Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume I, Part 19

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. jt. ed. cn; Wilderman, Alonzo St. Clair, 1839-1904, ed; Wilderman, Augusta A., jt. ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 698

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lington; Quincy & Warsaw; Ottawa, Chicago & Fox River Valley; Quincy, Alton & St. Louis, and the St. Louis, Rock Island & Chicago. The Chicago, Burlington & Northern-known as the Northern Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy -is an important part of the system, furnishing a connection between St. Louis on the south and St. Paul and Minneapolis on the north, of which more than half of the distance of 583 miles between terminal points, is in Illinois. The latter division was originally chartered, Oct. 21, 1885, and constructed from Oregon, Ill., to St. Paul, Minn. (319 miles), and from Fulton to Savanna, Ill. (16.72 miles), and opened, Nov. 1, 1886. It was formally incorporated into the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy line in 1899. In June of the same year the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy also acquired by purchase the Keokuk & Western Railroad from Keokuk to Van Wert, Iowa (143 miles), and the Des Moines & Kansas City Railway, from Des Moines, Iowa, to Caines- ville, Mo. (112 miles).

CHICAGO, DANVILLE & VINCENNES RAIL- ROAD. (See Chicago & Eastern Illinois Rail- road.)

CHICAGO DRAINAGE CANAL, a channel or waterway, in course of construction (1892-99) from the Chicago River, within the limits of the city of Chicago, to Joliet Lake, in the Des Plaines River, about 12 miles above the junction of the Des Plaines with the Illinois. The primary object of the channel is the removal of the sewage of the city of Chicago and the proper drainage of the region comprised within what is called the "Sanitary District of Chicago." The feasibility of connecting the waters of Lake Michigan by way of the Des Plaines River with those of the Illinois, attracted the attention of the earliest French explorers of this region, and was com- mented upon, from time to time, by them and their successors. As early as 1808 the subject of a canal uniting Lake Michigan with the Illinois was discussed in a report on roads and canals by Albert Gallatin, then Secretary of the Treasury, and the project was touched upon in a bill relat- ing to the Erie Canal and other enterprises, intro- duced in Congress in 1811. The measure continued to receive attention in the press, in Western Territorial Legislatures and in official reports, one of the latter being a report by John C. Cal- houn, as Secretary of War, in 1819, in which it is spoken of as "valuable for military purposes." In 1822 Congress passed an act granting the right of way to the State through the public lands for such an enterprise, which was followed,

EXCAVATION IN ROCK FOR DRAINAGE CHANNEL AND WATERWAY. (FULL DEPTH IN CENTER.)

SANITARY CANAL - CHICAGO

306.0

162.0

.. . 35 5

160 0

202 0

MANCHESTER

172.0

120 0

170.0

NORTH SEA - BALTIC -·

NORTH SEA - AMSTERDAM -

200 08

SUEZ

328 0

190 0

120

PANAMA

1640

101 68

1.72 16

7872

WELLAND

ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI HENNEPIN -

160 0

800

100 0

ILLINOIS & MICHIGAN

ERIE

600

700

COMPARATIVE SIZE OF NOTED CANALS.

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

five years later, by a grant of lands for the pur- pose of its construction. The work was begun in 1836, and so far completed in 1848 as to admit of the passage of boats from the Chicago basin to La Salle. (See Illinois & Michigan Canal.) Under an act passed by the Legislature in 1865, the work of deepening the canal was undertaken by the city of Chicago with a view to furnishing means to relieve the city of its sewage, the work being completed some time before the fire of 1871. This scheme having failed to accomplish the object designed, other measures began to be considered. Various remedies were proposed, but in all the authorities were confronted with the difficulty of providing a fund, under the provisions of the Constitution of 1870, to meet the necessary cost of construction. In the closing months of the year 1885, Hon. H. B. Hurd, who had been a member of a Board of "Drainage Commission- ers," organized in 1855, was induced to give attention to the subject. Having satisfied him- self and others that the difficulties were not insurmountable with proper action by the Legis- lature, the City Council, on Jan. 27, 1886, passed a resolution authorizing the Mayor to appoint a Commission, to consist of "one expert engineer of reputation and experience in engineering and sanitary matters," and two consulting engineers, to constitute a "drainage and water-supply com- mission" for the purpose of investigating and reporting upon the matter of water-supply and disposition of the sewage of the city. As a result of this action, Rudolph Hering, of Philadel- phia, was appointed expert engineer by Mayor Harrison, with Benezette Williams and S. G. Artingstall, of Chicago, as consulting engineers. At the succeeding session of the General Assem- bly (1887), two bills-one known as the "Hurd bill" and the other as the "Winston bill," but both drawn by Mr. Hurd, the first contemplating doing the work by general taxation and the issue of bonds, and the other by special assessment- were introduced in that body. As it was found that neither of these bills could be passed at that session, a new and shorter one, which became known as the "Roche-Winston bill," was intro- duced and passed near the close of the session. A resolution was also adopted creating a com- mission, consisting of two Senators, two Repre- sentatives and Mayor Roche of Chicago, to further investigate the subject. The later act, just referred to, provided for the construction of a cut- off from the Des Plaines River, which would divert the flood-waters of that stream and the North Branch into Lake Michigan north of the

city. Nothing was done under this act, however. At the next session (1889) the commission made a favorable report, and a new law was enacted embracing the main features of the Hurd bill, though changing the title of the organization to be formed from the "Metropolitan Town," as proposed by Mr. Hurd, to the "Sanitary Dis- trict." The act, as passed, provided for the election of a Board of nine Trustees, their powers being confined to "providing for the drainage of the district," both as to surplus water and sew- age. Much opposition to the measure had been developed during the pendency of the legislation on the subject, especially in the Illinois valley, on sanitary grounds, as well as fear of midsum- mer flooding of the bottom lands which are cultivated to some extent ; but this was overcome by the argument that the channel would, when the Des Plaines and Illinois Rivers were improved between Joliet and La Salle, furnish a new and enlarged waterway for the passage of vessels between the lake and the Mississippi River, and the enterprise was indorsed by conventions held at Peoria, Memphis and elsewhere, during the eighteen months preceding the passage of the act. The promise ultimately to furnish a flow of not less than 600,000 cubic feet per minute also excited alarm in cities situated upon the lakes, lest the taking of so large a volume of water from Lake Michigan should affect the lake-level injuriously to navigation; but these apprehen- sions were quieted by the assurance of expert engineers that the greatest reduction of the lake- level below the present minimum would not exceed three inches, and more likely would not produce a perceptible effect.

At the general election, held Nov. 5, 1889, the "Sanitary District of Chicago" was organ- ized by an almost unanimous popular vote -the returns showing 70,958 votes for the measure to 242 against. The District, as thus formed, embraces all of the city of Chicago north of Eighty-seventh Street, with forty- three square miles outside of the city limits but within the area to be benefited by the improvement. Though the channel is located partly in Will County, the district is wholly in Cook and bears the entire expense of construc- tion. The first election of Trustees was held at a special election, Dec. 12, 1889, the Trustees then elected to hold their offices for five years and until the following November. The second election occurred, Nov. 5, 1895, when the Board, as now constituted (1899), was cliosen, viz .: William Boldenweck, Joseph C. Braden, Zina R.

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

Carter, Bernard A. Eckhart, Alexander J. Jones, Thomas Kelly, James P. Mallette, Thomas A. Smyth and Frank Wenter. The Trustees have power to sell bonds in order to procure funds to prosecute the work and to levy taxes upon prop- erty within the district, under certain limitations as to length of time the taxes run and the rate per cent imposed. Under an amendment of the Drainage Act adopted by the Legislature in 1897, the rate of assessment upon property within the Drainage District is limited to one and one-half per cent, up to and including the year 1899, but after that date becomes onc-half of one per cent.

The bed of the channel, as now in process of construction, commences at Robey Street and the South Branch of the Chicago River, 5.8 miles from Lake Michigan, and extends in a south- westerly direction to the vicinity of Summit, where it intersects the Des Plaines River. From this point it follows the bed of that stream to Lockport, in Will County, where, in consequence of the sudden depression in the ground, the bed of the channel comes to the surface, and where the great controlling works are situated. This has made necessary the excavation of about thirteen miles of new channel for the river-which runs parallel with, and on the west side of, the drainage canal -besides the construction of about nineteen miles of levee to separate the waters of the canal from the river. The following statement of the quality of the material excavated and the dimensions of the work, is taken from a paper by Hon. H. B. Hurd, under the title, "The Chicago Drainage Channel and Waterway," published in the sixth volume of "Industrial Chicago" (1896) : "Through that portion of the channel between Chicago and Summit, which is being constructed to produce a flow of 300,000 cubic feet per minute, which is supposed to be sufficient to dilute sew- age for about the present population (of Chicago), the width of the channel is 110 feet on the bot- tom, with side slopes of two to one. This portion of the channel is ultimately to be enlarged to the capacity of 600,000 cubic feet per minute. The bottom of the channel, at Robey Street, is 24.448 feet below Chicago datum. The width of the channel from Summit down to the neighborhood of Willow Springs is 202 feet on the bottom, with the same side slope. The cut through the rock, which extends from the neighborhood of Willow Springs to the point where the channel runs out of ground near Lockport, is 160 feet wide at the bottom. The entire depth of the channel is substantially the same as at Robey Street, with the addition of one foot in 40,000 feet. The rock

portion of the channel is constructed to the full capacity of 600,000 cubic feet per minute. From the point where the channel runs out of ground to Joliet Lake, there is a rapid fall; over this slope works are to be constructed to let the water down in such a manner as not to damage Joliet."

Ground was broken on the rock-cut near Lemont, on Sept. 3, 1892, and work has been in progress almost constantly ever since. The prog- ress of the work was greatly obstructed during the year 1898, by difficulties encountered in secur. ing the right of way for the discharge of the waters of the canal through the city of Joliet, but these were compromised near the close of the year, and it was anticipated that the work would be prosecuted to completion during the year 1899. From Feb. 1, 1890, to Dec. 31, 1898, the net receipts of the Board for the prosecution of the work aggregated $28,257,707, while the net expenditures had amounted to $28,221 864.57. Of the latter, $20,099,284.67 was charged to construc- tion account, $3,156,903.12 to "land account" (including right of way), and $1,222,092.82 to the cost of maintaining the engineering department. When finished, the cost will reach not less than $35,000,000. These figures indicate the stupen- dous character of the work, which bids fair to stand without a rival of its kind in modern engineering and in the results it is expected to achieve.

CHICAGO GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. The total mileage of this line, June 30, 1898, was 1,008 miles, of which 152.52 miles are operated and owned in Illinois. The line in this State extends west from Chicago to East Dubuque, the extreme terminal points being Chicago and Minneapolis in the Northwest, and Kansas City in the Southwest. It has several branches in Illi- nois, Iowa and Minnesota, and trackage arrange- ments with several lines, the most important being with the St. Paul & Northern Pacific (10.56 miles), completing the connection between St. Paul and Minneapolis; with the Illinois Central from East Dubuque to Portage (12.23 miles), and with the Chicago & Northern Pacific from Forest Home to the Grand Central Station in Chicago. The company's own track is single, of standard gauge, laid with sixty and seventy-five-pound steel rails. Grades and curvature are light, and the equipment well maintained. The outstand- ing capital stock (1898) was $52,019,054; total capitalization, including stock, bonds and miscel- laneous indebtedness, $57,144,245. (HISTORY). The road was chartered, Jan. 5, 1892, under the laws of Illinois, for the purpose of reorganization of

VIEWS OF DRAINAGE CANAL. .

VIEWS OF DRAINAGE CANAL.

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

the Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas City Railway Company on a stock basis. During 1895, the De Kalb & Great Western Railroad (5.81 miles) was built from De Kalb to Sycamore as a feeder of this line.

CHICAGO, HARLEM & BATAVIA RAIL- ROAD. (See Chicago & Northern Pacific Rail- road. )

CHICAGO, HAVANA & WESTERN RAIL- ROAD. (See Illinois Central Railroad.)

CHICAGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY, organized, April 24, 1856, for the purposes of (1) establishing a library and a cabinet of antiquities, relics, etc. ; (2) the collection and preservation of historical manuscripts, documents, papers and tracts; (3) the encouragement of the discovery and investi- gation of aboriginal remains, particularly in Illi- nois; (4) the collection of material illustrating the growth and settlement of Chicago. By 1871 the Society had accumulated much valuable material, but the entire collection was destroyed in the great Chicago fire of that year, among the manuscripts consumed being the original draft of the emancipation proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. The nucleus of a second collection was consumed by fire in 1874. Its loss in this second conflagration included many valuable manu- scripts. In 1877 a temporary building was erected, which was torn down in 1892 to make room for the erection, on the same lot, of a thoroughly fire-proof structure of granite, planned after the most approved modern systems. The new building was erected and dedicated under the direction of its late President, Ed- ward G. Mason, Esq., Dec. 12, 1896. The Society's third collection now embraces about twenty-five thousand volumes and nearly fifty thousand pamphlets; seventy-five portraits in oils, with other works of art; a valuable collection of mauuscript documents, and a large museum of local and miscellaneous antiquities. Mr. Charles Evans is Secretary and Librarian.

CHICAGO HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL COL- LEGE, organized in 1876, with a teaching faculty of nineteen and forty-five matriculates. Its first term opened October 4, of that year, in a leased building. By 1881 the college had outgrown its first quarters, and a commodious, well appointed structure was erected by the trustees, in a more desirable location. The institution was among the first to introduce a graded course of instruc- tion, extending over a period of eighteen vears. In 1897, the matriculating class numbered over 200.

CHICAGO HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN, located at Chicago, and founded in

1865 by Dr. Mary Harris Thompson. Its declared objects are: "To afford a home for women and children among the respectable poor in need of medical and surgical aid; to treat the same classes at hiome by an assistant physician; to afford a free dispensary for the same, and to train competent nurses." At the outset the hospital was fairly well sustained through pri- vate benefactions, and, in 1870, largely through Dr. Thompson's efforts, a college was organized for the medical education of women exclusively. (See Northwestern University Woman's Medical School.) The hospital building was totally destroyed in the great fire of 1871, but temporary accommodations were provided in another section of the city. The following year, with the aid of $25,000 appropriated by the Chicago Relief and Aid Society, a permanent building was pur- chased, and, in 1885, a new, commodious and well planned building was erected on the same site, at a cost of about $75,000.

CHICAGO, MADISON & NORTHERN RAIL- ROAD, a line of railway 231.3 miles in length, 140 miles of which lie within Illinois. It is operated by the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and is known as its "Freeport Division." The par value of the capital stock outstanding is $50,000 and of bonds $2,500,000, while the floating debt is $3,620,698, making a total capitalization of $6,170,698, or $26,698 per mile. (See also Illinois Central Railroad.) This road was opened from Chicago to Freeport in 1888.

CHICAGO MEDICAL COLLEGE. (See North- western University Medical College.)

CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL RAIL- WAY, one of the great trunk lines of the North- west, having a total mileage (1898) of 6,153.83 miles, of which 317.94 are in Illinois. The main line extends from Chicago to Minneapolis, 420 miles, although it lias connections with Kansas City, Omaha, Sioux City and various points in Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company enjoys the distinction of being the owner of all the lines operated by it, though it operates 245 miles of second tracks owned jointly with other lines. The greater part of its track is laid with 60, 75 and 85-1b. steel rails. The total capital invested (1898) is $220,005,901, distributed as follows: capital stock, $77,845,000; bonded debt, $135,285,500; other forms of indebtedness, $5,572,401. Its total earnings in Illinois for 1898 were $5,205,244, and the total expendi- tures, $3,320,248. The total number of em- ployés in Illinois for 1898 was 2,293, receiving

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

$1,746,827.70 in aggregate compensation. Taxes paid for the same year amounted to $151,285 .- (HISTORY). The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway was organized in 1863 under the name of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. The Illi- nois portion of the main line was built under a charter granted to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company, and the Wisconsin por- tion under charter to the Wisconsin Union Rail- road Company; the whole built and opened in 1872 and purchased by the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company. It subsequently acquired by purchase several lines in Wisconsin, the whole receiving the present name of the line by act of the Wisconsin Legislature, passed, Feb. 14, 1874. The Chicago & Evanston Railroad was chartered, Feb. 16, 1861, built from Chicago to Calvary (10.8 miles), and opened, May 1, 1885; was consolidated with the Chicago & Lake Superior Railroad, under the title of the Chicago, Evanston & Lake Superior Railroad Company, Dec. 22, 1885, opened to Evanston, August 1, 1886, and purchased, in June, 1887, by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company. The Road, as now organized, is made up of twenty-two divisions located in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Missouri and Michigan.

CHICAGO, PADUCAH & MEMPHIS RAIL- ROAD (Projected), a road chartered, Dec. 19, 1893, to run between Altamont and Metropolis, Ill., 152 miles, with a branch from Johnston City to Carbondale, 20 miles-total length, 172 miles. The gauge is standard, and the track laid with sixty-pound steel rails. By Feb. 1, 1895, the road from Altamont to Marion (100 miles) was com- pleted, and work on the remainder of the line has been in progress. It is intended to connect with the Wabash and the St. Louis Southern systems. Capital stock authorized and subscribed, $2,500,- 000; bonds issued, $1,575,000. Funded debt, authorized, $15,000 per mile in five per cent first mortgage gold bonds. Cost of road up to Feb. 1, 1895, $20,000 per mile; estimated cost of the entire line, $2,000,000. In December, 1896, this road passed into the hands of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Company, and is now operated to Marion, in Williamson County. (See Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad.)

CHICAGO, PEKIN & SOUTHWESTERN RAIL- ROAD, a division of the Chicago & Alton Rail- road, chartered as the Chicago & Plainfield Railroad, in 1859; opened from Pekin to Streator in 1873, and to Mazon Bridge in 1876; sold under foreclosure in 1879, and now constitutes a part of the Chicago & Alton system.

CHICAGO, PEORIA & ST. LOUIS RAILROAD

COMPANY (of Illinois), a corporation operating two lines of railroad, one extending from Peoria to Jacksonville, and the other from Peoria to Springfield, with a connection from the latter place (in 1895), over a leased line, with St. Louis. The total mileage, as officially reported in 1895, was 208.66 miles, of which 166 were owned by the corporation. (1) The original of the Jackson- ville Division of this line was the Illinois River Railroad, opened from Pekin to Virginia in 1859. In October, 1863, it was sold under foreclosure, and, early in 1864, was transferred by the pur- chasers to a new corporation called the Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville Railroad Company, by whom it was extended the same year to Peoria, and, in 1869, to Jacksonville. Another fore- closure, in 1879, resulted in its sale to the creditors, followed by consolidation, in 1881, with the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway. (2) The Springfield Division was incorporated in 1869 as the Springfield & Northwestern Railway; construction was begun in 1872, and road opened from Springfield to Havana (45.20 miles) in December, 1874, and from Havana to Pekin and Peoria over the track of the Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville line. The same year the road was leased to the Indianapolis, Bloomington & West- ern Railroad Company, but the lease was for- feited, in 1875, and the road placed in the hands of a receiver. In 1881, together with the Jacksonville Division, it was transferred to the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway, and by that company operated as the Peoria & Spring- field Railroad. The Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific having defaulted and gone into the hands of a receiver, botlı the Jacksonville and the Spring- field Divisions were reorganized in February, 1887, under the name of the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad, and placed under control of the Jacksonville Southeastern Railroad. A reorganization of the latter took place, in 1890, under the name of the Jacksonville, Louisville & St. Louis Railway, and, in 1893, it passed into the hands of receivers, and was severed from its allied lines. The Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad remained under the management of a separate receiver until January, 1896, when a reorganization was effected under its present name-"The Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Rail- road of Illinois." The lease of the Springfield & St. Louis Division having expired in Decem- ber, 1895, it has also been reorganized as an independent corporation under the name of the St. Louis, Peoria & Northern Railway (which see).

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

CHICAGO RIVER, a sluggish stream, draining a narrow strip of land between Lake Michigan and the Des Plaines River, the entire watershed drained amounting to some 470 square miles. It is formed by the union of the "North" and the "South Branch," which unite less than a mile and a half from the mouth of the main stream. At an early day the former was known as the "Guarie" and the latter as "Portage River." The total length of the North Branch is about 20 miles, only a small fraction of which is navigable. The South Branch is shorter but offers greater facilities for navigation, being lined along its lower por- tions with grain-elevators, lumber-yards and manufactories. The Illinois Indians in early days found an easy portage between it and the Des Plaines River. The Chicago River, with its branches, separates Chicago into three divisions, known, respectively, as the "North" the "South" and the "West Divisions." Drawbridges have been erected at the principal street crossings over the river and both branches, and four tunnels, connecting the various divisions of the city, have been constructed under the river bed.

CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAIL- WAY, formed by the consolidation of various lines in 1880. The parent corporation (The Chicago & Rock Island Railroad) was chartered in Illinois in 1851, and the road opened from Chi- cago to the Mississippi River at Rock Island (181 miles), July 10, 1854. In 1852 a company was chartered under the name of the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad for the extension of the road from the Mississippi to the Missouri River. The two roads were consolidated in 1866 as the Chi- cago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and the extension to the Missouri River and a junction with the Union Pacific completed in 1869. The Peoria & Bureau Valley Railroad (an important feeder from Peoria to Bureau Junction - 46.7 miles) was incorporated in 1853, and completed and leased in perpetuity to the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, in 1854. The St. Joseph & Iowa Railroad was purchased in 1889, and the Kansas City & Topeka Railway in 1891. The Company has financial and traffic agreements with the Chicago, Rock Island & Texas Railway, extending from Terral Station, Indian Territory, to Fort Worth, Texas. The road also has connections from Chicago with Peoria; St. Paul and Minne- apolis; Omaha and Lincoln (Neb.); Denver, Colo- rado Springs and Pueblo (Colo.), besides various points in South Dakota, Iowa and Southwestern Kansas. The extent of the lines owned and operated by the Company ("Poor's Manual," 1898),

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume I, Part 19

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. jt. ed. cn; Wilderman, Alonzo St. Clair, 1839-1904, ed; Wilderman, Augusta A., jt. ed Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 698

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. jt. ed. cn; Wilderman, Alonzo St. Clair, 1839-1904, ed; Wilderman, Augusta A., jt. ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 698