The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-01-04
Formal Opening Of the I'm
mense Chicago Drainage
Canal Witnessed.
Triumph Of Engineering
Skill at a Total Cost
Of $33,O0O,Ooo.
By Wire From Chicago, Jan. 3.


AT O'Clock yesterday morning water was
turned into the 100000 drainage canal,
and began to flow toward Lockport, where
1t will fall into the Desplaines river, and
thence through the Illinois and Mississippi
rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. What is
termed by the canal engineers the "col-
lateral channel" has been for some time
completed from the Chicago river in the
southwestern part Of the city to within Is
feet of the main channel Of the canal. This
Is foot wall of dirt with two sluice gates
behind it has been all that kept the Chicago
river and Lake Michigan out of the canal.
At 10 o'clock Monday night steam
dredge began to cut away this wall of
earth and few minutes before 9 O'Clock
yesterday the water In the collateral channel
was against the sluice gates and only few
inches OF timber remained to be removed
before Chicago was to realize her dream of
years and see the great canal in actual
operation. When the water began to back
up against the sluice gates the timbers
wer knocke away and the first water from
the Chicago river ran into the canal.
DANGER IN FORCE.
The engineers of the sanitary district have
cut channel to carry 100000 cubic feet of
water minute, but yesterday water was
allowed to flow into the canal at the rate
OF only $4,000 cubic feet minute. The eff
feet OF turning 100000 cubic feet of water
minute into the empty canal would be
like the bursting of reservoir and would
tear away every bridge over the canal and
wreck the controlling works at Lockport
Therefore the water will turned in gradu-
ally. Probably week will elapse before
the canal is full of water and is carrying
away the sewerage that now flows into the
Chicago river.
An occasion that might have been made
one OF the most memorable in the eventful
history Of Chicago, was suffered to pass
by unlmproved because the trustees of the
sanitary district were intent only on their
one great aim-the opening Of the canal
Aside from the trustees and the engineers
OF the board, there were less than a dozen
spectators present.
Probably no public work has ever been
undertaken by any other state or munich
patty which, from it's very inception, was
designed to do so much for the navigable
and commercial interests of the country as
the chicago canal. The requirements of law
which compelled the construction of rock
sections to meet the demands of the next
generation was wise, for it has laid the
foundation OF mammoth ship canal con-
Meeting the great lakes with the Mississippi
river and the gulf and saving the sanitary
district of Chicago and the federal govern
ment the great expense that would in the
future be necessary in rock excavation and
blasting under the flowing water. The
canal, If confined by law to the single re-
Quirement of disposing CT Chicago's sewage,
could have been constructed for from $12.-
100000 to $14.O00,000, SO the sanitary dis
trict can Justly claim to have expended at
in 90
great navfgable waterway. The proceedings
OF congress will show that, in the last 100
years OF petitions and demands for con-
gressional appropriations for harbors and
canals and public improvements, no petit
tioning city or community has contributed
[or purely commercial purposes five per cent
OF the amount which this sanitary district
has contributed toward the commercial wa
terway to connect the great lakes with the
gulf Of Mexico.
TRIUMPH OF ENGINEERING.
AS an engineering triumph, the great in
terest In the Chicago canal lies in the fact
that 1t disposes of the sewage of this city
IN manner contrary to the laws of nature |
ana contrary to the laws of gravity,
While the Chicago river has been deep
ened ana widened in order to increase it's |
low and capacity, the canal itself, properly |
speaking, begins at south branch of the |
Chicago river at Robey street and con-
linues southwark as an entirely artificial |
until 1t reaches the controlling
works at Lockport a distance of % miles
u entirely artificial construction. The fall |
rom the mouth of the Chicago river to the |
1ockport works-and be it remembered that |
aenceforth the Chicago river will flow up |
'tream as commonly understood-is only |
seven feet, SO that the flow of water in |
rapidity and volume through the Chicago |
liver to the canal Is entirely controlled nv
me bear trap dam and controlling works
situated at the Lockport terminus, the fall |
'outn OF the controlling works being abrupt |
ana about 40 feet in the next four miles. |
u is by means of these controlling works
hat the water was turned down the valley !
oy the simple opening of the great gates |
Or valves, and it Is also by means Of the |
controlling works that the waters down the |
valley can be suddenly turned off in case |
u emergency. Therefore the popular be-
lief that the waters of the canal. having |
been once turned down the valley the fiow |
must be unceasing and beyond human con- |
rol Is erroneous, for the flow of this great |
volume OF 100000 cubic feet per minute |
IAN De stopped almost as easily as the sim |
PIE turning OF faucet in the spigot of a |
BEGUN IN 1902.
The first work in this great enterprise
vas uesun on shovel day." Sept. 3, 1892, |
IN the rock cut below Lemont on tho linz
,etween Cook and Will counties. SO that a |
fttle over seven years have been consumed |
the entire work, involving an outlay of |
lDout $33, 900. Over 80 per cent of the |
entire work was done during the So called |
'anic period, and, owing to this fact. the |
entire cost OF construction was reduced |
lDout $8,OOO,OOO. Indeed the board of trus- |
ees and its engineers are unanimous in the |
'elief that the work could not now be dupli |
'ated under existing prices for both labor
md material for less than $4O, 900 900.
Up to the present time and, indeed for
ne past fifteen years. the entire sewage |
i the city of Chicago, which empties into
he Chicago river has, as a matter Of fact
'een flowing down the Des PLANES VALLEY
md into the Illinois and Mississippi rivers
t has passed down the Illinois and Michi |
.an canal into which it was dumped nv
ne Bridgeport pumping works from the
outh fork of the South Branch in. a volume
I only about 10000 cubic feet per minute.
t Is this same flow Of actual sewage there
ore, and no more and no less, that is to mass
Town the Illinois valley, but diluted by a
tremendous flow Of water from Lake Michf-
IAN, increasing the total volume to 300 600
uDlc feet per minute or nearly eight times
ne past flow; and, by the rapid process Of
oxidation that takes place in sureine and
lowing water, this sewage will be rendered
nnocuous and harmless even before the c,tv
t Joliet is reached II the contention Of the
most eminent chemists and bacteriolop,sts
8 correct.
l00T 0pp0CCC 4 DInnnN