Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-10
WANTON WORK.
Continued from First Page.

IOUIIHUBU yTOUt FHoG 1 SJS'
living between the Castleman and Youghio-
gheny, so that it may aiterward cross the
Yough:ogheny Just above the mouth of the
Castleman BY an aqueduct 400 feet long.
These two aqueducts, 5000 feet apart are on
the same level. The distance from Meyers
dale to the mouth of tine Castleman is 32.9
miles, and the fall of the Castleman in that
distance is GIG feet, which is an average oil
1913 feet per mile. After crossing the
YouChiogheny, as lust described, the line is
laid along the left bank to Ohio Pyle Falls,
distance of II miles, in which distance the
river falls LOG feet.
HAZARDOUS OHIO PYLE.
At Ohio Pyle Falls the river makes great
horseshoe bend, which is 1.9 miles long, as
measured along the left bank, while the dis
tance across the neck of the bend is but ], 500
feet, or but few feet more than one-third
OF a mile. In this distance the river falls
94,7 feet. The canal line crosses the river at
the upper end of the bend by an aqueduct
400 feet long, and the neck is passed by a
cut 16 feet deep at the highest point. The
descent to the river on the other side is
made by plane so feet in height, and the
line Immediately recrosses the river by an
aqueduct 210 feet long at a height of 2S feet
above the surface of the river. A feeder is
provided to empty into the canal just below
the foot OF the plane. from dam to be built
about one mile above, on the bend of the
river. There are but few places between
Confluence and Ohio Pyle Falls where the
conditions require the narrowing of the ca
nal below the standard width, although
there are several places where the canal line
lies on steep, rocky slopes, and occasionally
the bluffs come down to the river and force
the line to the waters edge. In these cases
retaining walls are proposed to support the
canal. Rock excavation obtains on nearly
the whole length of this section, as there is
but a limited amount of bottom land, and
there will consequently be some difficulty in
procuring sufficient clav for pudding pur-
poses. The Castleman and Youghiogheny
rivers both flow in rock beds, and nearly all
the retaining walls, locks, culverts and
aqueducts can be founded on bed rock.
CLAIMING DARE DEVIL YoUGH.
From Ohio Pyle the line continues along
the left bank of the river to the mouth of
Dunbar creek, one mile above Connellsville,
at which point the survey for the canal
ended. Colonel Merrill estimates that from
Connellsville to McKeesport the Youghio-
gheny river can be slackwatered with 15
dams and locks, sufficiently for navigation.
uOM 70 ln6 OI Tue
mountains, and following the line OF survey
eastward, the canal would be laid along the
side-hill slopes OF the Willis creek valley,
and inclined planes would be freely used,
according to Colonel Sedgwick's idea. the
steepness of the descent making the use of
local, or ordinary lock-lifts impracticable
except in particular localities. These in
clined planes worked by hydraulic power
would vary in length from 35 to 150 feet.
The water for this eastern slope of the
canal could be obtained from the summit
reservoir of the Castleman river, and from
reservoirs and damned local streams which
flow toward Cumberland. The survey
definitely locates each of these reservoirs
and creek dams; feeders. The passage
of canal through the Wills creek narrows
near Cumberland, where the railroads have
apparently taken up all the available
ground, is proven to be a possibility by
Colonel Sedgwick, by widening of The
stream as much as can be done, and then
building division walls. 1t is an ingenious
arrang .ment that could only be explained
by means of detailed map.
WIDEST TUNNEL IN THE WORLD.
The tunnel proposed by Colonel Sedgwick
for this route would be the widest ever
built in either Europe or the United States,
as the following table shows, the proposed
tunnel being named last.