Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-18
DAMM|NG THE OHIO.
Work to Be Begun on the
Beaver Dam as Soon as
the Weather Settles.
ITS EFFECT ON TRAFFIC,
Freight and Passenger Boats Will
Then Run on Schedule Time.
FOUR NEW LOCKS TO BE BUILT.
Construction of the Erie Ship Canal In
eyitably Follows.
ITS EFFECT ON TRAFFIC,
FOUR NEW LOCKS TO BE BUILT.
RETURN OF THE RIVERS FORMER GLORY


The Beaver dam is to be built this sum-
mer. This is a certainty. This intelli-
gence will gladden. the heart of every river
man, and the business man of Pittsburg
will look upon it as one of the wisest acts
Congress has ever authorized.
This is not all. Between the Beaver dam
and the Davis Island dam there are to be
four similar locks When these are built,
and there is no doubt that their construc-
tion will be speedy, there will be more boats
plving on the river than ever seen, even In
the palmiest days of the oldest riverman's S
experience. The railroads will have to
hustle, for they will have competitor then
in the placid waters of the rivers, which
will be more powerful by far than the great
est trunk line ever built Even at the pres
ent time the freight business of the river is
of no mean proportion, but when all these
dams are built boats without number, run
ming on schedule time, will swell the bust
ness between Pittsburg and Southern points
immensely.
A Ship Canal Will fave to Be Built.
The building of these dams, and in fact
the Beaver dam alone, piles up assurances
that the proposed Lake Erie ship canal
must follow. With all this freight coming
down the rivers an outlet to the lakes must
be found. The only possible way to do it
is by the Lake Erie canal Its construction
is now sure to follow.
With the construction of the Beaver dam,
Superintendent William Martin, of the
Davis Island dam, is thoroughly conversant
He is to superintend its construction, and
returned from Washington yesterday, where
he had been receiving his instructions. To
DISPATCH reporter yesterday he said:
The Beaver dam is to be built. The first
appropriation is $3.50, 900 and it will likely
cost $780, 600 before it is finished. This is
about $500, 900 less than the Davis leland dam.
The work on the dam will be started this
summer, but it will take at least four years
TO complete the task. 1t can be done in this
time If the money is promptly appropriated
This is what kept US back SO long on the
Davis Island dam.
Location of the Beaver Dam.
The Beaver dam will be located at Rae
coon creek. with the lock on the right bank
of the Beaver river. 1t will be very nearly
an exact reproduction of the Davis Island
dam, on the Chanoine system. The Davis
dam is GOO feet long and ITO feet wide, and
will admit of one steamboat and IA barges
passing through at Cne time. The Beaver
dam will be $50 feet shorter, the same width
and l foot and inches higher than the
Davis Island dam.
The easiest way to describe the new struct-
ure is to give an idea of how the dam of
which 1 am now superintendent was built.
I Vine work is plenty and hard. Ike figures l
will give may not be exactly correct in the
case of the Beaver dam, but the idea is the
same.
wide and IA feet high must first be built.
Upon its completion the land wall of the
lock is built upon a natural rock
foundation. Next the river wall
OF the lock must be constructed, with con-
crete foundation Is feet below the sill of the
dam. When the last stone OF this great mass
of masonry is laid. a Golfer dam is con-
structed for the navigable pass LAYING bare
the bed of the river for the entire length OF
the lock.
Built Upon a Solid Foundation.
Then comes foundation of broken stone
and cement IL feet deep and 70 feet wide,
crossed by a network of stout oak timber.
On this strong bottom is built the super
structure, the wickets and their heavy iron
props. the lower ends of which fit into
these wiclzets are lowered they
lie fat on the surface of thin made" river
bed The navigable pass is made to extend |
out in the river wall of the dam about $50 |
feet. The three weirs are then put in. They /
are about e2O feet in length.
The wickets in the navigable pass and the |
weirs range from feet 81 inches to 13 feet |
in height and are nearly four feet in width |
and nine inches thick. They are made of |
oak. just above the line OF the wickets in |
the weirs there runs what is called a service /
bridge. Above the dam, at the junction of |
the navigable pass and the weirs. large stone |
piers must be built for steadying this |
bridge. This structure is composed of |
framework OF iron in sections of eight feet
and 1t can be raised and lowered at will l
from the bed of the river by chains. The |
crest of the dam with the wickets up forms /
an unbroken line for the entire distance /
from the river lock wall to the shore. The 1
number of wickets is about 300 but in addi- /
tion to these are about % at the head of the
lock, to be used only in time of a flood, when |
both gates are opened.
The gates of the lock must be massive
structures. The Davis Island ones consist
OF Howe bridge trusses, laid horizonta tally.
These are lis feet long, il feet high and Is
feet inches wide. The gates move on
tracks laid in the bed OF the rock to and
from large recesses built of masonry in the
land wall OF the lock.
Motive Power for the Machinery.
After all this has been done it is nice
piece OF work to arrange tho machinery to
operate them. The motive power of the
Davis Island dam is furnished by two
turbine wheels, which receive their power
from two tanks elevated 81 feet above the
lock. These tanks have a capacity of 1900 |
gallons. The water is lifted up to them |
by 25inch turbine wheel by the head of |
water created by the dam. The moving of
the mighty machinery of the back gates is
thus made very simple affair it bein. only |
necessary to turn r small key, letting the |
water into the turbine wheels, which oper- |
ate a chain drum, with reversible motion, |
and the gate is either run out across the
lock or back into the recess, as it is closed or
In order to fill the lock when closed, there
are IA valves or openings in the river and
land walk. These are operated by hydraulic |
Jacks, receiving their power from the pres |
sure of the water in the tanks. A lock can
be filed with water in three minutes time. |
suppose the arrangement of the motive
power of the Beaver dam will be materially |
the same.
Overcoming Dangerous Distinctions.
The Beaver dam will slack water I'D the
Beaver river and make slack water on the
Raccoon and Beaver shoals, two dreaded
places to a riverman. These points can
only be crossed during the freshet season,
but with the dam the whole river will be |
navigable at most times. The real benefit |
Of this dam Will not be shown until the four |
lther dams, which are to be placed some |
where between the Beaver and the Davis |
Island dams, are constructed. There is |
some talk now OF asking Congress to ap- |
Dropriate for their construction Under |
circumstances L wouldn't suppose |
here would be much show OF the bill pass |
ng, but since the Beaver dam is to be built, |
he necessity of the other four grows more |
apparent Even without the other four the
5Iade. Not that the river will be made n | I
,arTier of passengers, for that can be SO ,
much better done by railroads. Railroads,
hough, cannot excel n steamboat in carry
ng or towing freight. Since the Davis
slaud dam has been built, / have seen
more coal go through its locks in one day |
han a railroad could carry in six months.
A Strong Rival of Railroads.