Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-08
will be asked to make an appropr1a-

will be asked to make an appropr1a-
ton therefor.
Plans for Waterway.
When the department Of public
works and buildings was organized,
| It at once took up the study of
| waterway route connecting the
| Great Lakes with the Mississippi
river. The first governor of the
| state. in his first message to the
legislature, called the attention of
mat body to the importance of this
waterway Finally, the Illinois and
! Michigan canal was quilt. In its
day it played a great part in the
development of Illinois. 1t more
tnan paid for itself directly, and
I the indirect benefits were untold.
| Even in its half decay, it held down
/ the rates of railroads for a large
and important region. In recent
/ years, it has been practically aban-
! ttoned
! There were several reasons for
| this The railroads were permitted
TO make rates so low in competition
with the canal, even at loss to
I themselves, that the canal could no
! 'Onger compete. In addition. the
canal was altogether too small for
! economical use under modern con-
ditions. The present method of
! transportation on inland waterways
! is to employ a large number OF
| 5arges with single tow. This re-
quires a larger canal and larger
! locks.
For many years the desirability
Of superseding the old canal by a
/ modern waterway has been urged.
/ Legislation was enacted by the
49th general assembly. This legis-
lation contemplated different routes.
/ No engineering data, however, had
| neen gathered. and there was no in
/ formation in the possession of the
! department upon WHICH any idea OF
! the cost of the different routes could
| be based The department employ
/ I'd NJ G. Barnes, who had lately
! been consulting engineer in the re-
! construction of the Erie canal.
General William H. Bixby, former
! chief Of the engineer corps or the
! United States army. and later pres
dent of the Mississippi river COM
/ mission, was called into conference
at every stage of our investigation.
/ We began a study of the different
( routes proposed. They were brief
/ iv, first. to use the old Illinois and
Michigan canal altogether; second,
+ to use the canal in part, and the
! Des PLANES and Illinois rivers in
! Part; and third, the all-river route.
! Our Investigations snow the ap-
Droximate cost of the above prof.
! Gets. and this, together with other
data in our possession. will be sub
/ tnitted to your honorable body.
/ While the last route is the most
expensive. it is the only one be-
/ l.eved adequate to accommodate
! economically the commerce which
/ might be expected to develop in the
near future. Reports have been
made. from time 10 time. during
/ the last hundred years by the engi-
! leering corps of the United States
/ army upon this waterway. They all
agree upon the all-river route, and
I this is the route which nature has
| marked out. After the fullest con-
4 alteration l have been able to give
! 10 the subject, I favor the route.
Early in my administration. an
appropriation of $150.00O was Sc
/ cured from the federal government
'or the rehabilitation Of the old ca
nal. To accomplish This, much work
has already been done. and it is ex-
pected that it will be open for com
MERGE early in the spring. A trans
portation company mas been organ
lied in Chicago. which has already
built some barges and is building
more to be used upon the canal. in
/ the coming season. 1t was believed
that a considerable commerce
would develop Immediately, if the
old canal were reOpened. and that
Il the event your honorable body
authorized the larger plan, the ca
nal would be invaluable in cneaply
Transporting materials for the con-
struction of the larger project.
The water transportation on the
Great Lakes grows IN voIume each
,ear Chicago, in tonnage entered.
I is the second port OF the United
States. having a tonnage rour-f1fths
as large as that of New York. 1t
is but little more than sixty miles
from the Great Lakes system OF
| waterways to the Mississippi sys-
tenn. The first white explorers of
this section, almost two centuries
and a half ago. pointed out that with
this link improved. there would be
a natural highway from the lakes to
the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mex
ico. With this accomplished, Chi
cago. although 1000 miles from the
seaboard. might easily become the
first port in tonnage of the United
States.
The industrial centers Of Illinois
are 900 miles nearer the Pacific