Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-07-13
It Does Not Remove the Sewage As It
Was Intended to Have
Done.
It Merely Drains the Pockets Of the Taxpayers
and Feeds the Already Fat
Contractors,
And Also Furnishes Jobs for the Relatives and
Friends Of the Sanitary
Trustees


Sanitary Trustees have paid out $685.
OOo.OOO already on the drainage canal:
notwithstanding the fact that the So
called drainage canal has been In OPP.
GRAFTON over year ana half;
The city drinking water Is more un.
lit for use to-day than It has ever been.
The truth Of the matter Is that the
drainage canal Is a great big job. put
up to
Rob the taxpayers.
Enrich the contractors and furnish
soft berths for the relatives and friends
Of the trustees.
One of the best civil engineers In
the West writes as follows on the nw.
full failure of this expensive canal
from an engineering standpoint:
To the Editor: Speaking of the so.
called drainage channel. mo Contami.
nation Is the heading of an article In
the Inter Ocean of recent date. The
editorial lays great stress on n report
Of the Illinois state Board Of Health
TINT the sewage of Chicago through the
drainage canal does not contaminnte
the lower Illinois river. One would i'm
ngalne. upon reading the editorial, that
n great, II not a wonderful. discovery
had been made. and result never he.
fore accomplished had been attained.
1t must be admitted by every fair.
minded person that. at the present
time, and also during the period pre-
ced!ng the order of the general govern.
ment reducing the admitted flow from
100000 or 100000 to only 2OO,OOO cubic
feet per minute. only one.quarter of
ChicagO's sewage had entered or now
enters the misnamed drainage canal,
and 1t Is well to bear In mind that the
great flow was mt the time of and dur.
ing the most of the investigation re-
ferred to In the editorial. 1t must also
he conceded that before this small pro-
portion of sewage reaches the Chicago
river 1t has been diluted ut least % to
20 per cent.
Is there anything remarkable, under
the circumstances, In finding that this
One-Quarter 10 to 20 per cent diluted
sewage. subjected. ms claimed at pres
ent, TO flow of 100000 cubic feet of
water per minute, previously much
greater, and travelling distance of 161
miles before reaching Peoria, ana
thence flowing on to the junction with
the Mississippi, In all about 81 miles,
has been SO far diluted as to contain
nothing that Is communicating? Posi-
bly, the great discovery consists In find.
ing that the one-quarter-probably
however. less than Is per cent-Of high
~ diluted Chicago sewage, added to
the sewage of Pekin and Peoria, with
their distilleries and factories. making
those cities equal to commercial cities
9e 100000 Or $4,000 sewage.prOduc.
Ing population, and TO the sewage of
cities, towns, and villages below and
above Peoria and Pekin, before reach
Ing the Mississippi, has not succeeded
in communicating the river below QPeo'
rial; and why should IT, for II the one.
quarter, or IL per cent of 60 or 20 per
cent already diluted Chicago sewage Is
not still further diluted In its flow OF
161 miles to Peoria, then the cry Of d.
luton by an excessive pouring Of water
IL a fake Of the worst kind, and posi-
bly, 10 is-for with the further addition
Of the remaining Chicago sewage and
full flow of lake water allowed by law
may 1t not result In making the Illinois
river the yilest kind OF an open sewer
and especially so, as the Illinois riyel
below Ottawa and much Oh the dlstanc,
above Is an exceedingly poor agency
for the publication Of sewage polluted
water.
Chicago Is the great sinner, and Il
bound To come to grief, and this at m
distant day. IL seems as II the con
clusion Of the editorial, based upon TN
report referred to therein, was begginl
the question To be solved; which Is how
much water Will have 10 he carried
through the drainage canal in order I,
dilute and free the water from con
taminatOn. VIII 1t not need about al
the contents Of Lake Michigan wher
the other three-quarters, or 81 pei
cent Of Chicago sewage is admitted Il
the river!
Six hundred thousand cubic feet pc
minute will be mere bagatelle, an,
will cut so small figure for Chicago
Of 10000 as sewage producing actua
population 100000 or 100000, AM
Of which the remaining sewage, 4
some extent at least, Is barely 10 pc
cent diluted, that when the full Chi
cago sewage is added TO the sewage o
the towns OF the Illinois River valley
the present cry Of no contamination
will be found to have been prematurel!
raised.