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30. harbor for a number of years to come. Therefore it should be im- proved within moderate limits as speedily as possible. The sanitary dis- trict intends carrying .to completion the work of widening the South branch to 200 ft., an improvement of great importance. It also intends re- placing the center pier bridge at Twelfth street with a bascule bridge.., "In addition to this program all the remaining center pier bridges should be replaced by bascule bridges, especially those at Rush, Clark, Wells and Lake streets. "The point of land projecting into the stream at the forks of the North and South branches and the main riv- er should be condemned and dredged, thus creating a turning basin 'and giving more room for the movement of vessels. A plan for the improve- ment of the North branch should be outlined and executed in much the same way as the sanitary district devised and has partially executed the plan for South branch improve- ment. None of these things the san- itary district intends to do. Its work is to promote. sanitation, not naviga- tion. What the community needs now is to have the work of improving navigation entrusted to agencies that can lawfully make navigation the chief aim. This means that the next legis- lature should be prevailed upon to give the city financial power to go ahead with the desired improvements, and that they should be pushed there- after in the interest of navigation, and not as mere incidents to sanita- tion. aa. PACKAGE FREIGHT, BUSINESS. "The managers of the boat lines en- gaged in the passenger business and in the combined passenger, package and fruit business on Lake Michigan are pretty generally of the opinion that the best thing that could be done to satisfy their needs would be to construct a few piers projecting into the lake north of the mouth of the river. ©The area in question is a little far removed from the business center, but on the whole it seems to be the best site available for the purpose. The council has already granted the Chicago Kailways Co. a" franchise for a street car line on Indiana street, extending the present line on that street to the lake front, and it is an- nounced that the new line will be built next spring. should be built as suggested, the cars might be operated on to the piers, or at least to the pier entrance. Pas- sengers would find it much more con- If passenger piers. to be four in number, as follows: THE MARINE REVIEW venient to ride directly to the piers by street car, even if the. distance be a little farther, than to continue the present arrangement under which car lines leave boat passengers in most instances. several blocks from the dock, "As the boats that do a combined passenger and package freight and fruit business desire to handle pis classes of traffic at the same dock, would be necessary to equip some e these piers to handle the package ibus- iness. It should be the policy to have some open dockage where any boats, on compliance with prescribed regulations and the payment of speci- fied charges, 'could take on or unload miscellaneous cargo. Such dockage facilities might 'be supplied in connec- tion with 'the piers now under consid- eration. FREIGHT SUBWAYS POSSIBILITIES. "This location, it is true, is reached by only one freight railroad, the Northwestern, but lighterage and pos- sible car ferriage, if necessary, could be utilized to facilitate the movement of goods. Freight subways are possi- bilities of the future. This location is farther removed from South Water street than the present fruit boat land- ings. But the congestion at the pres- ent docks is so great that the fruit men would be willing to go farther if they could thereby be provided. with more ample facilities. "No detailed engineering plans nor estimates of cost of the suggested piers have as yet 'been prepared. That should ibe done, and if the engineering report is favorable the project should be carried out as soon as possible. The facilities these piers would. afford are very much needed. "Most of those who declare them- selves in opposition 'to an outer har- bor for Chicago, meaning thereby a great lake front freight harbor, con- cede the desirability of passenger piers on the lake front. "The two next steps in the line of harbor development would seem 'to be (1) river improvement, and (2) the construction of piers on 'the lake front north of the mouth of the river. ULTIMATE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM. "The ultimate solution of Chicago's harbor problem presents many diffi- culties. If I might venture an opinion on that proposition it would be that the solution cannot be definitely indi- cated at this juncture. Time and: the trend of developments must serve as guides. The possibilities would seem (1) To depend upon 'the Chicago river to furnish adequate harbor facilities both for the present and the future; (2) to close the Chicago river for la ship. ping, utilize it for lighterage Purposes only, and let the Calumet river 'Serve | as the harbon for the entire city, J, this event the Sag cut-off connecting © the Calumet with the sanitary district canal would serve as the northern oy. let for the lakes-to-the-gulf waterway, if constructed; (3) to build a great harbor on the lake front; (4) to dig a navigable channel in the vicinity of Twenty-second street connecting Lake Michigan and the river and develop the harbor along the sanitary district canal. "I do not believe the Chicago river, with its narrow and tortuous channel, its multitude of bridges and its cur- rent, all of which constitute permanent obstacles to navigation, can ever make anything better than a third-class har- bor. Nor can such a channel be a sat- isfactory outlet for the lakes-to-the- gulf waterway. If Chicago wants a first-class harbor and waterway outlet it cannot place dependence on the tiver alone. Nor does it seem likely that such pier space as can be provid- ed at the river mouth will suffice to meet for all time Chicago's needs in the line of water terminal facilities. "As to the second plan, while Calu- met development is to be favored, the Calumet river cannot satisfy the needs of Chicago proper for water terminal facilities. A railroad line to this city would not think of being satisfied with a terminal at South Chicago only. The terminal must reach the center of heaviest traffic. Water transportation to amount to much must take cogni- zance of the same principle. The wa- ter route, like the railroad, must have its terminal where the business is. A water route with a terminus at South Chicago cannot compete advantageous- ly for Chicago traffic with railroads terminating near the center of the city. LAKE FRONT PLAN. "The lake front plan and the project for a harbor along the sanitary canal with a cut-off to the lake at Twenty- second street, 'both present striking advantages and serious difficulties. One involves taking the railroads to the harbor, and to a degree revolutioniz- ing settled transportation if not indus- trial conditions. The other means tak- ing the harbor to the railroads and to the industrial area. As to whether either is capable of practical realiza- tion, and as to which is preferable, are questions the decision of which must be influenced by time and future de- velopments. Surveys and detailed