowded New York lane.
The longest branch Of the river tt
, day is more than ten miles in length
and the total length Of all branches
, sixteen. At it's mouth it is no MOI
, than 200 feet wide, and the fact thu
It is the same width a mile or two III
stream is due to the fact that 1t wa
made so by excavation and dredging
i, At one time 1850 it was 200 feet wid
at Lake street, 175 feet wide al Raj
, dolph, a block further on; 165 feet
, Washington, .175 feet at Madison-a
: these but single blocks apart-and
a on until 1t became unnavigable I
p boats drawing ten feet of water.
9 that wear, however, it was dredge
/. and made a uniform width of 200 fe
\ in the south branch, and it Is Ike,
that width by the walls of the IL
4. mepse buildings which have now e
!. croached to the very waters edge, al
J. which in most cases form the on
9 banks visible.
; 1t is interesting TO note the peculia
: tiles of this poor little stream. N
y where along its shores within t
d great city limits is there a foot OF U
% occupied ground where tree may I'll
g root. No branch or blade OF gre
n praces its shores. No bountiful sprin
n rise from point to- point and feed
N Its tributaries are dark, stone-arch
h sewers which empty their subterra
|e can DldckneSS iH,o IL III Son'inuo
W stream. Its banks are for the me
"a mart sheer walls of red brick. Whe
70 an open space occurs railroad trac
a skirt the waters edge so closely as
# stir a fear for the safety Of the ca
II which line them. Lumber yards ma
Q ND other portions. and groups of bell
% ing smokestacks, sooty black, rise
8 forest-like numbers at regular int
70 walls. No single space but has sol
~ wharf or freight shed, factory
10 warehouse, filing up the last availal
ID inch, stock yards. lumber yards, re
n. road yards. stone yards, coal yard
n these interspersed with docks, ele'
in tors, manufactures and brewer
IN make it's banks interesting If 1