Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-01-02
LAKE WATERS [[I
Chicago Finally Sees Fruition |
Years Of Struggle with Great
Drainage Canal.
Waters of Lake Michigan Tur1|
Into the Big Ditch This
Morning.
Took Seven Years to Construct q,
s33,ooO,0o0A Gigantic
Enterprise.

S33,00O,0O0-A Gigantic
Enterprise.
Chicago, Jan. 2.--Water was turn
into the Chicago great new drama
canal this morning at o'clock.
i AT the hour mentioned the fifteen 70
i wall of earth separating the collater
channel from the canal, small portid
of which was removed last night. W.
4 completely cut away by the stea
dredge and water began flowing into Il
channel which forms the connectir
4 link to carry a portion of the waters
Lake Michigan into the Mississippi ri
er.
The primary object of this great worI
which cost So, 600 600, was TO dispose
1 Chicago's sewerage, which empties III
the Chicago river and has been flown
partly into the Illinois and Michigs
4 canal and partly into the lake contain
ing the source of water supply. AT til
same time MS ultimate use as shi
Z. canal. connecting the great lakes and
| gulf of Mexico was kept in view AS
1 mere drainage canal it need not to llav(
cost over Sl2.000,0o0. The canal, when
i in full operation, Will carry 300, 600 CUBIC
feet of water per minute, which, it ID
4 thought, will so dilute the sewerage a
Il to render it inocuous. AT present. how
/ ever. and until the channel is filled. onl
900 cubic feet per minute will be a
& lowed to flow in. 1t will probably tan
a week to fill the channel. 1t has been
little over seven years in course OF con
structicn.
The dimensions of the channel in de
tail are: From the mouth of the Chicago
river to the junction of the main chan
mel with the west fork of the south
branch at Robey street. six miles |
{ length of the main channel from Robel
s. street to the controlling works at Lock
f port 2s.05 miles: total. 34.05 miles; Ro /
hey street to Summit, rs miles. ITO fee
wide at bottom, 1913 feet at water nneJ
u with minimum DEPTH OF water, % feet
\ Summit to Willow Springs, 5.S miles.
; feet wide at Rttom. 29O feet wide
grade Of e7 Chanel, one ID ii n. 20.
or Us inches 10 mile. The slopes OF the
sides in earth cuts are one foot vertical
Springs the channel narrows to the
walled and rock cross section. extending
\ l4.a5 miles to Loekport go feet wide on
!. bottom. 1872 feet al top: grade in rock.
one foot in 20,00o, or 81. inches mile.
The current velocity in earth is figl u
at IA miles an hour, and in rock
: miles an hour.
Fear has been expressed from tim
{ time that when the water is turned
: the channel the current created in -
3 river will prove harmful to navigation.
/ This fear was recently set at rest
: through a report made by Consulting
{ | Engineer Thomas T.. Johnston. An ex-
a lhaustive examination convinced Mr..
: Johnston that The current Will be con-
4 siderably less than maximum of one
:. and a quarter miles an hour, except at a
q few places. such as where two boats
n would pass each other, or over the tun-
: nels, and that under the most favorable
I conditions the.current will prove an i'm
4 pediment TO the navigability OF the
e stream.
= OF the two results to be attained by
+ the completion of this canal that OF
y health 10 the population of the second
city of the union is regarded as para
mount And it is believed by sanitary
s-NilcA - llol okliS .Nlii Lie NdLtSl
lsupply be restored TO its original condi-
: ton OF purity, but that the drainags
. afforded will be more perfect than tha,
: OF AIRY other great city of the world. II
lis also believed that these ends VIII be
! secured without detriment To any other
V lcammunity on the line of the canal OF
along the natural waterway TO the
e gulf.
The Illinois and Michigan canal has
! carried away much of the sewage OF
!. Chicago for many years. and without
h offense or injury 70 the cities through
u Whioh its waters pass. but since the
sanitary canal grew toward compile
zion a rumble of protest has come UP
y I from ST. Louis. and the contention has
e been raised that the health Of it's citi-
) zens is in Jeopardy. This ques1ion
it Which IS a serious one, has been II
e and disposed of by the trustees d
hloanai
During the dry season of 1ss
L state board of health undertook toSe
y 5erinine the rate of purifcaton of ths
II Mater in the Illinois and Michigan ca
20 nal. The rainfall was SO light during
/ 1.-THE months of June. July and Angus
that the contents of the canal from
bridgeport 10 Joliet were practically
unaffected by dilution. Samples OF rivel
Z at Bridgeport. canal water at Lock
y port. canal and Desplaines river water
:. - AT Joliet and Illinois river water at OF
- Itawa and Peoria We're secured and sub
United 10 Professor John III. Long fol
chemical examination, with the resul
: OF demonstra ting that more than one
half os the pollution disappeared befor'
the sewage reached Lockport, twenty
nine miles below Bridgeport. and near
an ly one-third of the remainder in tn
IN next four miles. This resulted. tco
81 without such dilution as is now know
= to be essential to the rapid and harm
& less publication Of sewage.
es From these facts experts dec IA
it is evident that Chicago has
the method of sewage disposal
d. most efficient. economical and
n fsrsiye. With sufficient dilu
of the sewage guaranteed. they say
ed viii he complete publication, ard
this result will be obtained b. ma
processes, necessarily ths most sued
sul. They assert silat tias water of
n rev drainage channel may be expeG
(Continued on Eighth poIo,1s