The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-01-18

bridges are in place, and where there
GENTLY advanced to allow of the adj
mission OF the water. The mighty
controlling works at Lockport, by
which the trustees can control the flow
Of water out of the canal and reduce
1t to pint il necessary. are ready to
do their part in the great scheme for
purifying the water supply of Chicago.
The dams and retaining walls in the
Desplaines river approaching and in
Joliet are prepared to sustain the in
creased pressure. All is ready for the
official act which shall unite the waters
of Lake Michigan with those of the
Gulf Of Mexico.
For thirty years before the sanitary
district was created engineers advanced
various plans for solving the sewage
problem of Chicago. AS the city grew
rapidly 1T became evident that the po-
luton of the water supply by the sew
age from the river was a constant
menace to the health of The city. The
Illinois and Michigan canal had proved
?
water of the river, as every heavy rain
flushing the sewers. resulted in a
change OF course in ting river, causing
it to set toward ths re. At about
he,town of Summit Aa known the
watershed between Il Wy It, Lawrence
and Mississippi Valley Nsted and it
was evident that lca II sufficient
eli and ooprvjru ID. rssti1r.- o<n,,o,,
the waters of the Chicago liver over
that watershed would solve the prob
lem. A navigable canal vas not
thought of at that time because the
Desplaines and Illinois rivers, into
which such channel must empty Its
waters. were not nay.gable for deep
draft ships. But as the idea grew in
the public mind it was pointed out
that the equipping such broad, deep
channel as was contemplated with
swing bridges would be the first step
toward a great waterway connecting
Chicago with the Mississippi, to be
completed at such time as the general
government should carry out the
dredging and deepening Of the Illinois.
1. much as the original estimates con-
templated, and this, too, in spite of the
low cost per cubic yard Of the excava-
tion resulting FROM the employment
Of machinery especially invented for
the work. The increased cost Is large
~ accounted for by the much greater
amount Of rock excavation than was
originally contemplated and the cost
Of diverting the Desplaines river and
making new channel for 1t for thir-
teen miles, so as to keep its floods out
Of the canal. The Desplaines is a
prairie stream. draining wide ex-
panse of nearly fiat country. It has
great fluctuations, so that at some sea-
sons It's whole discharge would pass
through six-inch pipe, while at
others 1t reaches 100000 cubic feet per
minute. This river heads in Chicago
only q few miles from the lake and
COWS into the Illinois. Not only was it
1pecessary to cut for it new channel
sallel to the canal, but huge dixie
to be built to conf1ne 1t to this new
mel, and also back channel pro-
ed to conduct portion OF it's food
tiers north into Lake Michigan, for
reason that they could not safely
carried through the city OF Joliet.
hich lies at the lower end of the
anal
Few people realize what this diver
lion of the Desplaines channel means
TIE trustees really had to lift up the
river and move 1t to one side that its
3 bed might be used for part of the
drainage channel. For thirteen miles
! solid wall had to be built to separate
thu waters Of the Desplaines and the
drainage canal. marking a new course
Tor thai river. Just below the city Of