ILLINOIS CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS. The celebration of the adoption of the first constitution of Illinois, held at Springfield on Aug. 26, was also notable. Former President Theodore Roosevelt was the principal speaker. Gov. Frank O. Lowden, Dr. Otto L. Schmidt, Bishop Samuel Fallows and others took part in the exercises, which were held in the state fair grounds. There also, in the coliseum, was presented "The Masque of Illinois," by Wallace Rice of Chicago. Miss Florence Lowden, daughter of the governor, acted the part of "Illinois." Weil. The dances CENTENNIAL MONUwere arranged MENT, CHICAGO. and directed by Marie Yung. August M. Eigen was stage director, with Thomas Phillips assistant. The pageant opened with the Indian period and then followed the history of the territory and state, on down to the present, showing the arrival of Marquette and Joliet, the settlement of Kaskaskia, the Fort Dearborn massacre, the admission of the state into the union, the reception of Lafayette, the development of the state prior to the civil war, the civil war, the Chicago fire, the world's fair, and finally the call to arms in the war against Germany and Austria. A striking feature was the roll call of nations made up of various nationalities, each dressed in a costume of the nation represented, showing the national flag. The Illinois Centennial monument was dedicated in Logan square at 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon, with appropriate exercises. W. Tudor ApMadoc presided. The dedication was under the auspices of the Illinois Centennial committee of Chicago. The Rev. John Timothy Stone, D. D., delivered the invocation and Gov. Frank O. Lowden delivered the address. The presentation of the monument was by Charles L. Hutchinson, president of the Art institute of Chicago, and DOUGLAS STATUE. the acceptance by Jens C. Hansen, member of the West Chicago park commission. The monument was erected with money provided by the Benjamin Franklin Ferguson fund, a bequest providing an income which is to be expended by the trustees of the Art institute of Chicago in the erection and maintenance of enduring statuary and monuments in Chicago in commemoration of worthy men or women, or important events of American history. Among other notable centennial celebrations in the course of the year were those at Chester and Fort Gage (Kaskaskia), Starved Rock, Jacksonville, St. Charles, Rockford, Anna, Hoopeston and Carthage on July 4; New Salem, Aug. 16; Vandalia, the second capital of Illinois, Sept. 24-26: Belleville, Sept. 11-13; Albion, Sept. 18; Alton, Sept. 25-27. The centennial half dollar, coined under an act of congress, was distributed on a pro rata basis by Hugh S. Magill, Jr., director of the centennial celebration, and sold at the uniform price of $1. The coinage was limited to 100,000 pieces, and the money made was used for the payment of celebration expenses. The "Centennial Bulletin," published in Springfield, gave full reports of the various events, as well as advance information as to the program of celebrations, From this publication, which will be of value to future historians of Illinois, most of the foregoing facts were taken. ILLINOIS CENTENNIAL COMMISSION. The Illinois Centennial commission, under the direction or auspices of which the celebrations were held, was, in November, 1918, as follows: Chairman-Dr. Otto L. Schmidt, 38 South Dearborn street, Chicago. Secretary-Mrs. Jessie Palmer Weber, state capitol, Springfield. Dr. Edward Bowe, Jacksonville; Hon. John J. Brown, Vandalia: Hon. John W. Bunn, Springfield; Hon. William Butterworth, Moline; Hon. Leon A. Colp, Marion; Rev. R. W. Ennis, Mason City: Prof. E. B. Greene, 315 Lincoln hall, Urbana; President Edmund J. James, University of Illinois, Urbana: Hon. George Pasfield, Jr., Springfield; Hon. William N. Pelouze, 12 West Delaware place, Chicago; Hon. A. J. Poorman, Jr.. Fairfield; Judge Thomas F. Scully, county building, Chicago; Rev. Frederic Siedenburg, S. J., 617 Ashland block, Chicago. Director of the Centennial Celebration-Hugh S. Magill, Jr., state capitol, Springfield. Assistant Director Centennial CelebrationHorace H. Bancroft, state capitol, Springfield. Pageant Writer and Lecturer-Wallace Rice, 2701 Best avenue, Chicago. Manager of Publicity-Halbert O. Crews, state capitol, Springfield. Editor Centennial Memorial History - Prof. Clarence Walworth Alvord, University of Illinois. Pageant Master-Frederick Bruegger, 5420 Cornell avenue, Chicago. SOCIAL SETTLEMENTS IN CHICAGO. Operated by the health department; Dr. John DeWitt C. Cregier-1155 Cambridge avenue. Fernand Henrotin-2415 North Marshfield avenue. Institutional Church-3825 Dearborn street: Rev. A. J. Carey. Little Wanderer Day Nursery and Settlement House-2116 West Chicago avenue; Mrs. Mary A. Cook. Marcy Center-1335 Newberry avenue; Miss Anna Heistad, R. N. Settlement-239 Maxwell Settlement-1214 South Clinton street. St. Mary's Settlement and Day Nursery-656 Sinai Social Center-4622 Grand boulevard; S. South Deering Neighborhood Center-10441 Hoxie avenue; Ernest J. Morris. Union Home-2932 Groveland avenue; Mrs. Hilda N. Johnson-Haskins. University of Chicago-4630 Gross avenue: Miss Mary E. McDowell. Wendell Phillips-2009 Walnut street; Mrs. Laura E. Miller. PUBLIC BATHS. William Loeffler-1217 South Union street. Twenty-Second Street Bath-22d street pumping The Carter H. Harrison bath, opened in January, 1904, is said to have been the first free public bath in the United States. Similar baths in Vienna charged a fee of 2 cents and those in New York 5 cents. The average cost of each plant has been between $15,000 and $20,000, and the average annual cost of maintenance $4,000. Underlying nearly all the streets in the central business section of Chicago are sixty miles of tunnels connecting the freight terminals of the railroads with commercial houses. The tunnels are provided with narrow-gauge (2 ft.) electric railroads equipped with electric locomotives and steel cars. These are used chiefly in transporting goods to and from railroad freight yards and in carrying coal to business houses. Excavated and waste material from new buildings is removed through the tunnels and disposed of. permitting the work of construction to go on without interruption. In 1914 the Chicago Utilities company, which now owns the tunnel system, had in operation 117 electric motors and 3,000 coal, freight and other cars. In addition it had charge of some 24.000 telephones. The original franchise for the tunnel system was granted Feb, 20, 1899, to the Illinois Telephone and Telegraph company, which was organized in 1898 by A. G. Wheeler and associates for the purpose of establishing an independent telephone system. By an amendatory ordinance granted July 15, 1903, the company was given the right to construct and operate a subway system for the transportation of mail matter. papers, packages and freight generally. The news UNDER CHICAGO. tunnels are 19 feet below city datum or 33 feet below the surface of the streets, the trunk line tunnels, being limited in size to 12 feet 9 inches in width by 14 feet in height, and the smaller ones to 6 feet in width and 7 feet 6 inches in height. Part of the tunnel system was put into operation Aug. 15, 1906, but the whole of it was not in use until Sept. 1, 1907. The Illinois Telephone and Telegraph company was succeeded in October, 1903, by the Illinois Tunnel company, which was followed in November, 1904, by the Chicago Subway company. The property of the Subway company and underlying concerns was acquired in April, 1912, by the Chicago Utilities company, the authorized capital stock of which is $53,000,000. TUNNELS UNDER CHICAGO RIVER. Washington Street-Built 1867-1869; length, 1.605 feet; cost $517,000: rebuilt 1909-1911. LaSalle Street-Built 1869-1871: length, 1,890 feet; cost $566,000; rebuilt 1909-1912: length, 2,000 feet: cost $1,200,000. Van Buren Street-Built 1891-1892: length, 1,514 feet: cost $1,000,000; rebuilt 1909-1912. All used for street railway purposes. FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF COOK COUNTY. The commissioners of Cook county by virtue of their office also serve as commissioners of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. authorized by an act of the legislature approved June 27, 1913, and adopted by a referendum vote Nov. 3, 1914. The commissioners Aug. 1, 1918, were: Peter Reinberg, Bartley Burg, William Busse, Joseph Carolan, Joseph M. Fitzgerald, Thomas Kasperski, William H. Maclean, George A. Miller, Daniel Moriarty, Albert Nowak, Owen O'Malley, Dudley D. Pierson, Frank Ragen, Daniel Ryan, William D. Scott. OFFICERS. President-Peter Reinberg. Treasurer-Oscar F. Mayer. Secretary-Peter J. Ellert. Comptroller-Roy J. Barnett. Real Estate Agent-Henry P. Kransz. FOREST PRESERVE PROPERTY. Palatine Preserve-1,150 acres of hilly wooded land; 850 acres set aside and fenced for deer: twenty-five acres of artificial lake, which has developed into a home for water fowl. Elk Grove Preserve-1,600 acres of virgin timber land; has lily ponds and bird refuges. Turnbull, Badek and Glenview tracts; Indian reservation contains all the forest land awarded to Billy Caldwell, the old Indian chief: Turnbull tract contains old Turnbull homestead, established by one of Cook county's pioneers in Indian days; Badek tract, another favorite Indian haunt. Thatcher Park Preserve-Contains also Steele tract; preserve consists of hundreds of acres of oak and maple forest. Salt Creek Valley Preserve-On both banks of Salt creek from the Des Plaines river to the west county line: picturesque river valley with splendid timber land. Beverly Hills Preserve-Promontory of rock on the south side long used as picnic grounds. Palos Hills Preserve-Contains more than 7,000 acres of hilly forest land extending along the drainage canal and back into the Sag district. Chicago Heights Preserve-Forest tract with small bodies of water and streams; located at junction of Lincoln and Dixie highways. Thornton and Glenwood Preserves-Adjoining tracts: fine forest land; said to have been site of a battle between Americans and British in the revolutionary war. All of the forest preserves may be reached by automobile and many of them by street car or railroad. The accompanying man will show in what direction they lie from the central part of the city. Some of the tracts have been improved with paths and roads and a variety of accommodations for visitors, but the idea followed in all cases has been to retain the natural wild beauty of the scenery and not to introduce artificial features such as are found in city parks. Des Plaines River Valley Preserve-667 acres (Wheeling tract); old grove portage of Indian days and scene of reception given Father Marquette, French explorer, who surprised the An idea of the extent to which the preserves Pottawattomie Indians here-the white man's are used by the public may be had from the first visit to Cook county, 1673; Northwestern recorded attendance during the months of park tract, extending from the town of Des May, June and July of 1918, which, however, Plaines to Higgins road, containing tracts of does not include single visitors or family gathnatural forests and sites of half a dozen In-erings. These records show the following attendance: May, 24,560 persons; June, 71,831 North Branch Chicago River Valley Pre- persons; July, 97,089 persons; total for three serve-Includes Indian reservation, Forest Glen, months, 193,480 persons. dian villages. |