Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1920 — WATERWAY PERMIT IS ISSUED [ARTICLE]

WATERWAY PERMIT IS ISSUED

War Department Approves Illinois Dakes to Gulf Project. Chicago, Jan. 17. —Permit for the construction of the Illinois waterway, which will open to waterborne commerce 15,000 miles of inland river in the middlewest and connect Chicago with New Orleans, has been received by Governor Lowden of Illinois from the war department. The project includes improvement of the Desplaines and Illinois rivers between Lockport and Xltica. Besides connecting Chicago with the gulf it will provide a water route from the Great Lakes St. Paul, Minneapolis and other northwest ceners either by way of the Illinois river to St. Louis or by the Hennepin canal as a short route from the Illinois river to Rock Island and Davenport. It also will give Chicago direct water connectiota with Pittsburg and several Ohio cities. The cost of the waterway will be about $20,000,000. The return to

Illinois from water power approximately ? and this power will tons of coal annually. ; J r Actual construction be started soon, much preliminary engineering work already havinaAeen done. Construction of this waterway has been agitated for many years and it is said that Father* Marquette contemplated it. For the last 20 years state administrations have sought in vain to obtain government approval and permit of construction. The opening of this water route will be of great commercial importance to St. Louis, Memphis. Kansas City and the southwest. The project will be in accord with improvement of the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri rivers by the government. Locks will be 600 feet long, 110 feet wide, accommodating fleets of barge type boats carrying 6,500 to 8,000 tons of freight.