The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1892-12-17
THE KENTUCKY RIVER. .
Steps for M eeting of elegates
in This City to Memorabilia
Congress.

The citizens and merchants in par
ticular are awaking to the fact that
the small appropris tions made by
Congress to the Kentucky river will
not insure for many years the COM
pletion of the work of building the
locks and dams to improve the navi-
cation to the headwaters of the river.
They have discovered that there is a
great waste of both time and money
to the Government, which larger APP
preparations would easily overcome.
Though the river has been under the
control Of the United States Govern
ment since 1880, the money which
Congress has Adribbled out for the
improvement since that time has
accomplishedinothing more than to
put the four old locks in good condi-
ton and build one new one, practi-
cally, in other words, extending the
navigation only from this city to
High Bridge. The failure to accom-
plish more is not due in any sense to
a want of efficiency on the part of
the officers who have charge of the
improvements. 1t is merely the re-
suit of the appropriation, which is
barely enough to build one lock and
dam at time. IIf the amounts were
increased the contracts could be let
on larger scale and the necessary
timber and stone be gotten out to
take advantage of every day in
the season that the weather and stage
OF water will admit of the work AS
it is now, much propitious time and
good material are absolutely wasted
for want of money to keep the work
constantly going on. Whilst the
citizens realize that great benefits are
already secured to them by the inn
provements made, they know that
the ultimate Yplans Of reaching the
headwaters, if they can ever be car
ried out, will open to the counties
along the river and to the cities and
towns for reasonable distances up
and down the Ohio river, tide of
wealth in coal alone, at greatly re-
duced prices, that cannot be COM
puted in figures. Coal, iron and the
finest timbertabound in the counties
in which this river penetrates and it
only requires the building of five or
six more locks and dams to enable
vessels to go into the Three Forks, at
Beattyville, which will carry them
forty miles further in the North Fork,
to Jackson, in Breathitt county.
With the object in view Of memo
rializing Congress to make large APP
preparations for this river than in the |
past, the business men Of this city are
arranging for request to the county
judges of the counties along the line
of the river, both above and below |
this city, to appoint number of
their citizens as delegates to meet in
Frankfort some time during the i
month of January. Louisville, Madi- |
much advantage from the COM
pletion Of the Improvement of
the river, will also be asked to
have representatives at the meeting.
Action of this nature, presenting the
loss of time and.money, the mineral
resources of the counties to be |
reached, the great benefits that will
flow to large section of the country
by converting the river into a Monon-
gahela, and the interest that the peo-
Pile Immediately concerned in the
are taking in it's speedy
completion, it is believed will have
the desirable effect upon Congress-,
and secure such appropriations here
after as will hasten the work more
than dozen years, a period of itself
Of immense Importance to the de-
velopment and. prosperity of vast