The Holly chieftain., 1923-10-18

mel Of the Chicago Sanitary district Win the LEE
PLANES river at that point. Bids were also re-
ceiyed at the same time for furnishing and erect
fng tile steel gates for this lock and for the lock
, at Marseilles.
The Murseilles lock- begun November 20. 1920.
II now ready for the steel gates and operating ma
chnery. The contract bid price was $1.37o,1l5 at
the peak Of war prices. but William L. Sackett.
superint end.nt Of the division OF waterways. re-
ports that 1t has been completed for 100000 less
than the contract price. Bids received last Feb
ruary fer the Starved Rock lock and dam were
substantially below the states estimate Of cost for
that work These figures. Superintendent sackett
points out. Slow that the Illinois Waterway can
be completed well within the $20.00000O bond H.
sue authorized BY the state
DeSotos bones lie in the bed Of the Mississippi
river RadIsson's are-who knows? Jollet's nre
in Canada. Marluette's at st. Ignace. Mich.
LaSalle's are In Texas.
Suppose one could wake these famous explorers
from the dead and take them from the Great
Lakes to the Gulf through Chicago and Its drain
age canal. down the Illinois and Michigan canal
and the Illinois river7to the Mississippi and down
the Mississippi to New Orleans. Just imagine
what they would feel and say!
For DeSotO saw the Lower Mississippi In 1541
Rad,sson was on the Upper Mississippi about 1855.
LaSalle may may not have crossed the Chicago
portage as early as 1870 hut he certainly In 1882
built Fort Erevecoeur at Peoria. Then, descend.
ing the Iiinos and the Mississippi to the Gulf,
he tool possession Of the region In the name OF
France and named II Louisiana, after Louis, XIV
Toilet and Marquette. in 1873. went by canoe from
Macsnac TO the mouth of the Arkansas by way
of Green Bay and the Wisconsin. They ferurned
by way Of the Illinois and the Chicago portage.
And Marquette spent the winter of 1674-5 In q hut
on the site of Chicago.
DeSoto after the failure OF his expedition for
conquest, was bent on escaping from the wilder
ness by marching across the continent RadissOn.
out Of whose explorations came the Hudson's Bay
company, Was looking for furs. Marquette was a
Jesuit priest engaged in religious work.
But LaSalie and Joliet were empire builders and
they saw In the Chicago portage the key to wdter
transportation from the Gulf OF ST. Lawrence to
World Of North Amercn. They said few men
with 3hOvels on the Chicago portage could unite
the Great Lakes and the Gulf OF Mexico and they
may be pareoned the exaggeration. for in season
OF flood Il was usual to travel by canoe over the
Chicago porsage. They had the vision to see the
full meaning OF this uniting OF the waters at the
Chicago portage between the Chicago river and
the Desp'anes.
Hard upon the heels of these great Frenchmen
of natiOnbuilders who had like Visions
Could tie explorers revisit the Mississippi
valley they would stand aghast AT what has al
ready been accomplished along the line OF their
visitor. They would marvel at the sowness OF
these latter days. They would be puzzled by com
plicato.s, with qualifications seemingly without
liuilt.
They would see Chicago Of 1923-the third city
of the world; the second city OF the weathies and
most powerful nation of earth the first city Of the
heart Of that nation the Mississippi valley
They gould see the Chicago river turned oack
~urd ard flowing into the Illinois furnishing san