The L'Anse sentinel., 1907-11-23
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earth and rock excavation to the Des-
PLANES river. It continues along the
waterway for eight miles. In order to
make the drainage canal CONNER
cial waterway capable Of floating ves-
sells Of large tonnage the engineers
of the project expended $1S.oO0.000
more than would have been necessary
for sanitary purposes only. The canal
would have met all Of the drainage
and natural watershed necessities at a
considerably less depth than the %
feet at which 1t was carried out. The
objective of the creators of the canal
was not only to dispose Of Chicagos
sewage by diverting 1t from Lake
Michigan, where 1t threatened con-
tamination of the city water supply,
but the establishment of q navigable
waterway from the lake to the Mis-
sissippi via the Illinois river.
1t is from Lake Joliet that the next
step In the great lake to Gulf high
way Is expected to be taken. The ter
ritory between Joliet and Grafton.
above st. Louis, has been closely sur
veyed and series of pools or artificial
lakes has been mapped out to mark
the levels along what is projected as
the beginning of the great Fourteen
feet through the valley" water course.
The first level will be the section be-
tween Joliet and Utica, distance of
81 miles, with fall of &C feet. In this
defiance 1t Is estimated that three
pools, dams or locks will be necessary
and that a 14-foot waterway easily
can be maintained with width Of
800 feet.
Between Utica and the mouth of the
Illinois river, where it empties into the
Mississippi river. at Grafton, is 227
miles. The bed of the Illinois
river along this distance is
between six hundred and nine hundred
feet wide. Along the route the federal
government has already completed
several locks and dams. To secure a
14-foot depth here hydraulic dredging
averaging seven feet will be neces-
sary. This will necessitate the exca-
walton of 100.000.000 cubic yards Of
soft earth. the estimated cost of which
has been fixed by engineers at 81
100000.
To Control Mississippi.
Between the mouth Of the Illinois,
at Grafton, and the harbor limits of
st. Louis the distance down the Mis-
sissippi river is 80 miles. In this
stretch the Mississippi falls 81 feet
It is the magnitude of keeping the
great Mississippi tractable and within
bounds and providing 14-foot chan
mel from st. Louis to the Gulf of Mex
leo that has given the greatest en-
gineers Of the country pause. What
the completion Of that undertaking
will cost no one processes to know ac-
curately. Surmises vary between $780,
000, 900 and $400,000,000. A consider
able percentage of the former sum has
already been expended in piecemeal
on the Father of Wa
ters. Engineers admit that much OF
this outlay has been practically vast
ed because the work was not carried
on along any well defined plan. 1t is
for the laying out of general plan
Of Mississippi valley Improvement
that the business interests of the
great Central West are now bending
their energies.
After surveying the territory be-
tween Joliet and st. Louis board
Of army engineers few years ago es-
timated that the cost of a 14-foot wa
terway. between those points would
cost $31, 100000. About the feasibility
Of continuing that stretch at the same
depth as the Chicago drainage canal
there Is no doubt. The only questions
to be considered are those of dredging
and water supply.
In the opinion of Lyman Il. Cooley,
of Chicago, one Of the greatest en-
gineering authorities of the country,
the practicability Of carrying the big
inland water highway to successful
completion depends upon the mastery
OF the middle Mississippi between st.
Louis and Cairo. The total distance Of
the projected continuous navigable
channel from Lake Michigan, at Chi
cago, to the Eads jetties. in the Gulf
Of Mexico, is 1925 miles, and the fall
is $40 feet from the lake level to the
Gulf level.
Difficulties to Overcome.
Between St Louis and Cairo DIFF
ficulties that q few years ago would
have been regarded as insurmountable
will unquestionably be encountered
The slope there averages only seven
inches per mile for the entire distance
Of 1853 miles. At normal low water the
volume between those two points Is
$4,000 second feet. With the river
in normal flood It rises to ten times
that fiow and in times Of extracrdi-
nary food has reached between SoO.-
600 and 1000. 900 second feet A food
volume Of such magnitude on . slope