The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1855-12-05

length Of Miles |
Between Pittsburgh and Wheeling 10
bctwccN Wheeling and Cincinnati II |
BetwcCfCintinnati aud louisville % |
Between .ouisyle and Portland, talel
BctwCtn Portland and Evansville ~
between Evansville and CuTo 81
The average fall Of the river from Pitts
burgh to Calio, is smal! fraction over A.
100 ofa foot to the mile, so that not more
than tie proposed number of locks will be
necessary. There are few canals in the
world OF any considerable length, with SO
small an amount Of lockage iii proportion
to their lepgsh.
In order to give series Of deep pools, al
iolding safe and easy navigation for the
largest steamers, and the heaviest barges,
il is proposed to raise dams / or l2 feet
high from their foundations, causing tie
water of the pools to rise about two or lhree
feet immediately above the dams, thus OBJ
WAITING the ecessity for excavations below
the lucEs, and giving at the lowest stage Of
,er not less than five feet in the nayiga
bic channel at the upper ends OF the pools,
The Oa!o River, 50 deepened AMI sIackened
would be converted into the most stupen-
daus aad capacious Canal in the world.-
Forming, as it does, the principle LINK IN
the chain of communication between tie At
llntc States and the Great West, and ira
vclsiDg AS it does, Thousand miles oi
country OF unsurpassed fertility and produc-
tycness, it would be folly to attempt TO as
syn limits to the amount of tonnage that
would float upon its bosom,
The locks are proposed to be double, and
: ot sufficient capacity to admit steamboats,
of the largest class, or four coal barges,-
. fhe:e locks not to be raised more than IS
: feet above low water; for before the river
q should rise high enough to overflow locks o
. That height, the dams would ceyse 10 offer
q any obstruction TO Davi5ation.
TIE COST OF THD WORK ANE TIE VALUE OIL
, TIE STOCK. .m.
1 The estimated cost Of the work is from
e sevento ten thousand dollars per mile, or
/, from seven to ten millions of dollars for the
), whole work, which is supposed to be about
half ihe expense of an ordinary Canal, o
!, about one third the average cost Of a rail
/ ro 3D. Now, as it will be Of ten times tht
clpecity of either, and probably accommo
dale ten Zines the amount of business thai
;, reasonably profitable C,nat has to do,
fo!IoRs that the tolls need not be one-tenth
: as much as those assessed upon the tonnag
of ordinary canals. The tax upon the bu
sness of The river may therefore be yer
= light, AMI yet the work pay good dividend;
. upon the stock.
n As this is to be considered uationa
j. project nasmuch as large majority Of tht
American people will participate in the ben
= efts of the improvement, it is suggested
q that Congress should make donation equa
to at least one-thirI the entire COST of tn,
+. work, not to swell the dividends Of tn,
!. stockholders, but to enable the company tc
/. make the navigation almost free.
ADVANTAGES OF TAE PRoPJsEE IMPsovEMENE
!. 1t would render ihe Ohio River perma
: nenlly navi4able, SO that its immense ant
growing commerce would not be subjected
to III psc periodic Il Interruptions to which i
is now liable.
Great inconvenience is experienced at
:. Pittsburgh for wait Of greater depth Of wa
b rer during most Of the year. The channe
Of the Monongahela is deep but narrow du
; ring low water, while the Allegheny il
shoaI, ard the current too strong for Il c ad-
vantageou; use Of tow boats. A dam that
| would raise the water eight feet two miles
!, below Pittsburgh, would swell in at least
t six feet on both sides Of the city-backing
the Monongahcla against dam No of the
slack water, and rendering the Allegheny
slack water Of go1d depth to some dis
, tance above Sharpsbdrgh. thus aLfordng
magnificent harbor for the commerce of the
three rivers.
!. The economy of the propelling power
would be an important consideration. The
law Of force, as applied to natu al currents
acting upon vessels. is, that il requires four
I times as much power to stem cnrrent OF
two miles per hour, as it does to stem a
current of QUE mile; the resistance offered
i by water to vessels moving through it, bea
7 lag in the ratio Of the squares Of their velo-
city, so that a vast saving of propellihg
power is secured by sIowness Of movement.
4 This principle is practically excm2liGed on
4 the Hudson river, where, from twenty to
forty heavy barges and canal-boaIs are of
ten attached to asingle tow boat the whole
/. liz ct creeping along at the rate Of from two
10 tiye miles an hour, according TO the state
Of the tile. Thousands OF tous are thus
propelled by single engine II extremely
IIow rates. Nov, let the Ohio be convert.
ed into deep slack water, and we would