The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1880-12-25
DAM NO. o.

conditionnlly to tile November fresh
ct, and now lies at the mercy of the
current. And is it much wonder
that it is so, considering that the
dam was built eighteen feet high,
without any body of water below to
support it? But it is but the top
courses Of the dam that was washed
away, thereby showing, not only that
the top was the weaker part, but that
the dam has q good foundation and
location,or the whole structure would
have given away before such a great
and weighty current and body of
water.
Whether the defect and injury was
the result of bad workmanship was
the result of forces which could not
be guarded against, we do not know;
but Engineer Merrill admits that
there were many mistakes made in
its construction, which he will try to
| avoid in the construction of dam No.
5, and he would seem to lay, at least
the great mistake on our citizens in
requiring him to build the dam sew
eral feet higher than was originally
contemplated.
Well, if this be so, and we are not
authorized to deny it, it only shows
the dangerous folly in allowing our
citizens, who know nothing about such
matters, to override or direct COM
petent Engineer employed by the
Government to superintend said
work. 1t was very much like faith
er consulting his little children how
he should build his farm or cultivate
his lands. And we hope that not
only the Engineer will avoid this
mistake the next time, but that our
young America may avoid it also
We well remember the numberless
synods of our citizens, both male and
female. and mixed, who visited the
work while being constructed, inva-
riably pronounced it unequalled
since the days of building of the
mighty Tower of Babel, or walls of
China. s-....s
And we also remember the 4th of
July oratory held on that dam, when
the rugged hills were made to hang
their heads in shame by reason Of
the insignificance of their architect
ural beauty and strength, as com
pared with that magnificent dam Of
rocks; and yet, at that very moment
there was the potent fact that the
dam and lock were of about equal
height. showing to any one, we think,
at all conversant with the first prn-
ciples of slackwater, that the lock
could not be used when the water
was much higher than the top of the
dam.
Nor had these orators hardly got
off the work, before the wall of the
lock gave way, by reason of it's own
innate weakness and effectiveness of
construction. We allude to these
things now,not so much to blame any
one (for it is too late to do any good
thereby as to portray the emptiness
and folly of such things.
Well, the work was done, and the
damage is now done also, and now
what? How shall it be remedied?
Or shall it he remedied at all? We
all say yes, it must be remedied, but
how? is the question. And while we
do not profess wisdom above our
neighbors touching the matter, it
strikes us that there is much in the
suggestion of the Engineer, that the
dam is too high, and that it has a
much greater stress and danger to
encounter now, than it will have when
the dam next below it is completed
Indeed. we think the dam was higher
than it need be, independent Of the
danger to the dam by its height
All we needed is and was that the
dam should be sufficiently high to
put four feet of water on our rifle at
Morgantown, in ordinary low water.
AS it is or was built we had at least
six feet of water there, being at least
two feet more than necessary, thereby
not only greatly endangering the
dam itself. but causing unnecessary
damage to the banks and land own
ers along the river; and not only so,
hut thereby causing our public roads
to be overfowed and submerged, and
compelling the county TO incur great
expense in building bridges, and
alterations in the roads along the
river. We, therefore. suggest and
hope that since our dam has been
lowered neiens UotenS to about the
height it ought to have been built
that it be allowed to remain of that
height, Or at least duly and merely
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