Pumping the water out of Lake Michigan.

It is well known to our readers that, by an arrangement with the English bond holders, the State of Illinois has given over to them the unfinished canal, from the waters of Lake Michigan, at Chicago, to the Illinois river.—They are about completing it, but the principal difficulty now is, to supply it with water, owing to the level of the lake being eight feet below the bottom of the canal. To overcome this, the present company, after various propositions, finally bethought themselves of raising the water of the lake, so as to supply the canal. They went to Messrs. Knapp & Totten, of this city, and furnished them with a data to calculate whether it could be done, and what force and what machinery would accomplish it. These gentlemen soon furnished an answer to build some powerful machinery for that purpose,—a steam engine and eight pumps of four and a half bore and six feet stroke. We are glad to hear that this eminently scientific firm have been selected to execute this order. Their shop and mechanical force are not excelled by any establishment in the United States.—[Pittsburg Gaz.