Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-16
BUILDING THE DAM.
The Governments is Purchasing Prop
erty Near Herr's Island
FOR THE RIVERS IMPROVEMENT.
United States District Attorney Allen
Makes the First Move
INA PROJECT OF GREAT MAGNITUDE

At last the Hers Island dam is going to
be built. 1t is the first substantial move by
the Government to improve the Allegheny
river and make it navigable stream. The
work is thus actually commenced 10 years
after organized efforts were first started in
the interest of the project. While it is an
enterprise of great magnitude it is not prob
able that it will require so long time to
complete as the Davis Island dam or the
new Postofice building.
United States District Attorney Allen
has just purchased strip of land in ALLIE
gheny City midway between Hers Island
and the Fifteenth street bridge. 1t is 40x
200 feet, and will be the site of abutments
and lock-walls of the new dam. He is also
negotiating for an adjoining piece of prop
erty for the erection of necessary buildings
to house workmen and tools during the job.
The District Attorney is also conducting
the negotiations for the purchase of land on
the Pittsburg side. 1t is situated on the
river banks of the Twelfth ward. his OBJ
ject is to acquire all the real estate for
the Government without the formality of
condemning it, if possible. If that becomes
necessary condemnation suits will have to
be entered, viewers appointed and lot OF
red tape unraveled which will take year
or more to wind up again.
RED TAPE UNwoUND.
District Attorney Allen is acting under
orders. Colonel W.. E. Merrill, of Cincin-
matt, who is in command of the Engineer
ing Corps, U. S. A, in the Ohio Valley,
had the survey made quietly some time
sgo determining the location of the
dam. He then notified the Secre-
tary of War that property should
be condemned for the site of the abutments,
retaining walls and locks. The Secretary
accordingly instructed the Attorney Cen
eral of the United States, and that function
ary messaged the instructions to United
States District Attorney Allen, whose head
quarters are in Pittsburg.
Congress has already made two appropria-
tions for the construction of dam at Herr's
Island, and people have often wondered
what became of the money, and what was
the cause of the delay. These appropriations
amounted in the aggregate to S55, 900. The
first was made about four years ago,
and the last some two years later.
The money lies safely to the credit of the
paper dam in the vaults of the United
States Treasury. 1t is not probable that
more than $40, 900 of it will be needed to pay
for the property now being purchased.
After the negotiations are all completed an
act must be passed by the Legislature of
Pennsylvania ceding all jurisdiction and
ownership in the real estate thus purchased
to the United Sites. This cannot now be
done before the next Legislature, nearly
two years hence, but. as there is never any
question about that formality, the work of
construction will not be delayed on that ac-
count. The act ceding the Davis Island
dam property to the Government was not
passed by the Legislature until the work
was nearly finished.
COMMENCE AT ONCE.
Assistant District Attorney Alcorn stated
Yesterday that the work of excavating for
and constructing abutments, and other
masonry for the dam, would be commenced
lust as soon as the purchase of all of the
property was complete. From other sources
il was learned that the whole work would
cost about $500, 600. If favored by good
weather, and regular annual appropriations
by Congress, the improvement may be en-
tirely finished in two years. John W.
Arris is the Government engineer in charge
of the work at this time and L V. Hoag
has charge of the general improvements on
the Allegheny.
1t is expected that this dam will form q
harbor navigable all the year around ten
miles long. That would extend as far up
as Hutton. Now there is not a steamboat
that can get that far up except when the
river is at food height.
What is most important is that this dam
commits the Government to the erection of
others on the same streams, thus realizing
the dream of many people-the Allegheny,
with its very gradual fall and majestic
length of 800 miles, made a highway for
steam navigation.
A GREAT WORK.
Ten years ago the Western Pennsylvania
River and Improvement Association was
formed at q meeting in the Chamber of Com
merce rooms, Pittsburg. This meeting was
attended by delegates from all the towns
and cities on the Allegheny and tributaries
between here and the New York State line.
The one object of the association was the
improvement of the Allegheny. Subsequent
meetings were held in nearly all of these
towns with delegates present from Pittsburg,
Allegheny and Sharpsburg. Arthur Kirk
of this city was perhaps the most prominent
spirit in the movement.
The result of this work was food of pe-
titions being poured in upon Congress for
the erection of series of dams on the Allie
gheny. 1t was a long time before anything
was accomplished, despite the fact that
Colonel Merrill's Recommendation was OBJ
tanned for the work as feasible. He said in
one of his reports that the Allegheny was
the easiest stream in the United States to
slack water. An appropriation bill was
defeated twice by Congress. But four years
ago the fourth went through and the second
followed as matter of course. as will the
others.
Advocates of the scheme say that even
the ten-mile pool formed by the first dam at
Herr's Island will work wonders. 1t will
build up large local trade for steamboats,,
towing boats and barge transportation be-
tween the city, Etns, Sharpsburg, Verona,
Claremont, Hutton and Harmersville. II
will throw thousands of beautiful manufac.
turing sites on the market Both sides oI
the Allegheny are a series Of level pastures
which mill men have seen the value of long
before this, but failed 20 improve them for