The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-10-04

THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE OHIO RIVER.
Mr.. Chas. Etiet Jr, Civil Engineer of some
reputation, presented to Congress new project for
this great object, viz the creation Of reservoirs
hold large quantities of water, with which to feed
the Ohio when in low stage. The volume of
water which passes through the Ohio, during the
twelve months, is sufficient to maintain constant
depth of nine feet on the Wheeling bar if it could
be uniform. Three feetis sufficient for all the pur-
poses of navigation, and the water is at the low
est stages twenty inches in depth, it is only neces
sary to supply fourteen inches for about ninety days
When there is this dep of three feet at Wheeling,
the river discharges 400 900 900 cubic feet of water
daily. When there are % inches on the bar, the
water flowing it is 200 000 900 in twenty four
hours. This is the amount which in low water
must be supplied To maintain the depth at
three feet for one week will at this rate require
1,400,0O0000.
A reservoir one mile square and fifty feet deep
will nearly hold the week supply.
The committee to which the 6ject was referred
thus speak of the practcability of the plan
" 1t can scarcely be doubted, in face of the evil
dences and facts which the author of this plan has
submitted, that depth of three feet be obtained
by the formation Of few large reservoirs on the
tributaries of the Ohio and providing suitable an
paratus for the discharge of the water as it is needed
" The committee deem it unnecessary to COM
nent upon the practicabilIty Of constructing such
dams as will be essential for the success of this
plan or to speculate upon their security or probable
durability The Lehgh Navigation Company alone
have erected no less than 2S dams for the accom-.
mediation of p'rtiOn OF the anthracite coal trade
oil pennsylvania, and many OF these dams are over
30 feet, some 40, and one 50 feet in height
high dams and long pools or great reservoirs are
to be found also on the SchuyIkIll the SusnuehsD
Potomac. and lanes r nj
on the rivers of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana
he plan proposed for feeding the Ohio doe :
not necessarily involve the construction of any de-
scrlpuon OF works which have not been already and
often constructed in this country nor conten plate
the erection of dams more than half as high as
some that have been a century in use in Europe.
II Is well known that the principal reservoir which
feeds the canal of Languedoc in France is formed
| by an embarkment OF earth more than 100 feet
| hlgh and nearly half mile in length. That en-
bankment has accomplished the object for which
1t was erected, and retained all the water which
supplies the greatest canal on the continent for a
period OF more than l60 years, without failure or
accident. Another reservoir on the same summit
Is formed by stone wall more than 90 feet high
and which has been in successful use through a
period of 20 years
If the foregoing views be correct, the commit
Tee are obliged to regard the Western rivers as
great canals, of which the fall is slight and the
motion OF the water consequently sluggish These
rivers may therefore be fed Just as canals are fed
by means OF reservoirs. But as they are canals OF
larger dimensions than artificial canals, they de
mand reservoirs of larger dimensions to supply
them with water And as they give passage to a
greater commerce and float larger boats, and affect
larger interests than accommodated by any ex.
lstlng canals, so they justify the expenditure ol
greater sums, and the creation of larger works, to
supply them with water and perfect their chanrels'
The cost, it is supposed, will not exceed $780,
OOO-certanly an insignificant SUM, compared with
the maintenance of navigation for the entire year
on the Ohio The committee recommend careful
and numerous surveys at different points of the
river, and an examination of favorable points for
the reservoirs
From the report we gather the following facts
Steam navigation may be regarded as success
fully begun on the Ohio in the year 1917; and th,
number of steamboats, in on all The western
waters, at various periods, from that date down H.
The present time appears to have been as follows