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MARINE REVIEW. 9 Chicago Programme of Big Improvements. Several times of late the Review has directed attention to the fact that the people of Chicago who are interested in harbor improvements _at that point are preparing to invoke government aid in lowering tunnels under the river. Their plan of action is plain now. Chicago has a Commercial Club, which is an old and substantial organization, limited toa membership of sixty and including among its monn such men as P. D. Armour, Marshall Field, Francis B. Peabody and other millionaires. Tug men on the lakes are not millionaires as a rule, but Capt. J. S. Dunham happens to be numbered among this circle of Chicago's wealthiest men, and when he was invited to prepare a paper for a dinner which they held a few evenings ago, he outlined the pro- gramme of river improvements that are to follow the appropriation of $700,000 recently obtained from the general government. This appro- priation was secured largely as a result of the war department having some time ago undertaken supervision of navigation interests in Chicago river. It was supposed that the appropriation covered both dredging and straightening of the channel. The Washington authori- ties say, however, that the wording of the appropriation is such that the money can only be used for dredging purposes. Now the Chicago people are endeavoring to have an amendment adopted by congress which will make the balance, after dredging is paid for, available for straightening the channel. They will very probably succeed in their effort. But the plan of securing deeper draft over the tunnels is a feature of the scheme of improvements that is equally important. It is not expected that the government will do this work, but its in- fluence will be used in the matter, as explained in the following ex- tract from the programme outlined by Capt. Dunham: : "A great many people ask me,"' he said, '"'if I believe the tunnels can be lowered to give a draft of 20 feet over them. I say most posi- tively yes, and instead of 20 feet there should be 26 feet. If the tun- nels are to go down the draft of water over them ought to be suffi- cent not only for the present hour, but for many. years to come. As you all know, the city tunnels at Washington, Van Buren and LaSalle streets have become the great arteries of street car traffic. The objection is at once raised against any proposition to lower them that it will result in a great inconvenience to the public, and that for months passengers must be landed far from their places of business. I am convinced that there is little in this objection. Three competent engineers have informed me that it would be feasible to lower the tunnels with the stoppage of street car traffic for only a few days. Their plan is to leave the roof as it is, but go down with the founda- tions and side walls some ten or twelve feet. The tracks would be left on trusses or supported in some way, while the space between the old bottom of the tunnel and thé new bottom was being excavated and rebuilt. The new tracks could be laid and everything prepared for the cable while the cars were still running on the old tracks. All the time that would be lost would be taken up by the removal of the old tracks and supports. After the cars were running on the new tracks the crown of the tunnel could be removed, the river could be coffer-dammed in sections without stopping navigation, or a new roof could be built and the old one then dredged or blasted off. The pro- cedure which the River Improvement Association will doubtless follow to secure the lowering of the tunnels will ke by a petition to the secretary of war against them as obstructions to navigation. During the last season a number of boats have caught on both Washington and LaSalle street tunnels. A statement of every such stranding has. been prepared for future action. When the association decides that it is time to go ahead, these statements will be sent to the war department at Washington with a formal complaint against the tunnels as 'un- reasonable obstructions to navigation.' If the secretary of war follows the usual custom the complaint will be returned to the United States engineer stationed at Chicago and in charge of the government of the river. He willat once investigate the complaint, and if the River Improvement Association can convince him that the tunnels are 'un- reasonable obstructions to navigation' he will so report to the war department. It is seldom that the report of the engineer in charge is overruled by the secretay of war, andif it is notin this case the war department will order the owners of the tunnels to lower them, or, in other words, to remove the obstructions. If the owners refuse to do so then it is the duty of the United States district-attorney to begin suit, but you well know that the beginning of a lawsuit is far from its end... _ " But the public opinion will ward off any danger of law- suit and the efforts of the River Improvement Association are now directed with a view to securing the support of the people."' One of the greatest arguments that will be held out in Chicago to secure public support of river improvements has reference to the equality of freight rates from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan that has been brought about by deeper channels in the Sault river. Referring to this feature of the subject, Capt. Dunham said: 'Before the opening of the government work in St. Mary's river the usual ratio of freights between Chicago and Duluth in the grain trade was about 1 1-2 cents on wheat from Chicago and 3 cents from Duluth. There was then about 14 feet 6 inches of water in Lake Superior navigation as com- pared with 16 feet over the Chicago tunnels, but as soon as boats could load as deep from Lake Superior as from Chicago the ratio between the two points was changed, and there is now but little _ difference in the cost of transportation between them. The lines showing the rates of transportation on Duluth and Chicgao wheat frequently overlap each other on the charts. It will take but little more work by the government before our great competitor in the grain trade on Lake Superior will have the advantage of between 18 inches and 2 feet more water than over the tunnels in the Chicago river. You all know the effects that such advantages will give our Lake Superior competitors. I will only add one technical point. Vessel owners as a rule prefer sending their boats to Lake Superior instead. of Lake Michigan, owing to the improved appliances for handling cargoes at Duluth and West Superior. On even terms Lake Super- or will get the boats and Chicago must pay a premium in higher freight rates to bring them here." Stocks of Grain at Lake Ports. The following table, prepared from reports of the Chicago board of trade, shows the stocks of wheat and corn in store in regular eleva- tors at the principal points of accumulation on the lakes, Dec. 26, 1896: Wheat, bushels. Corn, bushels. Chicagopeeae. aig i eae 13,349,000 5,568,000 Duluth 220 ee ee 2,684,000 8,000 Milwatikee «06 hae eee 350,000. 3,000 Detroit: ss 1s ee ere ae 383,000 . ~---50,000 Toledo. Vs ips sche aee ee eae 1134,000" eli 3 000 =: Buffaloes: er ee ee 2,545,000 350,000 - 20,445,000 6,132,000 - As compared with a week ago, the above figures show, at the sev- eral points named, a decrease of 389,000 bushels of wheat and an in- crease of 306,000 bushels of corn. Yacht builders who were interested in the discussion that attended _ the Enquirer-Say When race in these columns some time ago were greately dissapointed on account of the conflicting. reports as to sizes of cylinders of the Say When's engines, which were given out by peo- ple who were supposed to know something about the engines. Hon. W. J. White, owner of the Say When, has been as much disturbed as anybody on account of these errors. Ca Todd of the Say When ad- | mits that he was mistaken in the sizes of cylinders given out by him, but he seeks to amend matters now by announcing that in accord- ance with orders from Mr. White the cylinders have again been meas- ured and the sizes are, positively, 11% inches, 164 inches and three of 224 inches. Where are the growing cities of the middle west located?. Where lake transportation is available. Cleveland is outstripping Cincinnati. ~~ Buffalo is the most thriving city in the Empire State beside New York. Detroit, Milwaukee, Duluth and a score of smaller places have made. wonderful strides and are outstripping their rivals which have not the: ' advantage of cheap water transportation. Chicago escaped the threat+ ened and anticipated collapse after the World's Columbian Exposition, -- and the recent election in that city showed that its population: had made a remarkable gain. There can be but one cause for this great advance in all lake cities, and that cause is the advantage cheap water Pen ypouialer gives Hens: Holiday excursion tickets are on sale via the Nickel Plate road on Dec. 24, 25, 31, and Jan. 1, 1897. Return limitJan..4. 409 Dec. 31 ~ Army and navy charts of the lakes are kept in stock by the Marine Review, Perry-Payne building. esi 3