Year: 1862

What shall be done with Chicago Rvers
is the one undecided question which, nearer
Than any other, touches the health and
Eonfort Of our citizens and the wholesome
reputation of the city. 1t appeals to every
man, woman and child within the bounda-
1ies of the municipality, in the air we
breathe, in the water we drink, in the sense
Of tastc and the sense Of smell, and as soon
as tie spring rains set in and from that
time onward until the frost ices over the
mixture, stt1tick and slab," within the river
banks, it will appeal so loudly to these and
every other sense, that the regret viii be
as general as unavailing that the question
Tas not answered in time.


Why not, then, do something at onces
It is useless to wait until the enlargement
ofthe Canal affords relief Admit that the
enlargement is among the probabilities,
and three years at least Will elapse before it
can be Of any arail Meanwhile, can men |
Bho value their health or their property |
afford to wait the change which that meas !
ureviu afford? We know that the causes
nov at work, and never more actively than
to-day, in srite Of the Common Council,
are those which produced the disgusting
results Of last year, and that q rep
clifton of these effects, with e1ag-
gcrations proportioned to the in
creased activity of the de1eterious agen-
cies, will be the certain consequence that
the water from the hydraulic works will be
unbearable, that the general health will de-
cline, that the river VIII become great cess
pool impregnating the air for miles around
with its nauseous exhalations, and that
wherever the name Of Chicago goes, some
story concerning the nastiness Of its river
~i1l gowith it.


It is the opinion Of engineers competent
to decide, that the judicIous expenditure Of
8 sum not exceeding twenty thousand dol
lars will almost if not entirely remove the
evil of which everybody will complain.
They say that the laying Of a main from the
South Branch, as low down as Commerce
street, to the lake, at the cast end Of which
shall be pump Of on1y moderate capacity,
worked by q windmill, will insure supply
of lake water large enough to cause an al
NEST constant current between the west end
Of The main and rivers mouth; and that
q similar method would also keep the North
Branch clear We do not doubt it. The
cost, compared with the results to be &C.
ccmrlishcd, would be Insignificant; and i
The plan is practicable and promises sue
cess, there is no reason why it should no
be put into operation at once. We submit
it to the Common Council and tic Boart
of Public Works, asking the two bodies tt
take measures to verify the accuracy O
prove the ialsity Of the opinions that hay
been expressed We can assure them tina
no subject connected with municipal al
fairs is Ct more importance; and that 70
no object would the people more cheerful


bear taxation, than to insurepu water fo
their drink, and pure air for their dali
breath. We need not argue the econom


Of the Improvement for the satisfacdo


Of propery-holders; because all me


among them who know the directions


which streets are pushing out, and tue O


jects sought by the business men who a


removing beyond the city-linits, q


aware that the injury to their pockets By Il


experience Of the two years past, is incs


cmably greater than the highest estimat


That have been made for removing the e,


of which nc speak It is time 10 begin.