Rock Island Argus., 1914-06-04
INCREASE
IN CANAL TRAFFIC
Saving of Over Million a Year to
the People of Illinois May
Be Obtained.

Lockport, ILL.,, June 4.-Navigation in
the Illinois and Michigan canal be-
tween LaSaIle and Lockport, where it
joins the Chicago drainage canal,
promises this summer to show a sub
stantial increase.
Salt barges and many small motor
boats are making use of the pictur-
esque and historic ditch to travel from
Lake Michigan TO the Illinois river.
The canal commissioners are pushing
their campaign for a rehabilitation of
the waterway, which has been known
in the past as the Tad-Pole Ditch, but
which they assert has made a profit
for Illinois since its construction in
1S4S, of S346.335 in cash over the cost
of its construction, and which has prop
erty valued at 100000.
II sufficient money were spent on
the canal to provide il with locks, the
same size as those of the Hennepin
canal, so that it would handle 500 ton
barges, the canal commissioners as
sert the saving in freight rates to the
people in Illinois would be more than
S1.OO0,O00 a year.
The building OF a waterway to
connect Lake Michigan with the Illi-
nois river was first suggested by Louis
Joliet in 1874" says the statement pre-
pared by the canal commissioners.
When Illinois was admitted to state
hood. on account of the canal agita-
ton, the federal government added to
its area fourteen 14) counties of
northern Illinois, which would other
wise have become a part of Wisconsin.
Transportation facilities were very
limited and Illinois lost no time in hav-
ing the canal route surveyed, the work |
being done by two surveyors. named |
Post and Paul. and completed in 1920. !
Congress granted. two years later, the |
present right of way and authorized |
the construction of the Illinois & Mich |
Igan canal.
I'm 1927 the federal government. un-
der the land grant act, gave the state |
Of Illinois 325.OOO acres adjoining the
route for the purpose of aid
ng the state in financing it's project.
The first earth was turned in 1886, but
he canal was not completed until
Is4s. The canal has paid for itself
rom the sale OF lands and other reve-
iues.
AT various times the state has made
appropriations for the canal aggregat-
ng SPAS, ,21O. On the other hand, from
he revenues of the canal over and
Iboye the cost of maintenance and op-
ration, there has been paid into the
tate treasury an aggregate sum of
591, ,545.79 or s346,335.79 more than
he total of the appropriations, leav-
ng the state gamer in cash to that
xtent. The undisputed value of fits
is 100000 or over. There
5 no Indebtedness OF any kind.
The aim Of the present canal com
lissioners is to rehabilitate the canal.
he mule-drawn canal boat is a thing
the past. Even the steam-powered
anal barge is rapidly giving way to
le internal-combustion engine.
"A freight rate chart which the
anal commissioners have prepared
lows that the rate on grain from Chi {
ago to LaSalle by rail is S1.20 per ton,
lille by water route the rate is I9c
sr ton. The rate on salt by rail is {
10 and 19c by water route from
hicago to LaSalle.
Unfair railroad competition. which I
Is heretofore put the canal boats out I
business, II at an end. as shown by Z
act TO regulate commerce, section Y
paragraph 2. reads as follows:
Whenever a carrier by railroad a
shall in competition with a water !