Year: 1877

The recent irruption Of the water of tn


Desplaines River into the west branch O
the South Branch Of the Chicago River wa


not an evil altogether unmi1ed with good


Regarded from sanitary point, it Was mos


beneficial to the city in many respects. Fo


nearly week there poured through tn,


South Branch volume of water with suc1


force and speed rs to give that branch and ths


main river securing such as they havo moi
| Ind for years. It'took from the bottom o1


the river an accumulated deposit from the


sewers and street washings, and forced it fur


ont into the Lake.. The rush of water was


not confined merely to midstream,-it swept


the whole width Of the river. It cleaned
! awey the mud and the offol at the sewer
openings; it swept around and between the


vessels it secured out the docks, and deep


ened the river better and to greater extent
than could have been done by whole sea-


son of dredging Under the leo there had


been accumulatiug since last November the


sewage of the whole city, and also the filth,


and blood, and even solid matter surrep-


titiously placed there by slaughter-houses
and distillers. This vast deposit, relieved
of its frozen crust, would soon,' under
the rays Of the summer sun, have libernted
its noisome odors and fetid gases, carrying
disease and discomfort into every dwelling.
The canal merely carries off the surface
water, leaving the solid putridity at the bot
tom of the river, but this freshet from the
Desplaines River last week made an etfectual
cleaning out OF the whole stream, leaving it
purer and cleaner thnn it has been for sew
eral years. The public authorities have now
in hand u scheme to build a Hood-eate
to prevent the overflow Of the water
from the Desp1aines into the canal,
Would it not be also advisable to have an-
other gate constructed at suitable point on
the river through which, in the spring, and
at any and all other seasons when the water
in the Desplaines River is more than ordi-
narily. high, that surplus water might be
turned into the South Branch, and thence
carried through to the lake? No other
means can BE- SO available to clean out the
Chicago River thoroughly as to turn
the water of the Desplaines into it,
md carry the filth and currentless sew
age out into tho lake. If such d
publication Of the Chicago River could be
lad two or three times year, the ordinary
lrainage By way of the canal would suffice
% keep the river comparatively clear all the
7ear round. There certainly could be no
objection to such an improvement. The or
1inary cost during one season of dredging
nut the bars created at the bridges and the
openings OF the largo sewers will exceed the
vLole cost of providing for turning all the
'lgh water into the Chicago River from the
>esplaines, and thereby have our river
coured and cleaned more effectual1y than
an be done by any other means.
1t the late freshet shall turn public and
Hcial attention to the subject of utilizing
he occasional high waters Of the Desplaines,
nd making them effective in cleaning the
hicago River, then it will, in addition to
'e good which it has already done, be pro- {
uctlve OF permanent benefit to the city as 1
applying means of getting rid of the
stagnant and offensive waters Of d
10 river, q