The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-04-15
0hio River improvement.

From The PittIbufEh Evening Telesuph.l
Much has been said Of late in reference
TO the manner Of Improving La Belle
Riyicre, as Congress will, In all proba.
bility, pass the River and HRrbor bill,
which makes provision for the improve
ment Of this great highway; much more
will and can BE said a. TO how this appro'
priatlon should be applied. Any one
familiar with the present condition oil
the Ohio, from here to Cincinnati, very
we'll knows that a large amount OF
work was done LIat is perfectly useless,
and lust that much money thrown away
for instance, the dams at Sheets bar,
Beaver shoala and Marietta. The river
men. at the meetings held few weeks
aimee, a. the Chamber OF Com
merce, in this city, to discuss this sub
icct, very properly took Stand against
locks aud dams being placed all along
the river. 1t might, perhaps, DO well
enough 10 build one dam below this city,
not to improve the Ohio. but TO improve
the river fronts around both cities, and
make good water for the boats 10 go TO
the mills, but no more. What, in our
Judgment is needed, Is 10 carry out the
system inaugurated by the government in
1888, by constructing wing dams 10 con-
fine the water, and compel the channel to
wash out, and thereby give a greater
depth Of water. These wing dams, where
there are five feet Of water or less, GER
tainly improve the navigation, and when
there is more than that, there is enough
for all practical purposes, without the as
sistaRce Of dams Of any kind.
Captain Eads has caused the whole
South and West to think he has done
wonders by improving the channel Of the
Mississippi by his "jeIty" system. What
is this jet,y system? Nothing more or
less than wing dams, built to confne the
outlet Of the great Father Of Waters, and
compel il to pass into the Gulf in mar
rover space; or, in other words, com.
pei tho confined water TO Increase
the current and wash away the soil, and,
OF course, give greater depth Of water.
The only risk that Captain Eads had to
run in the Jelly business was, whether he
could get The sandy bottom 10 hold
tile material %, DO used il. The wing
dams. II be could, he knew his Job was
an easy one. There was nothing new or
original in the project. II is the same
principle commenced on the Ohio river,
referred % above Let the Government
determine 10 build wing dams at all the
shoals, and appoint board Of good pilots
to act as assistants, or advisory to the
engineer in charge OF the work, who
could properly locate the wing dams not
on scientific principles, but on principles
OF common sense or experience obtained
by lifetime knowledge Of the river and
liz currents, and, our word for il, we
would have good nayigable river
nine or ten months Of the year,
Hundreds OF our readers will remember
The difficulties experienced by the boats
at the "Trap," "Brown's Island" ISIS.
ters," "Pctticoat," &C., before the con-
struction OF wing dams at these places,
and the great relief enjoyed when The
dams were completed. Rivermen, now is
lie t'--" :" strike, and try and convince
done should be done at once, and this
could be done in one year, by building
wing dams instead Of destroying nayiga-
ton for years whilst the locks and dams
were being built, and the river thus, may
be, ruined forever, to all practical hur-
poses, 80 far as cheap navigation is con-
corpet f.i.T .r..