A report to the Chicago Real Estate Board on the disposal of the sewage and protection of the water supply of Chicago, Illinois / by Messrs. George A. Soper, John D. Watson, Arthur J. Martin.

  • George A. Soper
Date:
1915
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A report to the Chicago Real Estate Board on the disposal of the sewage and protection of the water supply of Chicago, Illinois / by Messrs. George A. Soper, John D. Watson, Arthur J. Martin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    had remained at or near this figure since the great lire in 1870, when the population was about three hundred thou sand.* 5.—POPULATION. The growth of the city has been phenomenal. It has been said that within the memory of living men, Chicago has risen from a village sunk in the mud of a prairie creek to a great metropolis, ranking fifth in the roll of the world's greatest cities. This remarkable growth has been due to the geographical position of the city, the de- velopment of the Middle West as an agricultural region, the development of mining, lumber and live stock indus- tries, the focussing of railroad systems and to the ability and enterprise of its citizens. It is situated at the head of the great agricultural lowland of the Mississippi and Great Lakes region and holds a commanding position as a center both for navigation and land transportation. Over twenty-seven railroad systems converge here. Seventeen steamship lines ply the waters of the lakes. Within a single night's ride by rail are 50,000,000 people. In 1840 the population was 4,470; in 1850, 29,963; in i860, 112,172; in 1870, 298,977; in 1880, 503,298; in 1890, 1,099,850; in 1900, 1,698,576, and in 1910, 2,189,525. In 1914 the population was estimated by the United States Census Bureau at 2,397,600. It is now increasing at the rate of about 150,000 per year. The growth before 1850 was stimulated by the settle- ment of the prairies and by the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848. An era of railroad building ex- isted between 1850 and i860; great industrial activity at- tended the Civil War, [863-1865. 6.—THE CRUDE AND CORRECTED DEATH RATES. Comparing the vital statistics of Chicago with those i New Ym-k, Philadelphia and Boston, and the 34 foreign cities whose records are available for the period [88] to ♦Fifty-seventh Annual Report of the Comptroller of the City of Chicago, 1913, p. 237.