Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Part 18

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1388

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acres. In 1894, there were received 8,788,049 animals (of all descriptions), valued at $148,057,- 626. Chicago is also a primary market for hides and leather, the production and sales being both of large proportions, and the trade in manufac- tured leather (notably in boots and shoes) exceeds that of any other market in the country. Ship-building is a leading industry, as are also brick-making, distilling and brewing.

TRANSPORTATION, ETC .- Besides being the chief port on the great lakes, Chicago ranks second to no other American city as a railway center. The old "Galena & Chicago Union," its first railroad, was operated in 1849, and within three years a substantial advance had been scored in the way of steam transportation. Since then the multi- plication of railroad lines focusing in or passing through Chicago has been rapid and steady. In 1895 not less than thirty-eight distinct lines enter the city, although these are operated by only twenty-two companies. Some 2,600 miles of railroad track are laid within the city limits. The number of trains daily arriving and depart- ing (suburban and freight included) is about 2,000. Intramural transportation is afforded by electric, steam, cable and horse-car lines. Four tunnels under the Chicago River and its branches, and numerous bridges connect the various divi- sions of the city.

HISTORY .- Point du Sable (a native of San Domingo) was admittedly the first resident of Chicago other than the aborigines. The French missionaries and explorers-Marquette, Joliet, La Salle, Hennepin and others-came a century earlier, their explorations beginning in 1673. After the expulsion of the French at the close of the French and Indian War, the territory passed under British control, though French traders remained in this vicinity after the War of the Revolution. One of these named Le Mai followed Point du Sable about 1796, and was himself suc- ceeded by John Kinzie, the Indian trader, who came in 1803. Fort Dearborn was built near the mouth of the Chicago River in 1804 on land acquired from the Indians by the treaty of Greenville, concluded by Gen. Anthony Wayne in 1795, but was evacuated in 1812, when most of the garrison and the few inhabitants were massa- cred by the savages. (See Fort Dearborn.) The fort was rebuilt in 1816, and another settlement established around it. The first Government survey was made, 1829-30. Early residents were the Kinzies, the Wolcotts, the Beaubiens and the Millers. The Black Hawk War (1832) rather aided in developing the resources and increasing

Dressed Beef

110,286,652

-HP ENSEN

MANZ

LaSalle Statue.

Hans Christian Anderson Statue.

Alarm Group. MONUMENTS IN LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO.

Signal of Peace.

Buffalo Herd. Bridge Over Lagoon,

Flower Beds. VIEWS IN LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO.

Artesian Fountain.

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

the population of the infant settlement by draw- ing to it settlers from the interior for purposes of mutual protection. Town organization was effected on August 10, 1832, the total number of votes polled being 28. The town grew rapidly for a time, but received a set-back in the financial crisis of 1837. During May of that year. how-

ever, a charter was obtained and Chicago became a city. The total number of votes cast at that time was 703. The census of the city for the 1st of July of that year showed a population of 4,180. The following table shows the names and term of office of the chief city officers from 1837 to 1899:

YEAR.

MAYOR.

CITY CLERK.

CITY ATTORNEY.

CITV TREASURER.

1837

Wm. B. Ogden ..

1. N. Arnold, Geo. Davis (1). N. B. Judd.

Hiram Pearsons.

1838

Buckner S. Morria

Gen. Davis.

N. B. Judd ..

Hiram Pearsoos.

1839

Benj. W. Raymond

Wm. H. Brackett

Samuel L. Smith.

Geo. W. Dole.

1940 Alexander Lloyd

Thomas Hoyne

Mark Skinner ..

W. S. Gurnee, N. H. Bolles(2)

1841

F. C. Sherman ..

Thomas Hoyne

Geo. Manierre.

N. H. Bolles.

1842

Benj. W. Raymond

J. Curtis ...

Henry Brown.

F. C. Sherman.

1843

Augustus Garrett Aug.Garrett,Alson S.Sherman( 4) E. A. Rucker ..

G. Manierre, Henry Brown(3) Henry W. Clarke

Walter S. Gurnee.

1845

Aug.Garrett. Alson S.Sherman( 4) E. A. Rucker. Wm.S. Brown(5) Henry W. Clarke

Win. L. Church.

1846

John P. Chapin

Henry B. Clarka

Charles H. Larrabee

Wm. L. Church.

1848

James H. Woodworth

Sidney Abell.

Giles Spring

Wm. L. Church. Wm. L. Church.

1850

James Curtiss.

Sidney Abell ..

Henry H. Clark

Edward Manierre.

1851 |Walter S. Gurnee.

Henry W. Zimmerman

Henry H. Clark

Edward Manierre.

1852

Walter S. Gurnee

Henry W. Zimmerman

Arno Voss ..

Edward Manierre.

1853

Charles M. Gray

Henry W. Zimmerman

Arno Vogs.

Edward Manierre.

1854

Irs L. Milliken.

Henry W. Zimmerman

Patrick Ballingell.

Urlah P. Harris.

1855 Levi D. Boone.

Henry W. Zimmerman

J. A. Thompson.

Wm. F De Wolf.

1856

Thomas Dyer.

H. Kreismen ..

John C. Miller

C. N. Holden.

1858 John C. Haines

H. Kreisman ..

Elliott Anthony.

Alonzo Harvey.

1859 |John C. Haines

H. Kreisman.

Geo. F. Crocker.

Alonzo Harvey.

1860 John Wentworth.

Abraham Kohn

John Lyle King.

Alonzo Harvey, C. W. Hunt(6)

1861 Julian S. Rumsey

A. J. Marble.

Ira W. Buel.

W. H. Rice.

1862 F. C. Sherman

A. J. Marble.

Geo. A. Meech

F. H. Cutting, W. H. Rice (7)

1863

F. C. Sherman

H. W. Zimmerman

Francis Adame.

David A. Gage.

1864

F. C. Sherman

H. W. Zimmerman

Francis Adams.

David A. Gage.

1865 Joho B. Rice

Albert H. Bodman

A. G. Throop.

1866 John B. Rice

Albert H. Bodman

Daniel D. Driscoll.

A. G. Throop.

1867 John B. Rice

Alhert H. Bodman.

Hashrouck Davis

Wm. F. Weotworth.

1868 John B. Rice

Albert H. Bodman.

Hasbrouck Davis

Wm. F. Wentworth.

1869

John B Rice ( 8)

Albert H. Bodman.

Hasbrouck Dayis

Wm. F. Weotworth.

1870

R. B. Mason ..

Charles T. Hotchkiss

Israel N. Stiles

David A. Gage.

1871

R. B. Mason.

Charles T. Hotchkiss

Israel N. Stiles

David A. Gage.

1872 Joseph Medill

Charles T. Hotch kiss.

Israel N. Stiles

David A. Gage.

1873 Joseph Medill.

Charles T. Hotchkiss.

Israel N. Stiles

David A. Oage.

1874 Harvey D. Colvin

Jos. K. C. Forrest

Egbert Jamieson

Daniel O'Hars.

1875 Harvey D. Colvin

Joa. K. C. Forrest

Egbert Jamieson

Daniel O'Hara.

1876

Monroe Heath,(9) H. D. Colvin, Thomas Hoy ne.

Caspar Butz ..

R. S. Tuthill

Clinton Briggs.

1877-78 Monroe Heath

Caspar Butz.

R. S. Tuthill.

Chas. B. Larrabee.

1879-80 |Carter H. Harrison

P. J. Howard

Julius S. Grinnell

W. C. Seipp.

1881-82 Carter H. Harrison

P. J. Howard.

Julius S. Grinnell

Rudolph Brend.

1883-84 Carter H. Harrison.

John G. Neumeister

Julius S. Grinnen

John M. Dunphy.

1885-86

Carter H. Herrison

C. Hermen Plautz

Hempstead Washburne

Wm. M. Devine.

1887-88

John A. Roche.

D. W. Nickerson

Hempstead Washburne.

C. Herman Plautz.

1889-90

Dewitt C. Cregier.

Franz Amberg.

Geo. F. Sugg ..

Bernard Roesing.

189t-92

Hempstead Washburne.

James R. B. Van Cleave

Jacob J. Kero, G.A. Trude ( 10) Peter Kiolbassa.

1893-94

Carter H. Harrison. Geo. B

Swift,(11) John P. Hopkins.(11 ) Chas. D. Gastfield.

Gen. A. Trude.

Michael J. Bransfield.

1895-96 Geo. B. Swift

James R. B. Van Cleave

Roy O. West.

Adam Wolf.

1897-98

Carter H. Harrison, Jr.

William Loeffler ..

Miles J. Devine.

Ernst Hummel.

1899 -- Carter H. Harrison, Jr.

William Loeffler.

Andrew J. Ryan

Adam Ortseifen.

(1) I. N. Arnold resigned, and Geo. Davis appointed, October. 1837.

(2) Gurnee resigned, Bolles appointed his successor. April, 1840.

(3) Manierre resigned. Brown appointed his successor, July, 1843.

(4) Election of Garrett declared illegal, and Sherman elected at new election, held April, 1844.

(5) Brown appointed to fill vacancy caused by resigoation of Rucker.

(6) Harvey resigned and Hunt appointed to fill vacancy.

(7) Cutting having failed to qualify, Rice, who was already in office, held over.

(8) Legislature changed date of election from April to November, the persons in office at beginning of 1869 remaining in office to December of that year

(9) City organized under general Incorporation Act in 1875, and no city election held until April. 1876. The order for & new election omitted the office of Mayor, yet a popular vote was taken which gave a majority to Thomas Hoyne. The Council then in office refused to canvass this vote, but its successor, at Its first meating, did so, declaring HoyDe duly elected. Colvin, the incumbeot, refused to surrender the office, claiming the right to " bold over:" Hoyne then made a contest for the office, which resulted in a decision hy the Supreme Court denying the claims of hoth contestants. when a new election was ordered by the City Council, July 12, 1876, at which Monroe Heath was elected, serving out the term.

(10) City Attorney Kern, having resigned November 21, 1892, Geo. A. Trude was appointed to sarve out the remainder of the term.

(11) Mayor Harrison, having been assassinated. October 28, 1893, the City Council at Its next meeting (November 6, 1893) elected Geo. B_Swift ( an Alderman from the Eleventh Ward) Mayor ad interim. At a special election held December 19, 1893, John P. Hopkins was elected to fill out the unexpired term of Mayor Harrieon.

Patrick Ballingall.

Andrew (ietzler.

1849

James H. Woodworth

Sidney Abell.

O R. W. Lull

Henry W. Zimmerman

J. L Marsh.

O. J. Rose.

1857 Joho Wentworth

James M. Lowe

Walter S. Ournee.

1844

1847 James Curtiss

Henry B. Clarke.

Daniel D. Driscoll.

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

THE FIRE OF 1871 .- The city steadily grew in beauty, population and commercial importance until 1871. On Oct. 9 of that year occurred the "great fire" the story of which has passed into history. Recuperation was speedy, and the 2,100 acres burned over were rapidly being rebuilt, when, in 1874, occurred a second conflagration, although by no means so disastrous as that of 1871. The city's recuperative power was again demonstrated, and its subsequent development has been phenomenal. The subjoined statement shows its growth in population :

1837

4,179

1840

4,470

1850

28,269

1860

112,162

1870

298,977

1880

503,185

1890

. 1,099,850

1898 (School Census)

. 1,851,588

Notwithstanding a large foreign population and a constant army of unemployed men, Chicago has witnessed only three disturbances of the peace by mobs-the railroad riots of 1877, the Anarchist disturbance of 1886, and a strike of railroad employés in 1894.

MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION. - Chicago long since outgrew its special charter, and is now incorporated under the broader provisions of the law applicable to "cities of the first class," under which the city is virtually autonomous. The personnel, drill and equipment of the police and fire departments are second to none, if not supe- rior to any, to be found in other American cities. The Chicago River, with its branches, divides the city into three principal divisions, known respec- tively as North, South and West. Each division has its statutory geographical boundaries, and each retains its own distinct township organiza- tion. This system is anomalous; it has, how- ever, both assailants and defenders.

PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS .- Chicago has a fine system of parks and boulevards, well developed, well improved aud well managed. One of the parks (Jackson in the South Division) was the site of the World's Columbian Exposition. The water supply is obtained from Lake Michigan by means of cribs and tunnels. In this direction new and better facilities are being constantly introduced, and the existing water system will compare favorably with that of any other Ameri- can city.

ARCHITECTURE .- The public and office build- ings, as well as the business blocks, are in some instances classical, but generally severely plain.

Granite and other varieties of stone are used in the City Hall, County Court House, the Board of Trade structure, and in a few commercial build- ings, as well as in many private residences. In the business part of the city; however, steel, iron, brick and fire clay are the materials most largely employed in construction, the exterior walls being of brick. The most approved methods of fire-proof building are followed, and the "Chicago construction" has been recognized and adopted (with modifications) all over the United States. Office buildings range from ten to sixteen, and even, as in the case of the Masonic Temple, twenty stories in height. Most of them are sumptuous as to the interior, and many of the largest will each accommodate 3,000 to 5,000 occupants, including tenants and their employés. In the residence sections wide diversity may be seen; the chaste and the ornate styles being about equally popular. Among the handsome public, or semi-public buildings may be mentioned the Public Library, the Newberry Library, the Art Institute, the Armour Institute, the Academy of Sciences, the Auditorium, the Board of Trade Building, the Masonic Temple, and several of the railroad depots.

EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES. - Chicago has a public school system unsurpassed for excellence in any other city in the country. According to the report of the Board of Education for 1898, the city had a total of 221 primary and grammar schools, besides fourteen high schools, employing 5,268 teachers and giving instruction to over 236,000 pupils in the course of the year. The total expenditures during the year amounted to $6,785,601, of which nearly $4,500,000 was on account of teachers' salaries. The city has nearly $7,500,000 invested in school buildings. Besides pupils attending public schools there are about 100,000 in attendance on private and parochial schools, not reckoning students at higher institutions of learning, such as medical, law, theological, dental and pharmaceutical schools, and the great University of Chicago. Near the city are also the Northwestern and the Lake Forest Universities, the former at Evanston and the latter at Lake Forest. Besides an exten- sive Free Public Library for circulating and refer- ence purposes, maintained by public taxation, and embracing (in 1898) a total of over 235,000 volumes and nearly 50,000 pamphlets, there are the Library of the Chicago Historical Society and the Newberry and Crerar Libraries-the last two the outgrowth of posthumous donations by public-spirited and liberal citizens-all open to

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

the public for purposes of reference under certain conditions. This list does not include the exten- sive library of the University of Chicago and those connected with the Armour Institute and the public schools, intended for the use of the pupils of these various institutions

CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE, one of the leading commercial exchanges of the world It was originally organized in the spring of 1843 as a voluntary association, with a membership of eighty-two. Its primary object was the promo- tion of the city's commercial interests by unity of action. On Feb. 8, 1849, the Legislature enacted a general law authorizing the establish- ment of Boards of Trade, and under its provisions an incorporation was effected-a second organi- zation being effected in April, 1850. For several years the association languished, and at times its existence seemed precarious. It was, however, largely instrumental in securing the introduction of the system of measuring grain by weight, which initial step opened the way for subsequent great improvements in the methods of handling, storing, inspecting and grading cereals and seeds. By the close of 1856, the association had overcome the difficulties incident to its earlier years, and the feasibility of erecting a permanent Exchange building began to be agitated, but the project lay dormant for several years. In 1856 was adopted the first system of classification and grading of wheat, which, though crude, formed the founda- tion of the elaborate modern system, which has proved of such benefit to the grain-growing States of the West, and has done so much to give Chicago its commanding influence in the grain markets of the world. In 1858, the privilege of trading on the floor of the Exchange was limited to members. The same year the Board began to receive and send out daily telegraphic market reports at a cost, for the first year, of $500,000, which was defrayed by private subscriptions. New York was the only city with which such communication was then maintained. In Febru- ary, 1859, a special charter was obtained, confer- ring more extensive powers upon the organization, and correspondingly increasing its efficiency. An important era in the Board's history was the Civil War of 1861-65. During this struggle its attitude was one of undeviating loyalty and gener- ous patriotism. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were contributed, by individual members and from the treasury of the organization, for the work of recruiting and equipping regiments, in caring for the wounded on Southern battlefields, and providing for the families of enlisted men. In

1864, the Board waged to a successful issue a war upon the irredeemable currency with which the entire West was then flooded, and secured such action by the banks and hy the railroad and express companies as compelled its replacement by United States legal-tender notes and national bank notes. In 1865, handsome, large (and, as then supposed, permanent) quarters were occu- pied in a new building erected by the Chicago Chamber of Commerce under an agreement with the Board of Trade. This structure was destroyed in the fire of October, 1871, but at once rebuilt, and made ready for re-occupancy in precisely one year after the destruction of its predecessor. Spacious and ample as these quarters were then considered, the growing membership and increas- ing business demonstrated their inadequacy before the close of 1877. Steps looking to the erection of a new building were taken in 1881, and, on May 1, 1885, the new edifice-then the largest and most ornate of its class in the world -was opened for occupancy. The membership of the Board for the year 1898 aggregated con- siderably in excess of 1,800. The influence of the association is felt in every quarter of the com- mercial world.

CHICAGO, BURLINGTON & NORTHERN RAILROAD. (See Chicago, Burlington &

Quincy Railroad.)

CHICAGO, BURLINGTON & QUINCY RAIL- ROAD (known as the "Burlington Route") is the parent organization of an extensive system which operates railroads in eleven Western and Northwestern States, furnishing connections from Chicago with Omaha, Denver, St. Paul and Minneapolis, St. Louis and Kansas City, Chey- enne (Wyo.), Billings (Mont.), Deadwood (So. Dak,), and intermediate points, and having con- nections by affiliated roads with the Pacific Coast. The main line extends from Chicago to Denver (Colo.), 1,025.41 miles. The mileage of the various branches and leased proprietary lines (1898) aggregates 4,627.06 miles. The Company uses 207.23 miles in conjunction with other roads, besides subsidiary standard-gauge lines controlled through the ownership of securities amounting to 1,440 miles more. In addition to these the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy controls 179 miles of narrow-gauge road. The whole number of miles of standard-gauge road operated by the Burlington system, and known as the Burlington Route, on June 30, 1899, is estimated at 7,419, of which 1,509 is in Illinois, all but 47 miles being owned by the Company. The system in Illinois connects many important commercial

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

points, including Chicago, Aurora, Galesburg, Quincy, Peoria, Streator, Sterling, Mendota, Ful- ton, Lewistown, Rushville, Geneva, Keithsburg, Rock Island, Beardstown, Alton, etc. The entire capitalization of the line (including stock, bonds and floating debt) amounted, in 1898, to $234,884,- 600, which was equivalent to about 833,000 per mile. The total earnings of the road in Illinois, during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898, amounted to $8,724,997, and the total disburse- ments of the Company within the State, during the same period, to $7,469,456. Taxes paid in 1898, 8377,968 .- (HISTORY). The first section of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was constructed under a charter granted, in 1849, to the Aurora Branch Railroad Company, the name being changed in 1852 to the Chicago & Aurora Railroad Company. The line was completed in 1853, from the junction with the old Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, 30 miles west of Chi- cago, to Aurora, later being extended to Mendota. In 1855 the name of the Company was changed by act of the Legislature to the Chicago, Burling- ton & Quincy. The section between Mendota and Galesburg (80 miles) was built under a charter granted in 1851 to the Central Military Tract Railroad Company, and completed in 1854. July 9, 1856, the two companies were consolidated under the name of the former. Previous to this consolidation the Company had extended aid to the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad (from Peoria to the Mississippi River, nearly opposite Burlington, Iowa), and to the Northern Cross Railroad from Quincy to Galesburg, both of which were com- pleted in 1855 and operated by the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy. In 1857 the name of the Northern Cross was changed to the Quincy & Chicago Railroad. In 1860 the latter was sold under foreclosure to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and, in 1863, the Peoria & Oquawka was acquired in the same way-the former constitut- ing the Quincy branch of the main line and the latter giving it its Burlington connection. Up to 1863, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy used the track of the Galena & Chicago Union Rail- road to enter the city of Chicago, but that year began the construction of its line from Aurora to Chicago, which was completed in 1864. In 1872 it acquired control, by perpetual lease, of the Burlington & Missouri River Road in Iowa, and, in 1880, extended this line into Nebraska, now reaching Billings, Mont., with a lateral branch to Deadwood, So. Dak. Other branches in Illinois, built or acquired by this corporation, include the Peoria & Hannibal; Carthage & Bur-

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- iug 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

09%

···· 35.5

202 0

MANCHESTER

772.0

€6

7216

NORTH SEA - AMSTERDAM -

200 08

SUE2

328.0

190 0

topz

PANAMA

+ 1640

101.68

72 16

78 72

WELLAND

ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI HENNEPIN -

160 0

800

.....

100.0

ERIE

ILLINOIS & MICHIGAN

600

700

120 0

170.0

NORTH SEA - BALTIC -

82.0

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

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Part 18

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1388

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1388