The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-23

weeks a. least, anu Dy tnat time there
must be boom In the river.
The Improvement OF River Navigation
The present condition Of the Ohio, and
in fact Of all Western wsters, i suCbas to
Start up all sorts ot speculations Is e, how
navigation might be improved. The fol.
loVingtrom correspondent of the Louis.
vile Coat7,JottHul can hardly be called
new in its character, and yet it Is one that
has never been brought out very strong so
iarSwe have observed, intbs river con.
yenlions that have met from time TO time
to discuss navigation matters. We quote
the article as follows:, s.s l.,ua. q,
Seeing an editorial in your paper ex.
pressinga hope that the Commissioners
might soon settle upon some plausible plan
for aiding our navigation, ! have thought
itwoll to give you mine, whiehiI publish.
ed in Amos Kendall's Argus, at Frankfort,
some sixty years ago! But, as the river
was more nayigable then than now; 1t
passed unnoticed. It is this: Plant the
water.wilIow thick on both sides, which
by It's wonderful thrift and inteEwoyen
roots, would check the currentFandiretain
the soil, and thus, risi1g higherand high
er every. flood, would ultimately narrow
the river and restore 1t 10 its primeval con.
ditiOn. The Ohio is third wider than
when first know it, ninety-flve years
ago, and consequently third shallower.
The land at that time encroached upon
the water, whereas ut the present time the
water euCroaChes upon the land and daily
wdens its surface. The INTERVIEWING roots
Of trees, shrubs, cane, grass aud weeds
defended the banks, WILDLY wien the
trees were deadeued and the forest clear.
ed ont, gave way, whole trees, with largo
portions Of earth, tumbling, while every
rain aud %GyGot water carried away por.
tions ot soil. Yes, and q greater misfor.
tune than this followed the clearing out
OF the forest, which I'M its native state De.
tailed the water for aregular supply,
which now, rushing into the river, swelIs
it to great and bank.washing height,
and 1t quickly falls, till there is not
enough Watert0 ,covefits widenel, bottom |
t6anaylgable.deptbs The original forest
hill sides were covered with countless mil. |
lions OF leaves, logs, brush and failed twiga,
that detained'the water so that not "a drop |
al ordinary rain passed of, and the soil,
moreover, being loamy and sponge like,
absorbed the water which percolating
slowly, furnished lasting springs, that
nOwgo dry by the first Of june It mat.
tora mt trb aIkns ntir Hill uiAaa ara f,roEe.1 |
Or tp!dwod, tlle,water-runs of as fast as It
falls, so thRt veryiew rainswet tie earth
an inch deep.sas--All = the money
III the United States would not by
lnasouary, bind the Ohio to = It's
former channel, for, as it now,~fises
70 feet, 1t would require o wall 80 feet, or
the wafer, rushing with whole trees be. |
hind 1t, woulds crush and stearAi It away,
whereas the willows bend the current
and let the drift, pass, and all the time
hOllng to a portton'oi the soil.aud and by |
ks own thrift rising higher and higher.
The dam recently erected by the United |
States ut Smith Shoals, on the CumDer-
land, has greatly damaged navigation; for |
out Of thirteen coal boats that attempted
10 pass the improvements (so.called) ).all
were wrecked but one, whereas before
this costly work not more than one would
have been lost. i see that the Legisla.
ture Of Ohio has entertained my idea,
and passed law that every one living
Within a given distance OF the river must
plant a designated number Of willows
every year something like the. system OF
road working, The willow is Of SO won.
detluI q growth that you may ride with q
switch for days, and It will, ,Sif planted in
moist soil, grow, One. man can plant
that Is, stick in the mud-5 900 slips q day
Of six inches or any other length, and il u
limb be thrown down at fnll length, It
will sprout up in many places. This Is
the way, the cheap way aud the only way
the Ohio can -beimproved. 81
The substance OF tho above article, SO 4
far as 1t relates to the effect thatthe settle.
ment aud cultivation OF the country bord-
ering onthe Ohio has had on tho supply
Oiwaterin the, river is an old story, but it
has never yet been shown that even II we
could return to the former prinative con-
dition Of settlement the supply Of water
during tho summer would support contin-
uous navigation. The project Of Charles
Elletis, alter all, the only one that has pro-
posed radical relief for the low water
season in the Ohio. We refer TO his noun.
tain reservoirs, and his dam prospects on.
the upper waters Of the Allegheny
and Monongahsls rivers, HIS theories
were criticised as impracticable, and even
riaiculed good deal when they. put.
Oatin 1853, but they have stood thsitest
ola great deal Of investigaHonand discus
sion since then, and 1t is by mo means cor.
tain that time will not yet completely vim.
dIcatethS correctness and practicability Of
his plan for making the Ohio aasigable
stream during fHe Ordinary Low water sea.
son: one'thing certain, those @hoNhave
considered his theory have never yet sub
situted anything more praSieablstnits
stead, and nhiess We are 70 conclude that
oil schemes for aecumulGtiug. and supply.
'iag' water toths Ohio during low water
are vIsioaary.in their nature, We see no
reason why Ellet's scheme, may not yet