New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-24
Improving the Rivers.

During the late session of Congress the
sum of $4,000 was appropriated for sur.
vey of the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri
rivers. and TO place thereon temporary
lights and buoys:: The jurisdiction OF the
lighthouse board was extended over those
rivers for the es tablishm of such beacon
lights, day beacons and buOye as may be
necessary for the use OF vessels navigating
them; and for this purpose the board was
required to divide the designated rivers
into one or two additional lighthouse dis
tricts, to be in all respects similar to the
already existing districts; and authority
was given to leaee the necessary ground for
all such lights or beacons as are used to
point out changeable channels, and which,
in consequence, can not be made permanent.
The board, at q recent meeting, in virtue
of the authority conferred upon them, have
created two new districts, namely-the
fourteenth and fifteenth. The fourteenth
consists of and includes the Ohio and the
Mississippi rivers from the confluence of
the Ohio to the mouth of the Mississippi
river. The fifteenth district consists of and
includes the Mississippi river above its con-
fuepce with the Ohio river, and also the
Missouri river.
The board have called on the President,
through the Secretary Of the Treasury, to
assign to each district an officer OF the
Corps of Engineers, and navy officer as
inspector. The headquarters Of oRe dis
trict will be at Cincinnati, and that of the
other at St. Louis. The movement for the
establishment Of shese districts originated
with the Legislature Of Minnesota, in
March. 1871, but the act was not coneum-
mated until June last
W. E. Merrill, Major of engineers, in q
communication to the committee OF the
Coal Exchange. Pittsburs. January 3, 1871,
speaking in favor of mesns for the greater
safety Of navigation on those rivers, says:
1T appears at first sight Some what singular
that the jurisdiction of the lighthouse
board has never been extended over the
the fact tha5 the few persons who appre-
ciated the necessity for such measure
we're ignorant of the proper steps to be
taken to secure their object, while those
who knew the proper course kept their
knowledge to themselves. 1t is evil
dent that no great lighthouses will
be needed anywhere in the new dis
tricts. and that, compared to the great
expenditures on the seacoast, the cost of
the beacons viii be but tritiing, while the
amount Of commerce to be benefited is
hardly inferior to that which requires tho
massive and costly structures on which
millions have been wisely spent. The com.
merce of the Ohio river is estimated at
S7l5 900, 900, of which Cincinnati claims
$40, 100000. Pittsburg sl50,000,000. and
Louisville sll5,0O0,0O0. The entire com
merce of the Mississippi and it's tributaries
is roughly estimated at g, 900, 100000. The
interests shown by these figures are SO
great that their appeal for increased safety
to navigation can scarcely be disregarded." >"
Lieutenant Colonel Reynolds, in a com
munication to the lighthouse board, said
the only fostering care which the general
government extended to this immense in
terest, the commerce on the Western rivers,
was an insufficient appropriation, for two
years. of $l5O.0OO per annum for the re-
moval of snags.-Neg York Times.