The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-01-31
ADVISES KENOSHA To-
OPPOSE DRAINAGE PLAN
City Manager Osborn Receives Communication
from w. G. Bruce, Harbor Commits
siOner of Milwaukee.
BLUNDER
GIGANTIC
Milwaukee Man Claims That the Plans of the Chicago
Drainage Canal Threaten All Harbors
Along the Great Lakes

recent National Rivers and Harbors
Congress in Washington regarding
this subject. In Introducing his sub
Ject upon that occasion, he declared
that the question involved was wheth-
er any one section of the country may
resort to an excessive use of one of
the great gifts of nature to the detri-
ment of another section-w whether one
unit of population with large profit to
itself, may utilize the waters of the
Great Lakes in such colossal quanti-
ties as to injure the commerce of a
wide area and finally whether in so do
ing single community shall be per-
mitted to defy the laws of the United
States"
In support of his contention that
the withdrawal of water for the Chi
cago drainage canal will materially
damage other ports, President Bruce
cites the following statistics:
Both Claim Lowering.
'The Dominion Marine association
of Canada contends that the withdraw
al at Chicago Of 10000 cubic feet of
water per second lowers the levels of
the several lakes and channels as fol-
Lows:
Lake Michigan, IA inches.
Lower sill of lock at Sault Ste. Ma
RE, TO inches.
Lake Huron, IA inches.
Lake Erie, 81 inches.
Lake Ontario, As inches.
Montreal, 1912 inches.
Secretary Henry L. Stimson in 1913
said: Careful observations and cal
culations conducted under the offices
of the United States Lake Survey and
reported through the chief of engi-
neers, covering observations for the
last 46 years indicate that Withdraw
al of 10000 cubic feet per second
would reduce levels at various places
as follows:
Lakes Huron and Michigan, GO
inches.
Lake st. Clair, .6.9 inches.
Lake Erie, 81 inches
Lake Ontario, 4.5 inches.
st. Lawrence River, 4.8 inches"
Friends of the Chicago drainage
system maintain that these lowered
levels are due to other conditions and
cannot be entirely traced to the with
drawal of water at Chicago.
Tells of Big Plant.
Mr. Bruce continues to tell of the
profitable power plant erected at Chi
cago through the plan but maintains
this is being done at the expense of
others.
City Manager Osborn made public
the following summary of the objec-
tions set forth by President Bruce to
the Chicago drainage project, declar-
ing that in his opinion people of Ke-
nosha should know these facts and al
legations:
Summary and Conclusion.
The arguments urged by the people
of the Great Lakes region in opposi-
tion to the colossal diversion of lake
waters into the Chicago drainage can
al are attested to by the official rec
ords of the two governments, the
United States and the Dominion of
Canada, and by other authoritative
sources of information. They war
rant, verify and establish the follow
ing incontrovertible conclusions:
l. That the enormous diversion of
waters into the Chicago drainage can
al has lowered the mean levels of the
Great Lakes by nearly six inches.
2. That, such lowering has caused a
damage to inner harbors and connect
ing channels on the Great Lakes ap-
proximating the sum of S12,00o,000.
3. That, every inch in the lowering
OF the lake levels causes a reduction
In the carrying capacity of an Amer
lean and Canadian lake feet of six
hundred vessels, and consequent to-
tai loss of over 100000 annually.
4. That, the strong current caused
by the diversion is harmful to the riv-
er commerce of Chicago, the efficient
maintenance of an inner harbor, and
the prospective operation of barge
canal system across the state of ILL
nois as a link to the Lakes-to-the-
Gulf waterway.
5. That, the present dilution plan
does not provide Chicago with mod
ern and scientific system of sewage
disposal such as is employed in the
leading cities of the United States and
Europe
That, the strong current caused by
the diversion of 10000 cubic feet per
second has caused damaging overflows
of the westward river lands, at the
same time causing a pollution of the
waters in such rivers in the interior
of the stateA
Z. That, the unlawful extraction of
large volumes of water out of Lake
Michigan has enabled the creation OF
a hydro electric power plant which
yields profits exceeding $1,oo0,00c an
nually to the city of Chicago.
8. That the remedial schemes,
namely, compensating and regulating
works fer the restoration of the lake
levels, are at best purely experimental
and of doubtful expediency.
g. That, the Dominion of Canada
will never consent to an artificial emp
tying of lake waters into the Gulf of
Mexico as against natural flow into
the Atlantic ocean via the St. Law
renee river
10. That, the continued and ex-
cessive diversion of lake waters into
the Chicago drainage canal causes q
great injury to the commerce of the
nation, is in violation of the laws of
the United States, of the treaty re-
lations with the Dominion of Canada,