Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-03-30
THE NEW SCHEME
70 Reclaim the River Bed and tie
Island.
Views Of a contractOr-Tims and Money
Eecsssary-How To Do lt-Wheel-
ing Too Welded to the
Idols Of Fogyism.

q REGISTER reporter last night of q well
known contractor.
Entirely So" was the reply SIT is only
Q question Of enterprise and money. To
be sure, the job is rather too wild break
for sleepy, conservative Wheeling, Justly
celebrated as our city is for old fogyism
and backwardness in matters of public i'm
proVsments, but the thing could be done
as easy as wink if the town had the nerve
to put up the money and pitch in. Many
a go ahead town in the west has. done more
IN the way Of cutting away hills and filling
up hollows to secure eligible ground for
building purposes, and thought little or
nothing or it, but suppose children yet
unborn will be Withered and toothless
grsndfathers before the Nail City musLers
nerve enough to make move OF this mag
nitude."
What is your idea OF the manner in
which the work should be gone abou p
asked the reporter.
Well. to begin at the beginning, the city
would have TO tackle the job in ernest,
LOAN OF A MILLION DOLLARS
would be necessary, and, OF course, nego-
tiating this, preparing plans and specihca.
TONS the submission of the matter to the
Secretary OF War for his approval and con-
sent, and various other preliminaries
would occupy at least year. A work OF
this kind, being carried. on in nayigaole
steam OF the magnitude OF the Ohio, would
necessarily be under the supervision and
control Of the United States engineers, and
as they are proyerbialiy SLOW, it would be
next 10 impossible for me to form any idea
Of the time or money that would be re-
quired to complete the work. Let US as
sumo, however, that the money has been
secured, the permission Of the Govern
mental. Washington obtained the esu
mates made, contract let, and all prelim-
inaries attended to. This being the state
of fairs, il | had charge OF the j)o l
would proceed about as follows: You
Know during the sum mer months the chan
mel Of Back river below the dam b.
comes entirely dry. AS soon as the reg
ulsr low stsge of water sets in, daring the
early summer, | would build light dam
across the head of BACK river, throwing
the water to the east side OF the Island.
That accom- plished, | would devote the Gu
tire summer and early fall to cleaning out
ard deepening the channel OF "BAcS'
river, conveying the gravel and soil to the
western side of the Island, where il would
be used 10 raise the banks several feet
higher than at present, and rip rap them
in the most complete manner. This
would take q large force OF men, Of course,
but the work would be necessary in view
of what il to come. While this work was
being done, would put large force oil
QuaTrymen at work along the northern
face OF Wheeling hill, from Tenth street
north to the pike, getting out stone aud
carrying them to the river shore in the
neighborhood of the Top mill. Another
heavy force would be set to work, driving
about
TEN ROWS OF FoRrY-FooT PILES
from point about one hundred feet east
of the north point Of the Island across the
point and down the west side TO about the
nothern line of the old fair grounds. These
plies would project about ten feet alb we
ground, the rows being about four feet
apart, and the intervals between them
would be filled up solid, forming pro
teCting bulwark that would withstand any
possible pressure OF high water that could
he brought against it, and would also
eventually represent the surface lines OF
the Island. In the fall, after this work was
completed. the slight dam would be re.
moved from the head OF the back river, and
the channel LETT perfectly clesr. The
succeeding winter would be devoted to
prepariug for the real work OF draining
the main branch of the river and perma
uently closing it. In the spring | would
commence by gradually extending the line
of piling from the head OF the Island east
ward, az the same time eevating similar
lire OF heavy piling, each pile forty five
feet long and standing fifteen or twenty
rows deep, from the Wheeling side, Just
below the mill. As on the Island side,
the interseCts between the rows Of piling
would be filled up solidly with heavy
stone,
THUS MAKING A ROADWAY
from which earth and debris from the hill
could be dumped to make the fill on the
south side. When low water came during
the summer months and navigation had
been suspended, as it usually is for six
weeks or two months every year, l would
close up the gap in the piling across the
present chsnnel and turn the water
down Back" river. By the time
the usual fall rise would have
pleted, and navigation would be resumed
and continued in the channel. During the
autumn and winter hundreds of men
would be busy filling in earth and rock
from the hillside excavation below the pill
ing an ! riprapping the northern, or exposed
fuse with rock, mill cinders and gravel
and the main part of the work would be
an accomplished fact. The remainder
would be essy. OF course the usual body
of water in the present channel, below the
line of piliDg, would remain, but there
would be no current, it being empty back
water from the lower point Of the Island.
This would allow the present wharf to 6e
used, until the fill from the north would
.xtend down to and pass it which would
of course require period OF several year.
And right here an itea occurs to me which
believe has not heretofore been suggested
in connection with this project. You will
have observed that any plan, il carried out
would require the removal Of all or nearly
al Of that portion OF
Tue VENERABLE INCUBU KNowNs AS WHEELING
HILL
extending from Tenth street north TO the
pike, in order to supply the enormous
ousntity of rock aud earth necessary.
Why not stop the filling process at say
the foot of Eleventh street, and leave the
present wharf with all its accompanying
shipping facilities by rail and water Intact?
This would render the building OF another
wharf on the west side of the Island IN.
necessary, would DOT make necessary the
removal Of any part OF the business part OF
the town to the new water front, and would
give our city an ice hsrbor unsurpassed on
this continent. What city we would then
have! Why, the population and wealth
would double in ten years But my dream
will never come to pass. There is not suf
ficient get up aud git in the town to make
It reality. Our people would rather con-
tinus TO plod along in their slow. sixteenth
century way, than make any endeavor
which would result in building up and en-
riching the city. For proof of this ssser-
ton l refer you to the deaf ear lAst is
turned to the loud and repeated knockings
by railroads and other enterprises in the
not far distant past. Tread softly, AMI let
the old town sleep"
SAMPLES of the New lHoye Machine will
be on exhibition the latter part OF this
week at the compsny's salesrooms, SIS
Twelfth street Do not fail to see this
SondeTful new machine before purchas-
ing.
THE FAIR TO 90 ON.