Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-09-28

data be furnished las believe there can and win be, showing
the praccsby and probable Of this undertaking chem
remains for Congress to say whether the national treasury
shall aid in improving upon this principle And sir no not
feel that subject myself the charge Of inconsistency Or
yagance in supporting this amendment To order SURVEYS
made to test the value OF proposed improvement and
appropriate money afterwards to carry 1t out two
distinct, substantive propositions
In view of the extreme beraty manifested by Congress in
reference TO various that deem infinitely more
visionary than this and Of less importance the country at
committee.
Mr.. BENTON. Mr.. President wish to ask one ques-
on OF the chairman Of the committee of any member of
o committee That question is short II is this
many ieet will be required the junction of the rivers
lsnrg to give inch the mouth of the Ohio rverf
mn oNDEkWOOD. can perhaps give the gentleman
some information the subject The evaporation will
uinsh column Of water started at Pittsburg be-
you enarge the surface very little by the addition of
hee OF iour iee in the altitude. Therefore, the dmputon
nom evaporation which goes through your channel of
mas whether artificial or not the same ratio will be-
hardly any thing at ALL Now if you give ia three feet Of
altitude at Pittsbug, and keep up the supply contnnon
will give you an addition Of three feet al the month Of he
river upon the painest Of all mathematical and physical n
Sp,ss Is ns AZ rttsburg and above. the angle Of
from one foot up to three feet per mile you advance
the sources Of the Allegheny When YOU get below p;t,s
burg begins to diminish continually until you reach the
tails Of the Ohio at Lousve and below the falls and from
that down to the mouth Of the river the descent Is onv At
the rate OF some four five inches per mile Now the
principle is that nsmuch you diminish the plane the
water runs on with less velocity and BY the supply you in
crease the altitude Ia that way this effect will be produces
BY the addition of three feet to the altitude of the river
flsburg according to the calculation, you will have nearly
the same addition at the mouth Of the river owing to the
difference in the plane which passes and the differ
ence Of the velocity occasionsd by the of the de-
scent. 10
Mr.. BENTON My question has not been as poiptedlv
answered wished and will, therefore, bring my own
knowledge to bear upon the subject appshend there are
four ways in which the volume Of the river may be
diminished One by solar evaporation another is by abb
sopon in the sand with which the Ohio river is well sup
Piled the third by expansion by the river becoming
wider and the fourth way by the quantity of water taken
out of for The last, however, will not dwell upon
nor upon any except the single Of expansion That
practical question Of which every Judge for HIMSELF
he has two data to go upon-he breadth Ptsburg and
the breadth at the mouth Now without undertaking to say
what the breadth actually will assume it to be two hun
ded yards at Pittsburg and thousand yards the mouth
of the river then would take without allowing drop for
evaporation, or absorption, for USE FIVE feet Pitsburg
to one foot at the mouth Of the river under the head of eI
panson alone.
Mr.. President we have arrived at a time when we want
to do business This is experiment which comes very
suddenly upon us, and think had better vote upon it.
and postpone to another me and proceed the consdera
ton Of other and more important business.
Mr.. UNDERWOOD. The gentleman says that five
1ee rise at Pltsburg in river two hundred yards wide will
only give you foot at the mouth the thousand
feet wide that is say that If the mouth Of the river is
five times as wide the supply at Pisburg, graduating it
the river That perfectly certain based upon those princ
pies and nothing more but the Of the gentleman is
that ne does not take into consideration all the elements which
are necessary to arrive at correct conclusion If he will
ecolec that the fall at the mouth is but the Of about
four inches to the mie and the fall Purg the rate Of
two feet per mile, and then make the estimate how much
more water will pass fall of feet per ie than
will pass fall of four inches per mile and bring that
into the calculation, he will approximate the truth n his
conclusion, and when that additional element is taken into
consideration it is precisely have stated i-that you will
have nearly the same amount of actual elevation the mouth
Of the river as you will at the place of supply.
Mr.. DAVIS, of Massachusetts There can be no doubt
about the praccaby Of this scheme provided there are the
means of reservng the water. That the question TO be
decided, and there nothing all in question Of this
Kind II has been very often brought to the test know
within my own knowledge that in Of much less inn
Portance and consideration than the Ohio river the mill
power has been than doubled by resevng the
The lyqueston is whether you find upon the trbu-
tary streams of the Ohio places of sufficient magnitude
where you may dam and the waters distributing
them properly upon the tributaries increase the
stream Whether that be DONE is the question be-
tested You can unquesonaby increase the volume of
ter In the river ITSELF and increase greater extent
you able to make greater less number of these
basins and to give them greater less depth There can
be question about the praccabiy of The scheme and
there is really nothing new in it.
Mr.. DICKINSON. stated the other day that was OBJ
posed to this matter without any examination. think the
discussion which has opened upon all the physical sciences
put together, shows the Improperly of entering upon such
matter in the appropriation bill. do not know how useful
may be, but know that this 900 would purchase
the ground for more than single basin and then when
there comes dry and call upon Professor Espey
to rain it full shall want another appropriation. Ihope the
Senate will upon the amendment without further DELAY
Mr. DAVIS of Mississippi The Senator from New York.
like those who have gone before him, argues this pro-
position to construct the reservoirs that supply the
with water Il is such thing all II is only make
survey Gentlemen called upon decide upon
the practcabiy Of carrying out the scheme II is only
proposition to get the Information by which such decision
may be reached II is to build the dams, but to survey
the country is not buy the land to be covered with
water but to what land may be covered with water
These all preliminary questions Gentlemen have gone
awaiting the information which such discussion might be-
raised for the Senate to determine whether they
will have the surveys made not Hereafter the question
will be whether will make the works not stated the
other day that whenever proposed draw upon the
Treasury Of the United States for money such
reservoirs should oppose it. but that found practical
be to such extent the of the river would
bear would be willing by law impose such duty on the tom
mage of the river should make the Improvement Gentle
have been led away from the question before u.s. and
merely wish to recall their attention what it really is
Mr.. BENTON. We all understand this matter of sur
veys Or If we do not might understand it from the little
fable we used to read, when children of the man
who went to the Forest and asked for little piece of wood to
make an axe-hande. His request about be granted
when an old tree, older than the rest said eff you give him
wood to make an axehandle shall all be down." 80
is with these suveys-aer the survey made money fol-
lows, as matter Of course, to do the work.
Mr.. DAVIS Of Mississippi This is an entirely different
matter from making the Improvement Every Senator pre-
sent must know that the Government Of the United States has
repeatedly made