Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-02-05

The average fall Of The river from Pits.
burgh 10 Cairo is small fraction over 81. 1OC
ofa foot 10 The mile. There are few canals
in the world OF any considerable length
with so small an amour. Of ockage In pro
por.ioa 10 their, length.
/ Mr.. Copley proceeds 10 show whal grea
gains there would be in economy Of fpropell
Ing power, the resistance Of The s,ll waters
Of the pools being Of course much less thar
that Of the swill currents hich our boat,
now have 10 stem. The benefi, Of the con
trade Of the proposed slack water is discuss.
led, and IL shows that in the pools the Ice
would not gorge, and ,ha,a channel mig
be kept open during oil teasons.1 The very
important item Of cost is treated shuss rl
The length Of the Ohio is, say one lhous
and miles. Ii follows, therefore, ,hu, the
improvement will cosl as many thousands
per mile as The entire work will cos, millions
Men better qualified to judge Of such mat.
ters than the wriler. huye estimated the ex.
pense at from seven 10 ten millions of dol
larsI This gives from seven 10 ten ihC us.
and dollars per mie-- -abou, half The expense
Eol an ordinary canal, or abou, ne.,hird The
average cost Of a railroad. Now as il will
be OF len times The capacity of either, and
probably accommodate ten times The amoun
of business that reasonably profluble cana
has 10 do, il follows that the tolls need no
be one.lenth as much as those assessed upor
the tonnage Of ordinary canals. Tho tux
uponihe business o(the :iver may therefore
be very light, and yet tho work pay goot
dividends upon the stock. hr ltr.ls.
As 10 keeping the work in repair---a com
'Iparison Of the cost oI keeping in order III,
Monongahela slack water and tho Reading
railroad is made, and the following statement
given as the result; ''1.i ~ao2 2 10 ,'Er
Both these Improvements are principally
used FOR carrying ccGl; yes we see thai ,ht
expense of,keeping the railroad in repau
was more than twenty-five and half lime,
as heavy per mile as ,hu, incurred upon tie
Monohgahela slack aaler. The works d
lhe latter are now in as good ordt as i,hel
ever were. The timber used in The dam,
shows nc signs Of decay; md for many
! yearsIo ceme the nmoun, OF expenses fol
repairs is not likely to be increased. The
floods Of the riyer keep the channel cleur
SO tha. The heavy expense incurred upon ar
,iIicia canals, for keepinsthem a. propo
depth, is here avoided. ,'iaaly r''s6'.l
This exhibi, shows US how Il Is tia, ,ht
Monongahela navigation has paid hundsomt
dividends 10 tho stockholders at very low
rates ortoll. Intact, nearly oil lis earning
arc clear prclii; so would the earnings 0
rihe proposed Ohio improvement be. lae
p Ia his late letter MI. Copley rollers 10 III,
contrast between ,he very dry season ant
conscqUentlow rivers Of 1864 and the. flusi
times Of 1855, ond says: "Ons fac, alon'
affords astronger urgumen, in suppor, Of ,h'
policy Of rendering the Ohio permanent,
. nayigab;e, than volumes Of absuocs Teason
J, Ing could do; Wis. thai. tho increase ofre
ceipls Of the Pennsylvania Central' Rairon'
forl 1855. over. a,boss of, ,bl854dwus eigh
L,,.d.sd fLays,a nd ,dnijdys ~ This enoynnn,t