The Evansville daily journal., 1854-06-05


H. Sanders appointed Secretary. The prin-
cipal object of the meeting was to hear the
Reports Of the committees on State of Canal
and Resolutions, appointed at the meeting Of
May cath.
John Ingle, Jr., Esq, Chairman of the
Committee on the State Of the Canal, read the
following
REPORT:
The committee appointed at meeting of
the citizens, a; the same place on Wednesday |
evening, May oath, 1854, "to make Thorough
examination of the present condition of the
Southern Section of the w. g. E. Canal, and /
report the result of such examination. togeth- 7
er with their views of the measures necessa- /
ry to put said part of the canal in good and
permanent order, at an adjourned meeting of
our citizens" would respectfully beg leave
TO report:
That the committee, in the performance of
its duties, has passed over the line of the ca
nal from Evansville to the Prairie Creek
Aqueduct, in Daviess county, distance of
seventy-fve miles, and the highest point at
which any considerable cause of complaint
OF distractions to navigation is supposed to
exist.
| That we have, both from observation and
enquiry, made ourselves so far acquainted
with existing facts relative tn the canal, its
management, and distractions, as the time
allotted us would admit OF.
! The Evansville level, about l9 miles in
length, we found emptying through break
four mi es from Evansville, which break is re-
ported TO have been the effect OF perforation of
The bank by musk-rats, aud is directly oppo-
ls,t 81, uh oh
ed, from the same cause but few days pre-
vious.
Il This break had been under repair for three
DAYS, and was expected to be go far repaired
as 10 admit of the passage OF the water in tw o
days more.
The force employed consisted of some
eight men ith a repair boat of the regular
, repair force, and eight men in addition, ma
king in all sixteen men.
; In passing over the level, we observed
many logs, stumps, and blocks OF wood in the
bottom of the canal, which cannot fail to be
dangerous to navigation.
The embankments on this level have been
built for fifteen years, and &c neraliy standing
without water, except in those places term
ed "below bottom.'' This long want of oc-
t cupancy by water and traffic, has afforded a
Y fine harbor for musk-rats, and the present re-
suit is, that along the whole length Of the
level the banks ore at freque Mt intervals bad.
ly perforated by this mischievous vermin
through whose holes there are frequent leak:
i which il not early prevented grow TO breaks
{ which draw the water off the level We OBJ.
served numerous recent attempts to repair
the banks so injured, which seemed TO us tc
have been of rather temporary character
n On this level it was mplained that there
e were culverts which leaked and wasted much
q water and which could be repaired by tri
fling expenditure; and we observed Mt one OF
two of them considerable leaks. There q D.
'r peared 10 us a necessity for removing further
r than had been done on this level, rhrubbery
e and br:urs out OF the way OF the tow lines
The aqucduct at Big Creek, the trunk o
which is only about so feet in length we
found in bad condition, one end having sun /
down some 20 inches, in consequence of the
washing cut of the foundation from break
II in the canal adjacent. 1t was feared that the
v structure would sink still lower. a sub.su
: perintendent was at this point with n repair
boat and eight men, who were al work on
% guard bank near by, and who had recently
D repaired the break at the aqueduct. 1t is re-
g ported to US that this same breach has beer
n rebroken some seven to ten times within q
- few months.
: The Pigeon and Patoka SUBMITS on which
Is there was not enough water for navigation
r. were both obstrncted for some hundreds o
A. yards in length and to the depth of som,
N inches, the former with clay and sand wash
ed in from the high slopes in which it is cut
/" /, and the latter with both earth from the slopes
:. and stone from breeches in the dry ston,
e walls which partially line the deep cut
ir through which this summit level runs
A. The high embankments at Gag creek ant
Hurricane creek in Gibson county. and Veal
creek in Daviess county, have suffered con
siderably from sliding and washing whicI
nc appears TO weaken them at some points,
ot From the very serious nature which brea
re in either of these embankments cannot Gai
n. to assume, and the present apparent dance
of disaster, we think those points require i'm
W mediate attention md no small expenditure
The very expensive and heavy work
ELL around the buff between Petersburph an
he the White River aqueduct, extending i
: length about seven miles, claimed our pa,
- ticular attention. This reach, judging fror
lie its cost, its past history, and present appear
al ance might Justly, claim the undivided atter
ton of a superintendent.
1t was to be expected that slides an
breaks would occur here until the embank
ments should become well settled and thi
expectation, as tne puOlc well knows, has nc
1t been disappointed. Several serious break
'ss have taken place OH this part of the wori
several which were doubtless unavoidable
but if the present need of repairs which it
on not undergoing, be a criterian by which I
Judge, the committee cannot vouch for tlI
Y unavodabity Of all the breaches which hav
been here sustained. There are certainl
many points around these bluffs where imm,
ed date additional expenditures, in stoppin
:. leaks, filing gullies, raising low points, al
l"- widening narrow embankments, would len
In to prevent breaks which 10 US seemed likel
.nf to occur wifhnnf such ranairs