Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1905 — The Kankakee River [ARTICLE]

The Kankakee River

The Finding of the Special Commissioner Which Caused It To Be Declared Navigable. • - As already stated in this paper, the County Commissioners of Jasper county have declared the Kankakee River a navigable stream, in so far as their jurisdiction extends, which is to the middle of its main channel along all that part of its length where it forms the northern boundary of the county. The facts upon which this action by the commissioners was based, were obtained by R. W. Marshall, of Rensselaer, whom the Board appointed as a special commissioner to examine and report upon the condition of the river, with reference to its navigability. He made two careful examinations, and one of them an exhaustive one, of the river. The first was on July 20th and day following, in company with Commissioners Halleck and Waymire, Auditor and Messrs J. J. Hunt and Ray D. Thompson, of Rensselaer; Trustee R. A. Mannon and Banker J. P. Hammond, of Wheatfield; and Hon. J. D. Dunn, of Tefft, and his son, G. N. Dunn, of Wichita, Kans. This trip was made in gasoline launches; and the facts in reference to it have already been published so fully in this paper, that we pass over that part of Commissioner Marshall’s report, dealing with that, and give in full his report, as follows, on the second acd more systematic examination. On August 3, 1905, your commiseioner returned to the Kankakee river and made a careful and systematic examination and measurement of the same, going over the whole distance in a row boat. Starting at the northeast corner of Jasper county, near the northeast corner of section 13, township 32 north of range five west, I ran and worked down stream to the terminating point of onr examination of the river, which is the northwest corner of Jasper county and the northeast corner of Newton county, and is near the northwest corner of section 19, township 32 north of range 7 west. The entire distance from sa ; d starting point to said terminating point on the river, measuring all crooks and bends was found to be 29§ miles. From said starting point to Baums’ bridge the average width

of the channel is 250 feet. From Baums’ bridge to Hebron bridge the average width is 200 feet. From J Hebron bridge to said terminating point the average width is 175 feet. | There are several places where owing to shifting sand bars, drift dams and short turns in the river, J the channel narrows down to 100 ( feet in width. These places are quite short. There are many long J stretches of from one fourth of a mile toll mile in length, having a clear open channel from 300 feet to over 500 feet in width. I measured the depth in more than 250 places and found no place where the chancel was less than 4 feet deep, and those only short places; at many other places could not touch liottom with an 18 footj pole. I estimate the average of the depth of the channel from starting point to terminating point to be 71 feet. From the Jasper county side of the river I ‘counted and measured 14H drift dams. These dams are caused by trees fklliig into the river, the roots and branch!s holding them stationaiy where they fall, and catching the drift that comes dowu stream, form dams, some of which in time fill up clear to the bottom. All of these drift da ns obstruct and impede the the flow of the water. Only a small number of them extend far en ugh out in o tbe channel to obstruct

navigation of the river with power beats. There are 33 of them, which if removed would greatly improve the navigability of the river. Of that number I estimate that the removal of eleven of the wor>t,ones would make Jasper" county’s half of the river a navigable stream its whjfle length. Boats —At Dunn’s bridge there are three power boats—gasoline launches. At Baums’ bridge there are seven power boats—6 gasoline and 1 steam stern whee’.dr. At Hebron bridge there are two gasoline launches. At Water Valley, in,Newton county 6} miles by the river down stream from the northwest corner of Jasper county, there are 13 gasoline launches, 2 steam power boats and 1 steam stern wheel pile driving boat. These boats are different lengths and sizes from 14 feet to 36 feet long. All of them are in constant use during the open season, running down stream as far as the rock ledge near Momonce, 111., and up-stream to and above English Lake. Nearly onehalf of these power boats are operated for commercial purposes, carrying freight and passengers for hire. The undersigned knows as a matter of fact that for many years, previous and up to the time that the railroad bridge at Water Valley obstructed their passage, the side wheel steam boats ran npaud down the Kankakee river from Momeuce to English Lnke. Dunn's bridge, Baums’ bridge and Hebron bridge are delightful summer resorts. At Baums’ bridge a new hotel costing $3,000 has just been completed. Cottages and tents thickly studding the banks show that the beauties of this river, as a summer resort, are speedily becoming appreciated and utilized. Considering the conditions disclosed by the examination, the depth, width, volume of water flowing down its channel, the immense water shed to furnish a continual supply, the large number of power boats plying up and down the Kankakee river for pleasure and hire, your commissioner came to the conclusion that the Kankakee river is a navigable stream for the whole distance as stated in the petition herein, viz, fromthe northeast corner of Jasper county to the northwest corner of the same, and that the navigability of the same now is and will continue to be of great public utility, and I so report. I also further report that the Jasper county half of said river *is a navigable stream for the same entire distance, and is of great public utility, and that the navigability and public utility of said Jasper county’s half of said stream can be greatly improved and benefitted at small expense by removing the eleven dams herein mentioned, and that the removal of all of said drift dams and improvement of said stream will not take, destroy, injure nor damage any of the pioperty, real or personal, adjoining said stream, but will 'benefit the laud by the increased drainage obtained by removing such obstructions.

R. W. Marshall,

Commissioner.