Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-03-24
ATTENTION FOR
THE WATERWAYS
IfSmed@te Confederation To Be
Given Bus by Senate and
House Committees.
OPPOSITION Is MIrmIZED
Federal Objections Have Been Com.
Piled With So Tint No Delay
IN Expected.

1RA ~A@ @<za4B @AA~T 9z4&IEGu SSs~-"&-
terwEy bills are to be immediate at
tention Of committees. Meetings are
being arranged for this week by
Representative Charles A. Gregory,
chairman of the house waterway
committee, and Senator Thurlow @.
Essington, chairman of the senate
waterways and canals committee,
With the main measures, propos-
ing the route of the channel and
specifications for Its construction,
in both houses, others cleaning up
the details of appropriations and
subordinate matters are expected
. at once,
Opposition to the administration
plans has been minimized, 1t is be-
lieved, by conference with Demo-
cratic leaders before the bills were
drafted and by, an arrangement
whereby cities affected by the
course of the waterway are to be
consulted in the local engineering
Questions,
Federal objections also have been
complied with, SO that building Of
the waterway is not to be held Up
by failure Of the government TO ap-
prove the plans.
1.-THE government has authorized
the expenditure of G hundred mil
lion dollars for construction of
barges and tow boats on the Miss
issippi river" said William L.
5ackett, superintendent of water
ways, "and all Of these boats can
navigate through the waterway TO
Chicago" His statement vas made
in discussing the traffic possibilities
of the water route after Frank I.
Bennett, director OF the department
A&f public works and buildings, had
said work might begin next fall IL
thn Legislature would authorize It
by passing the waterway bills.
with locks and channel capacity
now contemplated" said Sackett,
fleets could navigate from New
Orleans to Chicago without break
ing bulk, carrying 5000 tons of
freight at cost seventy per cent
less than at present. Fleets of a
ton and six barges, 800 feet long by
thirty feet wide, could be used or
fleets OF eight barges and tow, the
latter thirty-four feet wide by ITO
feet long"
11NhCAG bAAtS LILLE 4dNACA LyPC VI
barge could operate through the /
Hennepin canal, making a cutoff be-
tween Chicago, Rock Island, st. |
Paul and Minneapolis.
Before the war he continued, |!
Germany could lay down freight /
in the port of New York for less
money than the manufacturers of
he middle west could transport
n Al ~ tn AThuv Vnrt~ {
country The middle west has been
seriously handicapped in conse-
quence. With water transportation,
Chicago and all middle west points
will be given equal opportunity for
transportation that will meet COM
petition from any point in the
world. It will mean a vast increase
in population and resource"
Sackett said ocean-going vessels
could be constructed in the ship
Yards of Chicago and that the pro-
posed waterway would permit OF
their being sent to the gulf, light
draft. The channel, he stated,
would not be deep enough at eight
feet to take the big ships through
loaded.
Early completion of the waterway
- OSGAt 6bICg AC S1lbs AOI LILO 1CdbOA
that effort is being made to cut
channels from the lakes to the
Ohio river in other states.
Pennsylvania and Ohio are both j.,
making the effort and expanding
many millions more than the ILL.,
nois projects will cost" he said.
Should the Illinois waterway not
DO built and other waterways are
aafF ~ al ~1tdlEA .
suffer transportation handicap it '
never could overcome" !
Same Route Used.
With reference to construction
plans, Sackett said that the admin
istration bills propose the river :
sscute of the 1915 measure, bat do !
not include as a fixed part OF the !
plan the portion OF the Illinois and :
Michigan canal from Joliet to the
Illinois river. Instead. 1t Is the in :
tention TO use the river route en- /
tIrely unless unforeseen conpIica- =
lions arise, in which event the state I
Ia authorized to construct channels =
outside the river to Whatever extent y
proves To be necessary. Eliminat- !,
ing the canal. It is pointed out, re- = I,
luces the number of locks by four,
The 1915 bill calling for eight within !"
he so miles between Lockport and =
LaSalle where the channel strikes q
ne Illinois river. q
The 1915 bill provided for locks .
IL to 55 feet wide and $50 to 300 y
'eet long. These were not consid- Y
red adequate by the government. y
The present bills propose locks 10 -
eet wide with q disable length of Il
100 feet. -
General dimensions OF the water -
way are $50 feet bottom width and -
op width Of from 200 to 300 feet -
The minimum depth in earth sec a
ions will be eight feet, with ~ ~
epth Of ten feet over rock sections n'
nd a depth OF II feet over inter u
ills OF locks In order to make DOS
ible future navigable depth OF Ia m
set throughout without changing N
be locks. 90
Provisions are made for develop !
lent Of waterpower. =.
a. m
II III tn