Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1868-01-16
GALIIPoLs OHIO JANUARY Is. 1868.

to each furnace and the land owners
who have the ore. The country alon
] the stream in Gallia county, com
pares favorably in an agriculture
point of view, with any portion @
our State, fine farms, splendid brick
stone and frame dwellings, cheic,
fruits, abundance of hay, wheat, cor
and other farm products, large stool
farms, dc. Water power not sur
passed. with many of the best mill,
, in the State. Temperate, industriou,
and enterprising citizens, who know
the vast resources of the Baccoor
Valley, warrant US in saying that th,
resources of the Valley will be in
creased yearly.
The Varney salt well, at Adams
vile, now running into Raccoon from
1900 to $4,000 gallons of salt wa.
ter per day, and which will be man.
ufactured as soon as an outlet to
market can be relied on, warrants
us, with other indications of sail
water in oil wells, in saying that there
is plenty of salt on Raccoon. Twen.
ty saw mills furnish hundreds OF
thousands of feet of lumber for ship.
ment- Keystone, Buckeye, Lincoln,
Eagle, Vinton, Hope and Zaleski
furnaces must ship their iron by Rae
coon as we believe, for two reasons.
lst. Because Keystone, Buckeye,
Lincoln and Eagle are nearer to Rae.
coon than the railroad; and,
I'd. Because they can all shin bv
Raccoon to Cincinnati and Pittsburg
at from 40 to 60 per cent. cheaper
than by railroad.
These reasons are cogent with bu-
siness men.
Then we have the jackson coal
vein at Vinton Furnace, and it is ad-
mitted to be discovered in boring for
oil on the farm of John Calvin on the
banks of Raccoon. Then we have
Zaleski, Nelsonville, Ewington, Vim
ton, Harrisburg, Adamsville, North
up and Yellowtown on the stream,
with Porter, Patriot, Wilkesville and
Albany within three and four miles;
Centerville and other trading points
within six miles, all growing towns.
Who can say that other towns and
furnaces will not spring up on Rae
coon, in the next two years after nav
igation is open?
In conclusion there is no calcula-
ting the vast resources of the Rae
coon Valley.
SECOND. AS TO THE PRACTICABILITY
OF TIRE IMPROVEMENT.
The fact that dams have been in
Raccoon for manufacturing purposes,
for the past fifty years, proves that
it is practicable. tits not necessary
to injure the water power, in order
to navigate the stream. But, we
should, and l have no doubt, the
Company will protect the manu1ac-
turing interests of Raccoon Valley
Any other course would be suicidal
for the manufacturing of flour, salt,
lumber, lath, bedsteads, wagon
spokes and many other articles, will
be source of daily income to the
Company, by shipments. The ripa-
rian proprietors along the line, will,
1 believe, give the right of way,
and use of the present dams. Five
new dams, it is thought, will be re-
quired, tO-wit: At the Mouth, at
Limestone ford, at Waterloo, at the
old Quinn Mill and at Bloer's, or near
these points, to reach the Marietta
d Cincinnati Railroad. Then the
water would, at low water mark,
have surface below the water DOW
er at the mills. 1t is suggested to
sink the locks below this surface
three feet, and clean out a channel
from the lock down the stream till
sufficient depth of water is reached in
the pool below. 1t is suggested that
the locks shall be Is by 100 feet, this
passes a boat l6 by so or 80 feet,
carrying 80 tons and drawing from
Is to "a inches of water, or carrying
as much freight as 10 cars, averag-
ing the cars at eight tons. A very |
respectable water craft. 1t is pfo.
posed to build locks Of timber, sills, |
plates, posts, stringers and braces of
hewn and sawed, the sides and bot
toms of three inch solid oak plank -
Gates of timber with cast iron gates
TO let on or draw off the water. The
ocks to be SO constructed as to be
put together with bolts and taps of
iron, so that in case of de-
lay or breakage by accident, planks,
posts, DC, may be replaced by fit
ing the timber, unscrewing the taps,
.aking out bolts, &C.. and replacing
he required timber, without stop
,ing navigation. These locks to be
attached to the dams now in the
stream. The cost of material and
nachinism will be about $1,000, and
wenty-four locks, all that will be re-
luired, estimated at S24, 900. y
From the best information we
;ould obtain, the foundations for ,
hese locks will not cost over 81 900,
many of them will not cost over S10O.
The cleaning out of the channel be-
ow the locks, widening the same,
clearing off the banks OF leaning and ;
allen timber, and clearing out the
imber and debris from the stream,
will be the greatest expense. To
approximate to the amount of this :
Expense, is impossible for any man, :
,ut believe the Company will have ;
efficient left of the capital stock to !
neet all expenditures, if the same is !;
onestly and economically managed. 7
1t is objected by some, that timber :
ocks will soon decay. We answer :
hat experience has taught US that =
imber under water lasts from fifty to /.
ne hundred years. That sides, :
lates, &C., exposed to the weather, s
an be protected by coating of coal q
ar or paint, so as to last from twen- a
y-five to thirty years, and then are q
heaper than solid masonry; besides !,