The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-01-18
CHlCAGO'S WATERWAY.
The SmRiIens River Doing the Lar
Reat UmnIncrn In The World

The SmRiIent River Doing the Lar
Reat BunineHs I'm the World.
| The smallest and busiest river in the
world. Where do you think it is? Tbeo.
dora Dreiser locates is in Chicago, and
has this to say about it: The first pecui-
iarity Of this little stream is chat i, is
the smaller river doing the largest busi-
nesA in tho world, or, in other words,
the busiest river in tho world. In the
next place. it has tho greatest depth for
the narrowest width of any known riv-
er. In the third place, it has tho largest
humber of bridges spanning it Of any
river OF equal or greater length, barring
the Mlssissippi-ors u total of 90 bridges
| All these arc draw or swinging bridges
aUd carry a traffic of their own over.
head almost as impOrtasit as that which
| passes below. Nett. this river lius little
Or no current 10 speak of, and flows up
! ward instead of down 1t is the ONLY
known rlvcr WhOsu current has been
turned round and made az it were, 70
flow the other way. Lastly. it is a sort
Of AL orphan river, for. whereas All
| rivers and harbors ara owned and cared
fur by the Cniird States govrltment,
the secretary Of war, whose province it
Is to caro- for these things, will havo
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
III this strange predicament tho littlo
steam flows wrctchrdly backward
loaded with the largest and most valua-
bic collection Of vessels that over crowd
cd au inland sea 1t is one tumuituOus
highway. far more exciting than BrOad-
| way and somewhat less charming than
! iho hudson. The city uses it as an
| cmptyinG place fnr its sewers and tho
street cleaning department as u dump
inH ground TOR its waste. and yet it is
! thc most valuable factor in the life of
Chcato, and the one more than all elso
that has made the city what it is today
| No ether river in tho wido world DOS
scssrh or pretcnds 10 tho appearance Of
this peculiar stream. In its busiest
hours it is sight for gods and men. A
mere creri:. IL striiggics with the burden
Of al ocean. Tho great deep draft pro
| Pcllers tear tho water into splattering
! fragments. Their huge stacks often hido
! tho entire stream from view with ,reat
clouds of smoke. Tho ingoing and out
going vessels quarrel for tho right OF
| ''"S "'tA' Hit WIZ NtlICIuCUtO IIlIleTtuU
! III yongs and whistles Tug pilots han
lilo their craft with skill that would
Iut TO shame tho manners of tho heavy
scanlstcrs in Il crowded New York lane
| The longest branch Of the river today
IL more than ten miles in length, and
the total length of all branches is l6.
! At It's mouth it is no moro than 200 feet
| wide, and tue fact that it is tho samo
width II mile or two up stream is duo to
| the fact thai it was made 80 by cxcava-
tlon and dredging. AT one time NSG%
1T was 200 feet wide at Lake street, I75
feet wide ut Randolph, "A block further
on; l6o fest ut Washington, l75 feet at
Mauison-ali these but single blocks
4, ap:it--and SO on until ii hccamo SO
! aiial! as 10 be unnavigablo ly boats
, drawing ten feet of water In that year,
however, it was dredgcd and made a
uniform width Of goo feet III tho south
branch. and it is kept that width by
tho walls Of the immense buildings
which have now encroached to the very
waters edge, and which in most cases
form tho only banks visible.
1t Is interesting to note tho peculiar
tiles Of this poor little stream Nowhere
along it's shores within the great city
limits is thero a foot of unoccupied
ground where a tree may find root No
branch or blade Of green gracee it's
shores. No bountiful springs rise from
| point to point and feed it, It's tribu-
| taIIes arc dark, stone aIched Sewers
| which empty their scbtarrancan black
! moss into 1t Ill continuous stream. It's
banks arc for tho most part sheer walls
! OF red brick. Where an open space oc-
ours railroad tracks skirt tho water's
| edge SO closely AS 10 stir o fear for the
| safety OF tho cars which line them.
Lumber yards make up other portions,
and groups Of bclching smokestacks,
soOty black riso i'll foYestlike numbers
at regular intervals. No eingle space
but has some wharf or freight shed,
factory or warehouse filing up tho last
| available inch, stockyorda, lumber
| yards, railroad yards, stoneyarls, coal
yards-theso interspersed with docks,
elevators, manufaotories aud browories
mako its banks interesting, if not hnao-
tiful. ul.-Metropolitan.
|
Wher. 17an.la Are Prightcnt.
| Swift was 30 when his brain gave,
birth to "Gulliver's Travels.
| Sir Walter Scott was al when his
Wavcrley" made its appearance. and
nearly all those stories which have con-
ferrod lasting fame upon him were oom-
! posed after tho ago Of 46.
| Millions mind rose TO its highest ca
paoity when the blind poet was between
81 and SO. 1t was at this period Of his
existence when he offered to the world
Paradise Lost. -
CowImr had turned the half century