Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-02-15
INSIDE STUFF" ON
WATERWAY MEET IS
GIVEN OUT TODAY
COMMITTEE WILLING TO HEAR
GOVERNOR RATHER THAN THE
GOVERNOR HEAR HEM IA
SALE MAN GOES TO MAT WITH
EXECUTIVE.

N-~ - 'ifT'" oSAr ' " MA ! WI ! n
EXECUTIVE.
Inside stuff on the recent water
ways conference at Springfield. which
: Was called by Governor oWden. wa.
given out tCday following a story ear
ried IN press dispatches l,om Spring
Held. Al the request Of the state exec
utiye. Secretary largraye. who at
tended the meeting as a representative
Of La sale. held the tun story Of the
meeting up until today.
AZ the meeting Governor Lowden
said that he had siyci. up the idea o.
any immediate construction of the
Chicago and La Sale waterway. The
executive sait that the wartime
shortage of labor and materials pre
sent inadequate legislation nsuiiic.
cient funds. the absence Of prepara
tory engineering work and the hostil.
ty OF the war department made any at
tempt at construction impractical at
this time
He said thai the position recently
taken by the war department had not
remcdied its position toward the
Dunno plan waterway
Baker Favors Waterway.
THIS statement was APPARENTLY
made without consideration of the
Iact that instead of being hcstilc tt
the move Secretary Baker had strongly
endorsed the waterway project Baker
also declared in the same memor2n
dum that no more important factor
concerning transportation has come
up than the waterways question.
Those in attendance claim it was an
parent that members OF the committee
present at the Springfield meetlnf
seemed willing to sit back and let Gov
ernor Lowden plan the entire system
rather than to speak in behalf Of thcn
own various communities To man
they appeared willing 10 accept any
thing that he offered
When the question came up of us
ing the old Illinois and Michigan canal
ai a cost for repairs Of 100000 to the
state, pending the construction Of III
new Sl9S c. waterway as favored
by oWden Secretary Hargrayc. quot
ing Capt Blow ana f. r Wilder ol
Chicago and other well posted water
way men went to the mat with the
governor and heated discussion ol
The merits Of the old canal resulted
Mr. Harsrayc held that the use of the
canal even temporarily with improve
mcnts, would do more than any other
one thing TO discrcdit the new system
when il is put IN operation It has beer
prCyen time and again. according TO
Nh. Halgraye. that The use of shallow
waterways and small barges cannot
be made TO operate successfully on ac.
count Of the expense being greater
than the financial realization
Engineers Gives Figures.
NJ G Barnes of Albany. New York.
an eminent waterways engineer. made
a report ON The estimated cost Of three
separate ideas. The first hcing an al
canal system, tie second yarlat ion
Of the Dunno plan and the third an ali
liver system from here to Chicago.
The all canal system, which was
the cheapest cf the three systems me,
with practically no favor from
members OF the committee This svs.
TEN calls for locks 5jx250 feet with
capacity OF 12.00O,COo tons at u cents
a ton The cost for this system would
be $3.50, with locks ajX25 and
width of % feet With seventy foot
width the cost would mount to ST..
2JJ ,O3H This system would furnish
absolutely no watcrpowe revenue for
the government
Plan two, with the accruing power
revenue will be The cheapest OF the
proposed systems This system. as
favored by Gov Lowden, is varta.
tion of the Dunno plan This plan,
according to Barnes. with locks 55x2j .
and 100 foot river bottom and 36 too
channel would cost approximately SS.
jl9,35H, with 20 foot channel 1886. /
OCO.
Plan three with river locks 7lXGnl
feet would cost Sln,2ee o. With
% foot channsl the cost would be in.
creased tc Sla,5iG00s With 100 foot
channel aud locks x60o feet would
cost Sl9,S00 This is the plan
favored by Lowden and this is the
first time the figures have been made
public
II the J. a NJ canal is user from