Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-10-11
OHIO RIVER COMMISSION.
MemOrialto Congress for the Improve
ment Of Tennessee River.
Cumberland River improvement Sur.
veys Demanded.

From the Courier-Journal's report
of the proceedings Of the Ohio River
Commission, we obtain the following
interesting facts:
Mr.. d. B. Thomas, of Tennessee.
said that before the reorganization OF
the board was effected he wished to
make some inquiry as to the status OF
the Tennessee delegation. The num-
Der of commissioners from the other
States was restricted to FIVE, while the
Governor of Tennessee had appointed
fourteen. He therefore felt some hes
itancy in constituting himself an active
member of the board without some
special action.
In reply to this inquiry, Mr. Thurs
ton, of Pittsburg, offered a resolution
that the board accept the FIVE delegates
present, Messrs. Il. A. James, j. w.
Eckles, d. B. Thomas, +. p. Gracey
and H. N. Snyder, as the legally au-
thorized commissioners. The resOlu-
ton was adopted. $500
An election was held and resulting
in the restoration of Gen. j. h. Moor
head as President and Mr.. j. p. SAINT
myer as Secretary of the Board.
Mr.. III. N. Snyder, of Tennessee,
offered the following resolution, which
was adopted:
Resolved, That the Secretary furn-
ish an estimate of the funds necessary
to pay the existing liabilities of the
board and also the expenses necessary
for the ensuing year, and that the dele
CATION of each State furnish the pro-
portion of the funds so estimated to
the proper financial officer of this
board.
The following gentlemen were ap-
pointed by the chairman as the Execu-
tive Committee:
Thos. Sherlock, of Ohio; DR.. j. p.
Hall, West Virginia; John Means,
Kentucky; Jas. Hackney, Illinois I;
Gen. Larz. Noble, Indiana; Geo. II.
Thuiston, of Pennsylvania; Hon. Il.
A. James, Tennessee. George III.
Thurston was reappointed chairman
of the committee.
A motion of Mr.. Thomas, of Ten
nessee, that committee on legislation,
to consist of one Commissioner from
each State, be appointed by the chair,
prevailed, and the following gentlemen
were appointed: III. N. Snyder, of
Tennessee; @. s. King, West Virginia !;
j. B. PEBBLES, Ohio; o. p. Cobb, In
diana; w. p. Halliday, Illinois; Hon.
J. f. Built. Kentcky; and Edmund
Blanchard, Pennsylvania.
Resolution by Charles III. Meeker,
of Indiana:
Whereas, The Governors of differ
ent States have appointed five commits
sioners to compose board for the i'm
provement of the Ohio River and Its
tributaries and,
Whereas, The State of Pennsylvania
has made an appropriation of 5000
to pay the share of that State of the
past and accruing expenses of said
board therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Governors of
the Statesfr which said commission
ers have been sent are requested to see
that like sum IS provided for the
same purpose, to be paid from time to
time as required. The resolution was
adopted.
Mr.. Z. A. James, of Tennessee, read
an elaborate memorial to Congress
from the Tennessee Commissioners
for the improvement of the Tennessee
River.
The memorial was accompanied with
a letter from Major Walter Nc cFarland,
U. S. engineer, recommending the OBJ
jects of the memorial also accompan-
led by the following resolution:
Resolved, That this commission
most earnestly and respectfully urge
upon the Congress of the United
States the importance of the continued
Improvement of the navigation of the
Tennessee River and in order to ae-
complish the end desired, which the
rapidly growing commerce of the eoun-
try demands, we respectfully and earn
estly ask Congress to appropriate so
much annually as the Engineer Bureau
of the War Department may recon-
mend, to be used during each fiscal
year in the removal of the Instructions
to navigation of said Tennessee River
at the Muscle Shoals, thereby opening
the upper portion of the Tennessee
River and Its tributaries to the great
internal lines of water communication
between the States of the Mississippi
and Ohio valleys"
Mr.. Sherlock moved the adoption of
the resolution without the memorial.
This called Mr.. James to his feet,
and he strongly urged the adoption of
the memorial in order that it might go
before Congress with the advantage of
the commission endorsement. In his
argument for the Tennessee River i'm
proyement, at cost of S750,000 for
the next fiscal year, (the appropriation
asked for the thorough and permanent
improvement being near S4,OO0,OOO)
Mr.. James said that the Tennessee
River needed no reservoirs or pumping
processes, but needed simply to have
the distractions removed. Tennessee
River, in dry weather, has more water
than the Ohio, and with navigation
opened it would be made, as nature in
tended it, a great National commercial
highway.
Mr.. Snyder, of Tennessee, followed
Mr.. James in an explanation of the
character, importance and advantages
of improvements needed, with the
costs of the same, and read strong
paper in support of the memorial.
While Mr. Snyder was reading the
paper he was interrupted by Mr.. Le-
moke, who claimed that the Tennessee
commissioners were occupying too
much of the commissioners time in
presenting their claims for the Tennes-
see River.
This raised little breeze between
the Ohio and Tennessee River Com
misSiOners, and for awhile little
storm was threatened, but few con-
ciliatory words from Mr. Thomas, of
Tennessee, brought the meeting again
to harmonious action. Mr.. Snyder
then finished his argument, and the
commission proceeded pleasantly and
expeditiously to the end of the sess-
ion.
The vote on the memorial was call
ed at the end of Mr.. Snyder's re-
marks.
On motion, the vote on the memo
rial and accompanying resolution was
taken separately, and both were almost
unanimously adopted, there being but
one dissenting voice on the memorial.
Mr.. F. p. Gracey, of Tennessee,
offered the following resolutions, which
were adopted without discussion:
Whereas, Congress has adopted
the original estimate for improving the
Cumberland River by lateral dams,
ETC., between Nashville and the mouth;
and. whereas the annual appropriation