Show OPEN CANAL chicago connects great lakes V gulf of mexico continuous water route from lak michigan to the mississippi in the form of a great sewer constructed at a coi of chicago jan 2 at 9 this morning water was turned into the drainage canal and began to flow toward lockport and will fall into tho desplaines and thence through tho illinois and mississippi rivers to the gulf what Is termed by the canal engineers the collateral channel has for some timo bean completed from the chicago river la the northern part of the city to within 15 feet of the main channel this fifteen toot wall and awo sluices have been all that kept tho chicago river and lake out of the canal A few before 9 the water in the collateral channel was against the sluice gates and only a few inches of remained to remove before chicago was to realize her dreams of years and aeo the great canal in actual operation when the water began to back up against tho sluice gates the timber was knocked away and tho first water from the chicago river ran into the canal the engineers of the sanitary district have cut a channel to carry cubic feet of water a minute but today the water was allowed to flow into the canal at the rate of only cubic feet a minute the effect of turning cubic feet of water a into the empty canal would bs like the bursting of a reservoir and would tear away every bridge over the canal and wreck abo controlling works at lockport therefore the water will be turned in gradually probably a week will clapa before the canal is full of water and carrying away the that now floats into the chicago river the occasion that might have been made one of the most eventful in the history of chicago was permitted to pass by unimproved because the trustees of the sanitary sant tary district were intent on their one great aim the opening of the canal aside from the trustees and engineers of the board there were less than a dozen spectators present |