The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1851-11-01
MI Letters from the West.
Correspondence Of The Ceci1 Wing.

Correspondence " i"t w" ~ "'S'
CINcINNATTI, Oct. %, 1851.
Trim 10 Cincinnahi-Siaie ofthe rirer- Working
or, and ighiening-Lmiings-
Torns on the Ohio IFesftrari lio! &c, sc.
Irelnecday Oct. 15.-At6 O'Clock this even
Ing we left the Iron City. on board the ''Gossa-
mer," with two feet OF water in the channel,
but after running compile ofmilesdown stream
in consequence of the darkness Of the night, we
anchored by tying to n log at McCrca's Rocks.
Ttursiay.--We got under way this morning
ats A. NJ. Qherr being dcnSe for till that
hou!) and succeeded, by '.liGhtcning' three
tins. in getting along slowly till ?. NJ, wh"n
W, ran on Beaver Shoals, and We're till p NJ
working off, Night them coming on compel
lei MS to lay-by till the next morning.
FriAuv.--We male tocrabc hea!-wny today
till 3 p. NJ. when we ran aground nbou, five
miles below Slcuhcnvilr, nearly opposite where
the residence Of the celebrated chlrt Logan once
stood. By 6 p. NJ, we had worked off but
again at we were on the ''rhrce Sisters, > and
the greatest part % the night wnSsprnt in work
ing off, and reaching Wheeling.
.Sninri1y.-Ths morning at o'clock we left
Wheeling. and at s p. M, struck a bar.
Worked off by A. NJ, Sunday morning, and
lay-bv u, Marietta.
SundaU-At7 this morning we left Marietta
and about 10 A. NJ, passed the Island where
Herman Blennarhasset lived in the enjoyment
of every comfort TIL Aaron Burr destroyed his
domestic happiness and rendered his home n
he'll AT p. NJ. the passengers Uhe male
portion) went ashore, AMI walked miles 10
Tighten the boat and let her pass the shoals at
ButIincton's Island; but il was ''no GO she ran
aground and took till p NJ. to work her off.
NonRuv.-Two miles below Ravenwood we
ran aground at 6, but worked of by A. NJ,
AMI made good days run.
Tnesdgy.--Ran aground opposite Guya ndotte
AT 6 a. NJ, and were till II NJ, working off.
AT Burlington several tons Of freight were mo-
we'd into the fat boat, and the passengers got
ashore aud walked Il couple of miles; but at 2
p. NJ. she stuck at Twelve Pole Creek and re-
manned aground till 6 p. NJ.
IVednes}ay.-We made fine run to-day
without once striking; but had 10 lay-by at Point
Pleasant in consequence of fog at II p. NJ
1'tmsday.--The fog cleared of by 9 A. M,
and we gain got under way. At 10 we light
ened and passed "Four Mile Barr in safety,
leaving the s'IIail Columbian sticking tight and
fast, and reached Cincinnati at II O'Clock NJ.
have been thus minute, at the risk of being
tedious; so that YOU may form some idea of what
navigating the Ohio at low water is. The usu-
al time of running from Pittsburg to Cincinnati,
a distance of 470 miles. is 80 hours. but you
will see we have been 1856 hours, Or better than
week making il. The river is very low, and
in many places the bottom can be seen distinct
ly as we CRATE over the gravel, and all along
the sand bars are sticking up bare and dry.
The manner in which a boat is porfed off is
by dropping spars, which are carried suspended
at the bows, and forcing her over into the chan
mel by means of block d-tackle. A boat is
lightened by crowdine the passengers and a guam
THY of ght into iat-boat or scow, which is
towcd along side, thus allowing her to rise and
float over shoal places.
There are no wharves along the Ohio except
fat-boats, with warehouses built on them, which
can be anchored to suit convenience. These
floating wharves are called sslandings'' and at
them the boats stop and take on, or put off, as the
case may be, freight and passengers.
The Ohio is about 200 or $50 yards wide, in
good stages of water, and travellers say no river
in the world rolls forithe same distance such a
uniform, smooth and placid current It's banks
are generally high and precipitous on either
side, and rise in bold bluffs or cliffs TO the height
of several hundred feet. Between these cliffs
and the river there is generally a strip oflevel
land called bottom, which is under cultivation.
As you float down the noble river, at this season