The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-11-18
PLUMLEY ON WATERWAYS
Congressman Gives His Views on the
Recent Deep Waterway Junket of
the Presidential Party Down the
Mississippi.

Mississippi.
Congressman Frank Plumley Of
Northfield, was in the city on Thurs.
day and gave Journal reporter an
interesting account of the recent
Lakes to the Gulf Deep Waterways
convention which he attended with
the Presidential and Congressional
delegation at New Orleans. The as
ISOLATION numbers the important
cities from Lake Michigan southwark,
including Chicago, st. Louis, Cairo,
Helena, Kansas City, ETC., and the
main desire is to secure channel
from Lake Michigan to New Orleans,
said channel to be at least ID feet
deep, in order that vessels requiring
that depth of water may pass through
the Chicago Drainage Canal through
the Illinois River, down the MISSISSIPPI
pi to the Gulf and the association was
formed for creating a nucleus of SEN
tlment and energy that would lead
Congress to take up the matter and
make an appropriation. 1t is evident
to anyone who has given the matter
the least thought that the securement
of this wider and deeper channel from
the Lakes to the Gulf, enabling the
successful navigating of the streams
by large vessels would add great i'm
petus to commercial activities along
these shores and would as a natural
result, facilitate the business enter
prises Of the country.
Chicago built the Drainage Canal
out of Lake Michigan to prevent the
distribution of sewage in the lake
proper. To carry this on to the Miss
issippi, some excavation of rock and
earth would be necessary, the
Illinois River would have to be en-
larged, in order to have sufficient
depth at time of low water and there
would have to be much larger out
flow from Lake Michigan than at pres
ent. In fact, the scheme, in entirety
provides for the damming of Lake
Superior to raise that body of water,
to detain the flood tide of spring and
let down the water as needed, entail
ing an enormous expense.
At Cairo, ILL.,, the expense would be
comparatively small, entailing the
removal of the bars and the keeping
open of the channel and there is
no question but that the project would
be simple after reaching Red River, the
waterway from that point being 80 to
200 feet in depth at intervals SO that
it will be seen that the serious prob
lem which confronts the States in
terested is confined between st. Louis
and Cairo.
One of the serious endorsements
relating to the problem is the break
ing away of the banks on one side of
the channel wherever there is con-
cave surface. The streams have eat
en- away the banks little by little
with alarming rapidity and filling with
mud and dirt, have deposited this
mud wherever there was an eddy,
forming bars. These bars are not
and shift about so con-
stantly that the river can not be
charted. This part of the problem is
serious and engineers are working
upon the solution that will prevent
the eating away of the banks. They
think they have an eradicator in what
is called mattress, woven of trees
and bound with wire which is sunk
into the streams and piled with rocks,
forming kind of wall which does
not decay, under water. These mat
tresses cost about $50 lineal foot on
The river front and will have to be
placed at every point where there is
,oncave surface.
This solved, the engineers think
hat the river will wash its own face
through the great force and rapidity
IT the current, providing the channel
S properly confined. The endeavor
8 to induce Congress to help the in
crested States in bearing the great
'urden of the expense. Illinois has
'onded for $2O,0OO,OOO and the gov
is working out the problem
n the State of Ohio. There were
welve boats in the Presidential par
y, the first, the Oleander, carrying
President Taft and his party, the sec
nd, the st. Paul, carrying the Cover
ors, the third, the Quincy, carrying
he congressman, the fourth, the
lily, having the diplomats on board.
by a succession of volunteer
oats. There were two bands on the
rst boats and as each boat was 400
ards from the next, the procession
overed over three miles and the
cad of the fleet caught an occasional
limpse of its tail.
At every town and city, bands and
reworks and shouting people greet
d the delegation and at the smaller
orts, schoolchildren and groups of
eople cheered the flag. Congress-
ian Plumley stated that President
aft was received with the greatest
at every port and that
lew Orleans went wild over him.
here was splendid display of pat