Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-06
LITTLE IS EXPECTED.
HENNEPIN CANAL SCHEME is
NOT REGARDED AS OF
s-.. MUCH MOMENT.
People in Washington Official Life Do
Not Think the Waterway From the
Great Lakes to the Mississippi Will
Handle Much Traffic..
[BY H. ]. MAHIN.-
Washington Bureau of the Courier.
WASHINGTON. D. c., Feb. 5.

[BY H. ]. MAHIN.1
Washington Bureau of the Courier.
Washington, D. c., Feb. 5.
1t will be rather strange and start
ling news to many persons in the mid
die west to hear that the EIennepin
canal, now being constructed to con-
meet the Great Lakes with the Mis-
slsslppi river is not regarded in Wash
ington as very large or important
project. 1t is not expected by officials
here that this long canal will ever
handle very much traffic or traffic of
any particular Importance.
Work on the canal is now being con-
Quoted i'll rather desultory manner.
1t is not being pushed by any means
and at the very best the canal will not
be finished for three years to come.
The original appropriation for the
canal has now been exhausted and
there is only enough money to keep
the work going slowly. To really fin
ish and put the big ditch into working
order another appropriation will be
necessary.
In talking with the Courier repre-
sentative today General Mckenzie,
formerly in charge Of river work at
Rock Island and now chief of engineers
In the war department, said that he
was very sorry personally to find this
impression existing. General McKen-
zie has never forgotten his associa-
ton in Rock Island and along the
beautiful Mississippi and it occupies a
very tender place in his heart.
Se, 1,o ,,J Co., ~ La IL ~
anything in this nature in that light
but it is quite evident that the Henne-
pin canal is not very seriously consid-
cred as any great factor in the devel-
opment of the country" he said.
General Mckenzie called attention
to the fact that many people have a
very wrong idea as to just what sort
of traffic the canal will handle.
Some people seem to think that lake
steamers are going to come through
the canal and go down the Mississippi
and out of the Gulf of Mexico. This of
course is obviously impossible. The
great thing expected of the Hennepin
canal Of course is fssieht business and
yet there is much tt argued against
the possibility of this ever amounting
to anything great.
Il was very glad to see Governor
Van SAINT, Captain Bryson and those
other men come out here in the inter-
est of the upper river. 1t is the first
time /, many years that / remember
seeing a organized movement entered
into by the upper river people. We
have-I say we because cannot help
but still feel a personal interest in
the upper river-lost good deal ny
this in former years. The lower MIS-
sissippi comes out here with an organ
lied movement and so does the Ohio
contingent and consequently they get
many things which serve simply to
cut off the appropriations for the up
|per river Such movements cannot
fail to do good and If the twenty-one
congressman who are all vitality inter-
ested in the movement of the upper
Mississippi would get together as do
the men on the southern part they
would be very likely to affect legisla-
tion.''
1t is pointed out that much of the
freight business that is expected to go
to the canal will be fought for by the
railroads which will probably reduce
rates if necessary to prevent the canal
from making inroads on their traffic.
For instance, If the railroads would
bring large shipment of grain from
the west 1T is not regarded probable
that they would unload the shipment
at Rock Island and send it the rest of
the way to Chicago through the canal
1t is prophesied that the railroads
would according to their history in
other such situations carry the stuff
on to Chicago for nothing before they
would allow the canal to have it. This
however may be looking at the most
discouraging side of the matter and
even those who can not see anything
big in the canal project admit that it
may have some considerable effect on
freight rates in and adjacent to the
Mississippi valley.
Iowa has been again honored In
Washington by having one of the most
important improvements the city has
undertaken for many years placed in
part under the supervision of an Iowa
boy. George Elmer Conner, of Gin
ton, who was recently one of the en-
cheering force at the Washington
navy yard has been appointed assist
ant building inspector for the District
of Columbia and has had put in his
charge all of the concrete work for the
new union railroad station. This sta
ton which is to cost more than 81 ,O0O,-
900 and be one of the finest in the
world will be another architectural
monument in the capital. Mr.. Con-
nor's assignment is most important
since the building will be constructed
largely of stone and marble and the
tracks will approach it through a long
tunnel in which the concrete work
must be very carefully watched.
Mr.. Conner is the youngest member
of a family of four boys of Clinton who
have all made their mark Two are
officers in the army, one now in the
Philippines and another an instructor
at West Point. Another holds prom
inent position with the Fuller Con,
struction Co. of New York. Mr.. Con
nor graduated from the university of
Wisconsin and has also graduated
from the Columbia law college. He
came to Washington to accept a posi-
ton in the navy yard here as one of
the engineering corps and took his
law course after hours. His excellent