The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1879-10-08
Improving The Ohio River.


The Commission representing sew
en- States of the Union, on the i'm
provement of the Ohio river, meets
ut Pittsburgh to-day. The States
represented on the Commission are
Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia,
Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Ten
nessee. The Commissioners on the
part Of this State are, Thos. Sweeney,
John Mcclure, W, T. Poole, J. S. King
and JPa Hale.
The object Of the Commission is
one that has received attention and
theearnest support Of a large number
Of influential citizens Of the country
through several years past, and is Of
vast Importance to the States repre-.
scented, as well as Of value to the
whole country.
For long period Of years the pc
ti,ions of Boards of Trade and me-
MORALS Of special conventions have
been laid before Congress in relation
to the improvement Of the Ohio, but
with only partial success. That a
more united effort might be made it
was proposed to enlist the States
more directly concerned, in COM
mon organization, which would
steadily press upon Congress the i'm
portance Of the work. In February,
1872, a commercial convention was
held in Cincinnati, at which the
Boards of Trade of the principal
cities of the country were largely
represented.
At this convention aresolution was
adopted requesting the Governor of
the States Of Pennsylvania, West
Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio,
Kentucky and Tennessee, to appoint
eacha committee of FIVE members to
form commission to look after the
improvement of the Ohio river and
its navigable tributaries, and adopt
whatever measures they may deem
necessary to accomplish the Object
This commissions was duly constitu-
ted, the Governors of the several
States named having responded to
the request contained in the resolu.
ton. At a session held in Cincinna-
ii, in December, 1877, the interest
that the State Of Virginia had in the
Improvement Of the Ohio, through
reason of her proposed James River
and Kanawha Canal, and the State
Of Maryland by reason of the pro-
posed connection Of the Chesapeake
und Ohio Canal with thehead waters
Of the Ohio by the Youghiogheny
route, being laid before the Commits
sion, a resolution was passed request
ing the Governors of those States to
appoint five Commissioners each, as
permanent representatives in the
Commission.
Various plans for the work of i'm
proving the Ohio have been suggest
ed and discussed by the Committee.
These have eliminated in building
what is known as the "Chanoine
dam" as an experiment. This is
known here as the Davis Island dam,
near Pittsburgh, for the construction
ofwhich Congress appropriated $780,
900 at its last session. Work has
been progressing on the dam, and the
object of the meeting at Pittsburgh
to-day is to afford the commission an
opportunity to thoroughly inspect it,
and upon its practical working will
depend the carrying out of the entire
plan, or in other words, continuing
the construction of these dams down
the Ohio to the Mississippi.
1t is a grand work, and one that
involvesan immense outaly ofmoney.
But the benefits TO be derived from it
will justify the expenditures, though
it may not be made in this genera
tion.- Register.
RYAN hntS arn ,,ooda IN Nav, Vo,1,