Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-14
THE OHIO RIVER, AND ITS CAPACITY FOR M
PROvEMENT BY RESERVOIRS

Memoir Of Charles Elet Civa Engineer.
The unequal distribution Of its volume of water in differ
en seasons Of the year is the only efficient obstruction to
the complete and absolute superiority Of the Ohio river
channel Of commerce, all others in the world,
either natural or artificial The Nile, the Ganges the
Danube and even the Missouri, the Mississippi, and
Amazon have in other respects greater obtaces to their
uniform navigation than has the Ohio But 1t must be
admitted that in large part Of the year the Ohio is
duced low that its numerous sand sheals nearly de-
stroy its navigation Could we quaze its waters that
could always have least feet is depth, we SHOULD
have natural canal which no known river surpass,
and whose capacity would far exceed shat of any railroads
which be eonstructei for stesm the great ocomo-
tive eaergy, be used river of such magnitude
with hundredfod tie effect that it can on railroad.
Nor would such increased power of the Ohio river at all
dninsh the value and utility of railroads bat, on the
contrary, would greatly augment their business
Ohio river which, by the creation Of aluval lands and
by its great axsi channel Of commerce. increases the
magnitude of the valley cities and this furnishes the
movement and the transit lines of those cities The ques
ton then arises whether the equalization Of tcas be
Accomplished If So cen it be done moderate cost
Both these questions must be answered in the afna-
tive and cheapy this great work be done that
it is done poseriy will be astonished at the stupidity
of their The demonstration Of this has been
been made by Mr. ELLET in his report complete that
if the work be done this Memoir least will
main monument to the genius and labors of its author
and the skill of American engineers We have
from the pen OF the many accomplished engineers-and
we have many--n country any thing which better
illustrates superiority this department of science
Our readers perhaps be interested in brief sketch
of the principal features of the Ohio river and anay
sis Of Mr. Eet's plan for reservoirs.
The length of the Ohio is stated by Mr. Elet to be 975
miles. We have in possession calculation of its
length made from the original surveys by which its length
appears to be 900 miles; and feel assured
that many of the distances from point point put down
in the ordinary pilot charts by long
they are represented. The distance from Louisville to
Cincinnati and the distance from Pittsburgh Marietta
are we believe commonly called much greater than they
are However, the Ohio may safely be alled than
900 miles in length Its is nearly southwest the
plane Of its descent ncining toward the well
toward the Mississippi.
The SoURcEs Of the Ohio near Chatauque Lake, (NY)
800 feet above tdewater and 700 feet above Lake
Erie very short canal would there the
the Ohio into Lake Erie If the bottom the lake were
continued to the Ohio horizontally it would ntersect the
river below Marietta that all the Ohio above that point
is above the level of Lake Erie.
At Condesport PENN the highest springs Of the Ohio
are GAG feet above tdewater At the point the
summit level of the Allegheny ridge is S99 feet, $50
feet higher
Mr.. Elle has furnished complete profile Of the slopes
of the Ohio and its principal tributaries 1t may be nte
resting to of readers know the levels and
descents of the Ohio river different points. The fol-
lowing the levels of the Ohio dtore deuqr at the
principal places