The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-01-27
Colonel Roberts Report on the Im-
Proyement OF Ohio River Navfg"-

tion.
Colonel Wilmer Roberts, Of the
United States Engineer corps, in his re.
port to Congress on the improvement OF
the Ohio river, says the system hereto
fore adopted to improve navigation ~
means of rip-rap stone wing dams, guld-
ing the water into comparatively comm,
ed channels, although III beneficial and
useful, especially to low navigation, does
not meet the requirements for radIcal
improvement of the whole river. The
present low water system, while not In
volving large expenditure, and to a
certain extent good at small cost, is only
an amelioration Of the present difficulty
All that this system could hope TO ac-
complish, would be to increase the
depth of water in the places requiring
it few inches. To effect a radical
improvement of the river will require
large expenditure. Of the several
plans proposed, only one will
secure the proper depth to navigation
at all times, without the aid Of an artl-
fetal supply from reservoirs. The plan
of locks and dams, if properly con-
structed, would furnish the desired
depth at all seasons without any
artificial means, or aid from reservoirs.
Colonel Roberts pronounces all the
dlans proposed in the last twenty-five
years impracticable, excepting the
above mentioned. He says the great
desidcratum is constant reliable naviga-
tion-never less than five feet in ex-
treme low water periods, which would
usually be six feet or more, and should
afford in time Of freshet a navigation
as good as we have. now in similar
freshets. This can be effected by a
liberal expenditure Of money. He says
objections would naturally be made to
anv plan, because it is hardly to be sup
posed that any plan in its construction
will not more or less affect some private
interest.
He then proceeds TO consider all
known objections. He favors the
lock and dam system, medium sized,
heavy draws, arranged with freshet
shutes, such as could be easily naviga
ted in a coalboat rise. The practice
of his experience has established seven
or eight feet as the convenient working
lift for large locks and dams. He
would not recommend larger. This
would give between Pittsburgh and
Louisville total fall Of three hundred
and eight feet. The number Of locks
and dams, allowing an eight feet lift to
each, would be thirty-eight, while with
six feet lift the number would be fifty
one, costing much more. Making lifts
higher and diminishing the number Of
dams reduces the cost Therefore, eight
feet as the highest and six as the low
eat. Between Louisville and Cairo
fifteen; total, sixty-six locks and six
dams. In making an appropriate es-
innate ofthe cost of sixty-sx locks six
feet lift each, for the whole 967 miles,
and the average length of the dam on
the upper Ohio at 1900 feet, and the
lower Ohio at 2,200 feet. giving 1900
feet each for the sixty-six dams between
Pittsburgh and Louisville there could be
locks built at a cost of 1862, POI, or
S27,5l6 per mile. The same estimate
for the whole river is S23,777,662, or
S24, $50 per mile, which itwould require
two years to complete. Repairs and at
tendance would cost annually ST.
0SS 100.