Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-09-27
%RIeHM0ND ENQUIRER.
~SGnVEsDAY MORNING, zoe
.IMpRoyEMENr OF THE OHIO RIVER.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE OHIO hisEn'
~ va indebted 10 the able and distinguished author,
CHARLES Elle,. Jr, Esq., for Part l. OF ContriouuohS -
,he Physical Geography of the United States. y Hea :"
,ba PHYSICAL Geography of the Mississippi Vahey, o"u
makes suggestions for the improvement OF the Navigation u
the Ohio and other rivers. This elaborate, profound n u
...os,;nr as..v forms one of the series Of Smithsonian Con-
,yihu,ions 10 knowledge, and is beautifully printed uhoef the
direction of the Smithsonian Institution. The learned author
licensees and explains fully his plan of reservoirs for increas-
=, n. opan,ity of water in the Ohio six-fold, and maintain
inn The navigation above 5 feet during all ordinary droughis.
The measurements presented in this paper, and the abundant
facts collected by personal labor and observation Tor a long
-,r;es If vears. have 50 convinced MI. Enet of the feasible
inv Of his proposition, as TO justify him in maintaining that
il 10 uentirely in the power of man to control all the waters
of the Mississippi and Missouri, and compel every river to
flow. with an even current, from its source in The Allegheny
or Rocky Mountains, 10 its home in the Ocean, forever free
from the hurtful effects of floods aud d%roughts." We have
room but for a short extract from a paper, which all should
read for themselves:
at has been the duty Of the writer at former periods TO
conduct surveys along a considerable portion of the Upper
Aileghany and the whole of the Great kanawha, and TO be-
come familiar with the charac ter of the Monongahela as far
"a il ia susceptible of improvement. Aided by this pcrso-
nal, knowledge and the facts acquired in the present investl.
cation. he hazards the opinion that less than a million and a
Quarter of dollars will suffice 10 supply the Ohio with a depth
sufficient for boats OF D feet draught; 10 carry an open ana
permanent river navigation up the Allegheny to Franklin,
and a slack water navigation, during three-iourtns OF the
wear. from Franklin to the line of the Erie railroad in New
Work. improve the navigation of the Monongahela into Vir-
einia. and extend that Of the kanawha ~ or 81 miles above
Point Pleasant-suppying water powers OF nnrlvailed capa-
city and pernanence, on numerous lnes ot STEAMBOAT nu'i-
CATION. and CURLING most essentially Tie OBSTRUCTIVE po"ei
Of the floods. ,oo
miles of river navigation may thus be rendered permanently
available-without reference TO the incidental advantages
thai will how from The work-it may well be doubted whe-
ther there is, in the whole circle OF contemplated pubic I'M
proyements, a projected enterprise which more seriously de.
mands the care and consideration OF those VINO are churgcd
with The protection of the public interests.
1.-THE difficulty which the mind first encounters In contem-
plating this proposition, arises from the apparent immensely
of the mass of waters TO be dealt with. But this is only a
speculation. The quantity has been measured, and found 10
be easily attainable and perfectly manageable.
1.-THE total discharge Of the Ohio, in ordinary low water,
is but 6,000 900 cubic fee, per hour. A pipe no larger than
one Of those used for conveying the water Of the Croton
water works-or three feet in diameter-wiil discharge very
nearly | 600, 600 cubic feet per hour under q head OF 6U feet.
Six such pipes then placed on a dam only oU feet high, and
provided with proper valves, would emit water enough 10
double the quantity flowing down the Ohio at lis usual sum-
mer stage. And if there were three such dams on different
streams, and II pipes in each, and one man 10 snperintend
each dam, and obey the Geographic signal 10 open or close
The valves-or an equipment equal 10 three dams. no higher
than have been already built IN this country, and So pipes
equal in diameter 10 the mains In Broadway, and three men
l., manage The whole-the quantity Of water could be III.
creased ak fold, and the navigation could De maintained
above fye ieel during all ordinary %droughts. AT the same
time such is happily the form OF many OF the western vat
lcys. that dams vi double this height can be often erected
without injury 10 any appreciabie amount vi properly, lm-
proved or susceptible Of Improvement"
The proposition has excited 30 much interest and conf.
dence, thai, on Saturday last the United States Senate voted
S2O.0 for an experimental examination Of the merits of the
proposed scheme. The duties vi this survey will be proba-
Div coufidrd 10 a mixed commissions of Civil and Topographic
c,l Encin-ars-and their movements will be watched with
interest