New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-07-18
FOUNTAIN BEsRRvoIas ron TIE ONO

| In act No. 81 Of the United States Congress,
approved Dune y, making appropriations for
the repair completion, and preservation OF
public works and FOR other purposes, a pro
vision Is made directing the secretary Of wan
to cause certain surveys TO be made with the
view Of rendering rivers navigable by the lock
and dam plan Of slaek-water navigation or
otherwise. The passage directing the survey
Of the upper Mississippi from Fort Smelling to
the Fails Of st. Anthony, is ordered to be
made with view to ascertain the most FEAST
bic means. hy economizing the water of the
| stream, of insuring the passage at all nayi
gable seasons OF boats drawing four feet Of
wateG, SURVEY of the Ohio river from
Pittsburg to Burlington Island is also
authorized with the same intent
Since the party in power persist in making
local improvements at the general expense,
quite in accordance with that ancient federal
doctrine which they have inherited, it is to be
hoped that the surveys contemplated may be
thoroughly made and that the best scientific
talent of the army and navy may be employed.
Many years ago plan was talked OF for ac-
cumulating vast reservoirs of water in winter
among the mountains of PENNSYLVANIA and
| Virginia, by constructing dams across valleys
and gorges so as to form great lakes from
which to supply water when needed to the
Ohio thereby securing a sufficient depth in
that stream at all seasons to render it
navisable for light draught boats
It was then asserted, with great con-
tidenee and some pladsibihty that
thousands of cubic miles Of water could
thus be gathered and held at small cost by
means of dams for the supply of a constant
and uniform current to the river 1t was
claimed that there are points where a few mil
lions expended in the erection OF dams would
create enormous lakes, not only available for
navigation but capable Of atfording an ample
! supply for the Ohio during the dry season
| that the lands which would be submerged
were of little value and could be acquired l1y
government at . moderate eost-that small
tonnage duty on steamers would pay the inter
est on the outlay and keep the dams III repair
and that the advantages to internal commerce
in the facility thus afforded would be such as
to repay the expenditure many times over.
/ Calculations were made of the number of cubic
yards of water requisite to supply such cur
rent as would keep a constant depth Of three
or four feet on all the bars from Pittsburg to
Cairo for a period of six months and the feast
bilty Of the plan was demonstrated to the
entire satisfaction of the protector and in a
manner quite interesting to the reader.
| The project appears to deserve investigation.
Scientific research can alone determine its
practieability, its cost and its advantages to
navigation. The scheme is too vast for indi-
vidual enterprise even though its advantages,
| in case of success could be secured to those
who should make the dams and buy the public
or private lands submerged. Typographical
surveys by half dozen small parties of engi-
neers now in public service, continued through
a few months, would determine the questions
Of practicability and utility besides furnishing
| valuable contributions to general science 1t
would certainly add an interesting feature to
the mountain regions to convert some Of their
vast gorges and woody valleys into hmpid
lakes it would as certainly add an interesting
and novel feature to that beautiful river which
| Mr.. Randolph described as frozen up ali the
winter and dry all the summer" The mere
| possibility Of a result so grand as making the
| Ohio navigable at all seasons from the noun
tains to the Mississippi would seem to Justify
a cheap scientific investigation of its practica-
hiity. A few of the junior officers of the en-
gneers' department with their theodolites,
guns, compasses, cards, chains, pickles, tents
cigars drawing-books, dogs, field glasses, fish
ing tackle and other requisite scientific appa-
ratls, would spend g summer among the Ale
ghanies very pleasantly to themselves, and
with a chance of benefit to the country in
making this investigation.