The Dolores star., 1923-10-26

nei of the Chicago Sanitary district with the Des
PLANES river at that point. Bids were also re-
ceived at the time for furnishing and erect
ing the steel gates for this lock and for the lock
at Marseilles.
The Marsees lock, begun November 20. 1920.
is now ready for the steel gates and operating ma
chinery. The contract bid price was s1,375,1l5 at
the peak of prices. but William L. Sacket.
superint tendent of tine division Of waterways. re-
ports that it has been completed for 100000 less
than the contract price Bids received last Feb
ruary for the Starved Rock lock and dam
substantially below the states estimate of cost for
that work. These figures Superintendent Sackett
points out show that the Illinois Waterway
be completed well within the $4,000 600 bond Is
authorized by the state
DeSoto's bones lie in the bed nf the Mississippi
river. Rudssou's are-who knows? JoIiet's are
in Canadn. MarGuettes are at ST. ignace Mich
LaSalies 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 dram.
age canal. down the Illinois and Michigan canal
and the Illinois river to the Mississippi and down
the Mississippi to New Orleans. lust Imagine
what they would feel and sayi
For DcSoto the Lower Mississippi in 1911
RadisSon on the Upper Mississippi about 1864
iaSalie may or may not have crossed the Chicago
portage early 1910. but he certainly in 1aso
built Fort Crevecoeur at Peoria. Then descend.
ing the Illinois and the Mississippi to the Gulf
he tool possession of the region in the name of
France and named It Louisiana after iouIs XIV
Joliet md Marquette, in 1873, went by canoe from
Macklnnc to the mouth of the Arkansas by way
of Green Bay and the Wisconsin. They returned
by way of the Illinois and the Chicago portage
And Marquette spent the winter of 1674-5 in a hut
the site Of Chicago.
DeSoto, after the failure of his expedition for
conquest, was bent on escaping from the wilder
ness by marching the continent RadIsson
out of whose explorations the Hudson's Bay
company, was looking for furs. Marquette was n
Jesuit priest engaged in religious work.
Bur LaSalle and Joliet empire builders and
they saw in the Chicago portage the key to water
transportation from the Gulf of St Lawrence to
the Gulf of Mexic" through the heart of the New
World of North America. They said few men
with Ssrvc!s on the Chicago portage could unite
the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico and thev
may tr pardoned the eXaggeraton. for in season
of flood it WIS usual 10 travel by canoe over the
Chicago portage. 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 Desplaines
Hard upon the heels of these great Frenchmen
a of nation builders who had like visions
Could the explorers revisit the Msslssippi
valley they would stand aghast at what has al
ready been accomplished along the line of their
vision. They would marvel at the slowness of
these latter days. They would be puzzled by com
plications. with ramifcations seemingly without
limit.
They would see Chicago of 1923-the third city
OF the world the second city of the wealthlest and
most powerful nation of earth; the first city of the
heart Of that nation. the Mississippi valley.
They weuid see the Chicago river turned Dack.
ward ard flowing into the Illinois, furnishing san.