Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-15

broadened the views of business men in Nor
gantown. They will not object to being made
the terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio
canal instead OF Cumberland. "Give us
the canal, said Mr.. T. Pickenpaugh, "and
also oulId us railroad from here direct to
Pittsburg. Then increase our river facili-
ties still more. We can stand them all.
We have been starved so long we are now
eager for everything movable. either by
water or dry land. The Fairmont branch
OF the Baltimore and Ohio railroad-our
only railroad outlet-was only given us
three years ago. Before that we reacned
Pittsburg by stage coaches to Fairchance.
FREIGHrING IN OLD TIMES.
We hauled our freight from the Pitts
burg steamboats, at Greensboro BY natboats,
RATS and horses to Morgantown. We did
this until navigation WAS completed tnls
winter TO this point. for the Baltimore and
Ohio route to Pittsburg was away round ny
Wheeling and their freight rates were high
until the Monongahela packets made them
bring them down. Now, if railroad was
built from here to Pittsburg by way oil
Uniontown and a canal from the railroad to
Morgantown we would secure both increased
railroad and river accommodations, and
Morgantown could measure arms with
tion.'"
Judge J. A. Ollie hailed the canal
scheme with delight as just recognition of
Morgantown's position on the maps as re-
CARDS river navigation. "Why, do you
KNOW" he said, cover 40 years ago we or
ganized a company up here to slackwater
the Monongahela in West Virginia. That
is a good while ago, but we kept at it with
the Government until they built the two
upper dams on the Monongahela, and now
we have the slackwater. 1t may take time
for trans-Allegheny Canal to reach the
Monongahela, but it will come.
"Such a canal might find an entrance to
Morgantown by way of Coburn's creek,
or it might come down the valley
Of the Cheat. One of George Washington's
early canoe schemes was along the Cheat"
A VERY MOUNTAINOUS COUNTRY.
Prof. l. C. White, of the University of
West Virginia, in Morgantown, has per-
feet knowledge of the mountains of West
Virginia, between here and Cumberland,
on account of his geological researches
among them. 1 asked him if he thought
the trans-Allegheny project practicable. TT
is possible" he replied, "but hardly prac-
ticable, think. Between here and Cum
IL WOulu HaNt 70 CTOSS Tue SuWlult
Of the mountains at an elevation of about
!, 600 feet. The Wills creek route / i'm
agine would be best for a canal, if it is true
the summit-level there would be only
little, lover 1000 feet. And yet tunnel of
Ihe same size as there contemplated would
reduce the altitude of Morgantown route
very materially also. And if the Wills
Creek Valley is practicable for a canal, GER
tainly the Cheat Valley would be.
"a canal from Cumberland to the vicin-
ty of Morgantown would have to come
down the Potomac to the Cheat, and down
The Cheat to the Monongahela. The Cheat
is exceptionally wild and rocky, but it has
IN advantage over the Youghiogheny and
Wills creek route in that it is not yet occu-
pied by railroads.
A NOVEL PROPOSITION.
"No," continued Prof. White, 81 believe
he S25, 600, 900 necessary for such a canal
could be much better spent BY the Govern
nent for the development of this country. |
The Monongahela river is finely slack |
Tatered and navigable all the year around. |
But how much more useful would it be |
f the Ohio river was navigable |
Ill the year around. Now, if the |
money proposed to be spent on trans-Alle- |
yheny canal were put into the erection of |
lams on the Ohio river between Davis |
Island and Cincinnati there would be more |
general benefits result. I like Colonel Mer- |
,ill's recommendation to Congress this |
week.
"AnoIher way money could be spent to |
advantage would be in building storage |
reservoirs along the Youghiogheny, Cheat
Ind Allegheny rivers. Dams for such pur-
poses are built to an immense height in
France. Along the Cheat they,,would be
'ery easily constructed, and that valley
'eing sparsely settled, there would be no
anger of a repetition of the Johnstown
isaster. The Tygart's and Buckhannon
ivers are two tributaries of the Cheat, and on
ach of them dams 40 to so feet high might
,e erected. These streams are really moth
ng more than mountain gorges. Out of
heir native rock the dams could be cheaplv
brown across the narrow valleys. All our
loods come from the mountains. These
zig dams would catch much of the surplus
yater of ireshet, thus lessening the damage
long the big rivers. In dry seasons gates
n these storage dams could let out the
Eater to keep up navigation along the larger
ivers. The millions OF dollars lost in one
Iood alone along the three rivers joining at
oittsburg would build these dams"
L. E. SToFIEL.