The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-07-07
CAIRO ASSURED
OF IMPROBABLE
LFVfE SYSTEMS

Chief Engineer A. ). BALDWIN Oh
the Illinois Central railroad stated
when here Friday in conference rel
ative to the construction OF the i'm
proved levee system of Cairo that the
tracks of the road in the Drainage
District would be raised to a grade
OF 5S or SO feet to the top of the
rails. He added that his road had
abandoned the idea OF building or
changing the route OF the road at
villa Ridge because the owners of
the property for the proposed new
right of way placed a prohibltlye
price upon their holdings. There
fore, the road would cut down the
road bed by reducing the present
grade from 40 feet to 15 feet to the
mile. This necessitates lowering
the grade from 2S to 32 feet at its
highest elevation just south of villa
Ridge The earth obtained in cut
ting down the grade wi be uti-
ized in raising its road bed in the
Drainage District.
RAISE Il'nois Central Truss.
In raising the levee on the Ohio
river side from its present grade the
Illinois Central tracks will be ele-
waited about five feet. As there is at
present only a clearance of Is feet
under the truss of the big steel
bridge where the track passes under
it change will be necessary in the
truss which will raise 1t an addition
al five feet.
In the construction of the new
levee system there will be extensive
improvements upon the plans first
drawn for the proposed So foot
leyee. All the levee will be either
heavily rip-rapped or concreted on.
the outside which will effectually
prevent any erosion by the waters.
This work is to be done on the em-
bankment from the point where the
stone wall is to stop at the Illinois
the Big Four on the north.
Slope of Two Feet.
In raising the Ohio levee to 90
feet there would be a hump or step
off of about two feet where it inter-
sects with the Big Four levee on the
east side of the Drainage District
when it is raised to 5S feet. This
step off will be remedied by raising
the Bib Four embankment to 60 feet
where 1t intersects with the Ohio
ievee and then gradual y sloping it
northwardly to the new So foot
grade in the Drainage District.
1t has been suggested, in the
event that the Illinois Central Will
not raise the lower portion of the
shore span, to run the Ohio levee
across at this point and intersect
with the big fill OF the Illinois Gem
trail bridge approach.
The work of improving by raising
and greatly strengthening the Big
-Four levee in the Drainage District
is progressing rapid Y, the Walsh
Constru6 ton company already dump
ing dirt upon the inside from top
to the base. This work extends
from Cache levee junction down to
point within 500 yards of the plant
OF the Chicago Mill and Lumber
company
Plans Completed Today.
1t is confidently expected that En-
sineer z. l.. Lower, assistant to En-
gineer Miller will have completed
the plans for the entire so foot levee
improvement for Cairo today and
dispatched them to the office of U.
S. Engineer Jervey at Cincinnati Sc
they can be rushed on to Washing
ton and there obtain the desired
permission to cut down the time for
advertising for bids to do the work
from 30 to 20 days. That this per
mission will be granted there is nc
doubt and the work, as stated in
The Bulletin of Saturday morning
wi be inaugurated August first anC
rushed to completion in connection
with the work to be done by thu
state, with its appropriation o
$250,000, the city of Cairo alread!
being prepared to perform it's par
OF the work with the funds obtained
from the recent bond issue OF S100,
900 the First Bank and Trust com
pany having underwritten them b,
guaranteeing to take the entire issu
OF ~ 4 per cent twenty year install
ment bonds at par any time they ar
offered the bank.
Million Dollars to Be Spent. ;.
With the work in the Drainag
District and the City Of Cairo unde
way at the same time there will b
an immense amount of labor wit
its thousands of men and expendi
ture of s99S,0O0, or approximatel
one million dollars before the clos