The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-05-07

THE TIMES.
From the forks to Hammond the river
is navigable for small boats.
Much Work Done.
The East Chicago company has ap-
! propriated sufficient money to dig the
Indiana Harbor canal from the harbor
mouth to what is known as the turn
ing basin, about three miles inland
There remains yet to be dug about a
mile and a half of the channel before
connection IS made with the Grand
Calumet river north of Gibson.
When this mile and a half is com
pleted the great outer belt waterway
will be open to navigation It Will
then be possible for a boat to start at
Indiana Harbor and after passing
through the Industrial city of East
Chicago and the splendid city of Ham
mond. which is destined. to be the
residential portion of the region. it
could proceed, through Hegewisch and
Burnham, through Solvay and East
Side to South Chicago.
| The inner belt waterway is formed
| by the harbor at Indiana Harbor, an
| extension to Lake George and an out
| let to Lake Michigan which will be
provided either by an extension to the
| Calumet river through Wolf river or
/ by means of the opening of Wolf riv-
er at a point near Roby
A Great Estuary Planned.
The Wolf river project in itself is
one of remarkable possibilities The
! Chicago river is a narrow congested
stream inadequate to handle the enor-
nous amount of shipping which seeks
dockage along its banks.
1t is not only narrow. but it Is hope
lessly so. The cost Of buying the prop
erty along its banks necessary to make
the river the proper width would be
prohibitive. This makes it apparent
that its usefulness as a deep waterway
is limited.
In the case Of Wolf river, however
with the exception of the plant of the
American Maize Products company at
| Roby. there are no buildings along its
banks. 1t will be possible If the own
ers of property on both sides of the
river are alive TO their opportunity. to
dedicate a strip Of land 500 feet wide to
the government for harbor purposes.
A quarter of a mile back from the
lake the river broadens out until IL Is
finally part of Wolf lake At the
point where the river and lake Join
it has been suggested that the width
of the harbor be broadened to a thou
sand or fifteen hundred feet This
would provide an enormous turning
basin in which ships could propell
themselves about under their own
power
Wintering Harbor Provided.
1t is proposed that this thousand-foot
channel be extended in north and
south direction for the full length OF
Wolf lake.
A further advantage of this harbor
over the one at Chicago is the fact
that it would be crossed by not to ex-
coed three bridges at its mouth anC
then it would be positively free OF
bridge Instructions for a distance oil
three miles
The cost Of such an improvement
would be large. To dig channel so
feet wide and 80 feet deep for a dis
lance Of half a mile inland and theT
and then to widen that channel TO ,0ot
be a big undertaking
! However, the fact is pointed out tina
in such a harbor the cities of LAX,
county. Ind, would have the most mag
nifcent port on the great lakes TIL
sand taken out of the main channe
would be used to fill in the shallow
waters of the lake up to the edge o
the channel. and factory SITE with
magnificent water frontage, perfec
| dockage, and the unparalleled railwa,
facilities the region offers could b
easily sold for enough to pay the cos
Of the digging of the channel
What is the use OF having so man.
/ harbors and so many canals? That /
the question that is raised by those no
familiar with conditions in the Calu
met district. They do not realize tina
the eyes of the Industrial world ar
focused there, that already the manu-
facturers of iron and steel in Pitts
burg are convinced that they too vii
| have to establish themselves in that in
dustriaI utopia where rail and waite
/ transportation meet, at the point wher
nature has provided the most marvel
/ Gus system of undeveloped waterway
! that can be found anywhere.
II They do not realize that alread
scores of manufacturers Of iron an
steel products are seeking location
along this wonderful Calumet rive
where they can receive their iron bil
| let's or their sheet or structural iro
at their own docks directly from til
/ mills at South Chicago and Gary b
| boat.
Good Land Is Cheap.
They do not realize that the price
acreage along the Calumet river
now so low. at $500 to $4,000 an acr
that It is making terrific appeal t
the manufacturers who desire the az
vantages Of rail and water transport.
ton at a moderate cost
And when scores and scores of mani
featuring plants similar to the Inlar
Steel company, the American Ste
Foundries company, the United Stat,
Metals Refining company, the Republ
Iron and Steel company, the Grassel