Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-01-23
RESEP
NEoEh ' OINS.
To the Editors of the Times

OF Reservoirs, originally appeared in the North Amerl-
aud Gazette, and the subject one ofdeep interest
to the people Of Virginia. and now creating inquiry and
examination, its publication in your columns may prove
interesting to many OF your numerous readers. H.
IMPR OvEMENT OF THE WESTERN RIVERS.
CHARLES Elicit, JR., CIVIL ENGINEER.
The public mind has been long impressed with the
importance OF improving the navigation Of the great
rivers which water the Mississippi valley and spread out
their branches from the base of the Allegheny that of
the Rocky mountains. Political views have retarded
the work. Constitutional objections have been raised
ment.
But the Ohio alone receives the waters and floats the
productions of eight OF the largest and most fertile
States OF the Union; and when population shall have
tended to the sources of the Arkansas and the MsSou
ri, there will be interests so general vast,
those dependent on this navigation; and the Constlu
ton must then either receive different reading be
fitted 10 the actual necessities OF the country
The navigation OF the great rivers OF the West is not
to be perfected by any system that has yet been pactsed
either by the separate States by the General Govern
ment. The wing dams that have been used to con-
tract the channels, can rarely add more than few
inches to their natural DEPTH while that advantage is
often compensated by the aernconvenences which
these works involve when the river rises above its sum-
mer height Locks and dams occasion delay at all
times and are found by experience to be exceedingly
pernlcous in a fair stage OF water.
Little good has yet been effected, but by the removal
of snags and The natural form OF the rivers is
well adapted to purposes OF navigation and needs but
little aid from art The channels are broad enough for
the manGuvers of the largest boats, and their descent
SO gentle that their currents be easily semmed in
the highest floods. Nature seems to have formed them
with view to their navigation They great canals
ready dug for the OF MAN, and adjusted that they
may be made tributary to his wants 1t is left to his in
dusry and intelligence to avail himself OF the bounteous
gilt
What is needed to make the Ohio and all the great
rivers OF the West permanently available is steady ind
plentiful supply of luater. Nothing more. And ma
tue has been bounu in this also and has furnished the
water and the necessary means OF making it useful.
These rivers generally dry up in summer, to such
extent that navigation almost entrey suspended But
an ample supply is furnished during the winter and
spring, aud annually discharged in destructive floods.
Io improve the navigation properly, we must collect
this wasted water in the mountain valleys, during the
seasons OF over abundance, and discharge it into the
streams i'll the summer, when their sources begin to tall
We must dam up the mountain gorges and form lakes
during the melting OF the SHOWS, and drain them off
again when the summer drought prevails. AS we har-
vest in the summer and away the crops for winters
consumption, we must collect the rains in the wntn
and use the surplus water in the summer
Just as we supply the deficiency of our navgabe
canals, so must we supply that OF navgabe rivers
by the proysono ample reservoirs The greater cham
mel will OF course require greater labor and the forma
ton OF larger lakes and the greater value of the object
will Justify the greater cost OF execution.
The character of the Ohio and the topography of its
sources, present the means OF providing ample depth
OF water Tor the movement Of steamers of any desirable
draught, and the constant transportation OF commerce
OF any magnitude that the necessities Of society can
create. For this purpose considerable lakes must be
formed on streams having moderate descent running
through wide valleys where dams OF reasonable height
will flood an of some miles in length and BREADTH
and collect the waters OF district
he Ono, throughout its course is subject to frequent
and sudden changes OF the depth Of its channel rang
ing from less than foot in the ryest months of sum
mer to 3d. and sometimes 60 feet in height during the
winter and sprngfreshets.
From November to July, it is enlvened by the move
ment OF steamers Of every class reghed with the pro-
duets OF millions OF while from InlV tn
ber its trade is often conveyed in keel boats pushed
along by poles, at the rate OF two miles an hour
In the season OF drought, its many hundred steam
boats are laid up in idleness and their crews--some
fifteen thousand men-discharged and when the
streams again filled by the autumn rains these keel
boats are land aside in their turn to wait for the wants
OF another summer
But 1t is not the five six hundred boats, nor the
twenty millions OF dollars now annually expended in
running them, which constitute the primary interests
suffering from the lmpertections of their channels
1t the interests of the agriculture the commerce the
LABOR the capital OF the whole country dependent upon
this navigation that is mainly affected The weight is
borne by the OF the community and it is the inte-
rest OF the whole mass that demands the relief
i his relief can be obtained by simple, practical and
efcent means, easy OF application, extensive in their
influence, and certain in the result
These rivers need only constant supply of water
and the quantity needed easily ascerained and not Diff
hcult to procure.
Inc ONO the upper part Of its course will not ave-
rage low water more than eight hundred or one hou
sand feet in width Its length from Pittsburgh to its
confluence with the Mississippi, is nearly 1000 miles, or
about 100000 of feet. To raise the surface of the
water one loot throughout the whole Of this H.
yer, will then require volume equal to one thousand
hnes I'VE mllllons-hat is, five thousand mions-ot
cubic feet.
A reservoir capable OF holding and furnishing
supply sufficient for this purpose-that u.s. for raising
Inc whole surface OF the river at midsummer one foot
would DC about two miles long, one mile wide and one
bic lake. -"
There are many ponts--some within nv own know
ledge, and one Just before my window where a re-
seryor seven miles long, and Of thrice this capacity,
coulo De formed Tor less than quarter of million Of
dollars The contents OF such reservoir, discharged
gradually into the Ohio, by either the Allegheny or Mo
nongahea, IN way to raise and maintain the surface
about one foot above low water mark at Pittsburgh
would keep the upper portions of the river supplied with
ths additional depth OF II inches for thirty DAYS and
its effect would be sensiby felt far as the Mississippi
But not proposed here to provide the means of
supplying additional foot only to the summer depth
OF this navigation. Such improvement would not
Dc worthy the age or the government or the vast inte
rests already at stake
to permit the great steamers Of the lower Mississippi to
bring their passengers and freight all seasons without
breaking bulk, from New Orleans to Pittsburgh And
this is the improvement, and nothing less Than this
which is demanded by the existing commerce of the
country 10 course OF time still greater depth will be
advisable an6 will be provided But five feet is needed
2lOl9
When there is depth of five feet in the channel of
the Ohio, the surface velocity OF its current is about
three miles per hour. 1t will probably average 10000
feet per hour for uniform depth of five feet and uni
form width OF 1000 feet
These elements-whch are not obtained from exten-
slve surveys, but from measurements and much OBJ
seryahongye tor the discharge of the river at that
stage about 5oOoo,O00 cubic feet per hour.
10 keep up the depth Of five feet in the channel we
must then obtain the of supplying very nearly
this quantity OF water-say fifty mill ons OF cubic feet
per hour.
A reservoir two miles long and one mile wide will
contain more than fifty millions of cubic feet ior each
loot 10 depth Therefore, to supply the quantity OF water
which is required to maintain constant depth of five
iee SUCH reservoir must be drawn down at the rate Of
100 feet deep, must be exhausted in .fre days.
Reservoirs have been formed and used for many years
in the Canal of Europe, more than 100 feet deep and
there are points on the atfiuents OF the Allegheny and
Monongahela and Kanawha where dams OF that heiq hi
could be constructed for two or three hundred thousand
dollars that would flood area of eight or ten square
miles, and supply water enough to maintain the nayi.