The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-10
ESTABLISHED AUGUST "a, 1852

10 control such flood a. that OF ls4l, a,
Gs 10 render II harmless at Wheeling. Thi
volume Is Just equRtto the quantity which
the river would discharge In 5Odays, whet
there Is depth oi Eve leet In the channel
II, then, we construct reservoirs upon IN,
Allegheny and Monongahela, or theil
tributaries, OF sufficient capacity 10 supply
the actual discharge for tifty days, at
height Of five feet, these reservoirs viii
contain all the water that Is necessary Il
hold back TO protect the upper portions o.
the valley from the Injurious effects Of or
dinary foods. A reservoir adequate ia
this effect would be four miles square and
very nearly 100 feet deep.
A single dam, no higher than some ol
those constructed for the canals OF this
country, may be built on tho Allegheny
which will form a lake nearly thirty miles
long, with numerous branches, also many
miles In extent, and capable OF supplying
nearly the whole volume OF water required
for the navigation from that direction,
while greatly restraining the floods which
proceed from that arm OF the Ohio,
Equally available sites can be found on
the great tributaries Of the Monongahela,
where reservoirs can be formed without
injury to valuable property, competent to
supply the deficiency in periods OF drought,
and capable OF controlling the floods In
that direction also, when the supply Of
water Is there in excess.
That this project Of Ellet's Is perfectly
feasible, Capt. Dillon thought there was
not the least doubt. He said Cheat river
might be damned so as to contain enough
water, which would make the Ohio navi-
gable at this point during Just such
droughts as we are now experiencing.
Something surely oughtto be done, wheth.
er 1t be an attempt to carry out Ellet's
plan, or an experiment with some new
idea. The Ohio is too important high.
way TO remain out Of use as long 1t has
lately.
From this subject the conversation be.
tween GSptain Dillon and the reporter
brancbed Oft int0 ice harbors.
There are not many good harhors in
this vicinity, are there, Captain"
Well, no. A boat may lay above the
Water works one year aud escape damage
when the ice moves, but the next year
she may not fare so we'll"
"Where are the good harbors near
here?"
swell, the MuskinEum river is gener.
ally sought down the river"
"The. government is about to make some
changes down there, isn't it,"
''Ycs, they have appropriated $50, 900 to
have the survey made, by which the dam
may be cut through and afford better
Ice lIarbor. It's all nonsense, and a use-
less expenditure OF the peoples money. l
have builta cheap harbor near Sistersville,
by building pier in the river, and 1t has
not cost me $500"
care there not places that could be
transformed into good harbors very
cheaply?"
Certainly. Atthe island below Sistersville
there could be first-rate harbor fixed up.
| would build piers at the head Of the
island on the off channel side, which
wonld afford sale harbor for boats For
the $4,000 they are going to spend on the
Muskingum good harbor six miles long
could be made at Neville Island, six miles
below Pittsburgh, room enough to float
the entire fleet OF Pittsburgh"
These suggestions might be applied to
Wheeling. BY little enterprise good
harbor on the same plan could be secured
on back river.