The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-01-04
A WATERWAY STUDY.

This means that eventually the Cal
umet region is to develop more ship
ping than any other port on the great
lakes. Consider carefully some of the
wonderful advantages of the Calumet
region in this respect
| l. South Chicago harbor, Indiana
Harbor and Gary harbor give the Cal
umet region three ports of entry
When Wolf Lake harbor is built this
comparatively small region will have
four harbors.
2. These harbors are located so
closely together that eventually the
government will have to take some
action for their protection by means
of an outer breakwater. This will re-
suit in the creation of the most won
derfuI outer harbor on the great lakes.
3. The development of Wolf lake as
the principal port of entry is a logi-
cal one. Wolf lake has a natural
channel to Lake Michigan. 1t has
Istreets over a large expanse of ter
Iritory. 1t affords the only opportunity
for I1arhor, unobstructed by bridges,
that the region has
A. The existance of Wolf lake, Lake
i Calumet and Lake George; all shall
low bodies of water, so. close to the
shore of Lake Michigan, makes the
narrow strip of land between the big
more or less than a natural break
water of enormous size. How logi-
cal it is then that these shallow lakes
should become wonderful inland har.
bors connected by a wide estuary at
Wolf lake.
5. Boats will be able to move about
in these great natural turning basins
under their own power and the de
lays and expense resulting from the
necessity of passing through bridges
and the compulsion to employ tug
boats will be obviated.
6. Then will come the development
of the Calumet river as an inland wa
terway 1t will be the outer belt o.
.
lenormous territory and win prove O
linestimable value in the development
of the region.
1t will thus be seen from this review
lof the probable tendencies in the wa
terway development of the region tina
there are three distinctive classes o
# development possible, and even prob
r able.
d (a) The outer harbor development
S (b) The inner harbor development,
(c) The river and canal develop
k ment.
n 1t is one of the strange things abou
e deep waterway development that
= comes in the reverse of the order tina
If is given above. The rivers and canal
It are developed first, the natural milan
= harbors are developed secondly an
D. the outer harbors are always deve
y oped last. This is the history of Oh
ot cago's deep waterway development
C. and conditions at Chicago and in tn
ID Calumet region are similar.
lie So it may safely be prophesied tina
c. there will be three eras in the develop
l. ment of the waterways of the Cali
n met region.
The first will be the era of the d.
"a veIopment Of the four harbor ei
d. frances, the development of the can;
N and river and the intersecting slip
c. Then will come the congestion of nav
s. CATION that is now being experience
lie in the Chicago river or the building
is bridges and the obstruction of tn
as channel of the river.
= This condition will force the sc
ondary. stage of the development whc
. will mean the dredging of Lake Cal
met, Lake George and Wolf lake ar
their connection with Lake Michiga
by wide unohstructed channels. {
this time the river will be confined
81 barge and ighterage traffic and ii
- real harbor will be in the three lax,
7 mentioned.
b. The advantages of this inland W
j, terway system by which these thr,
lakes will be connected with Lal
Michigan will be so great that all
the dockage around them will
taken up by industrial concerns wit
in few years
he When this is done and the thr,
an lakes have reached the limit of the
it's development as inland aarbors tn,
or will come the development of II
lst outer harbor This will be partly
measure of protection for the mout