Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1892 — WOLF LAKE IMPROVEMENT. [ARTICLE]

WOLF LAKE IMPROVEMENT.

CONGRESSMAN PATTON OP THE TENTH district hard at work. Logansport Reporter. Repr< gentative Patton from the Tenth district is laboring hard with the committee of Congret-s on rivers and harbors for au improvement of Wolf Lake, in Lake county, whioh occupies the northwest corner of the state. The improvement, as proposed, includes the deepening and widening of W olf river, which is only one mile long and connects the lake with Lake Mioh It would give Indiana a deepwater harbor, opening up avast and profitable commerce for the State. In all the river and harbor appropriations, amounting in the aggregate to hundreds of millions of dollars, Indiana has received, greatly to her detriment, soaroely anything. This harbor could be secured for less than a quarter of a million of uollars. It would admit all kinds of vessels. The outlet of the lake is only six miles from the Ohioago river, whose capacity is greatly over-taxed. The shipping of Chicago is suffering, owini; to the gigantio demands made upon its harbors. The commeroe of that city is greater than all tbe ocean coast trade of the country aud ie constantly growing. The near approach of s he world’ fair, with its additional business, makin the development of Wolf river and Wo 1 lake harbor es much a necessity o Chioag as it will be a benefit io Indioli . In th petition before Congress whioh is signed by hundreds of prominent citizens, county officials, business officials, etc., and also by Governor Chase an.t all the other state officers, it is recounted that the government has long had the impiovement under consideration. Government engineers have reported that Wolf lake would make a fine harbor us far back as 1875. The petition show that the work d'ne to this date at WoP lake cut on Lake M iohigan is: One nundred feet inside sh< e work well built and substantial to previ t Lake Michigan from cutting behind t e pier, six hundred feet pier built from vater’s edge six hundred feet out into Ls e Michigan on northwest side of the, arbor, of Destqualit. white oat, etc., au worth, acoordtng to the above enginee >’ estimates reported to Congress, upwards of SIO,OOO. Upwards of 75,000 yards of dredging were done on Wolf river during 1890, worth $15,000, according to the . same estimate; sems was also done in ! 1781. i heie are on hand in Wolf river, I one steamboat and two dredges and tend - ers, ready to piocoed with the work as soon as the government surveAs and locate s the lines of the river and harbor. It is thus easy t > eee that the harbor can be dev.-looed with very moderate cost, bringing millions of wealth to the State in si ipping intmests. Had tbe improvement been re de in 1875 Indiana would now Lrv. immense tra te on the lakes. The owners < the laud needed for the ! uprov Trier t h ive deeded a strip 300 feet , wide for a h rbor. A. pier 2,400 feet long: would give depth of water of twenty-| four feot, sufficient to accommodate the largest vessels.