The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-15

"Dfy up'-tesume OF Low ahu
High Water tor the Past Six Years.
With two feet eleven and a half
inches in the channel and the river
slowly falling, the Ohio is fast APP
preaching that condition known US
"dried up" Yesterday wss the first
time this season "a belle riVisrs has gone
below the three-foot mark. What
makes matters worse from tho steam
boatman's standpoint Is that there are
actually no prospects for a rise in the
immediate future, and It would not be
surprising that the river gets down to
the one-foot mark.
All OF the large CINCINNATI packets,
OF course, are tied to the bank at va
rious points along the river, the Iron
Queen being harbored at this port
After these large boats were shelyed the
intermediate sized packets, like the
Courier and Ben Hur, continued to run
for awhile, but at the present stage the
rivers bottom 10 altogether too near
the frail bottoms OF the boats, SO that
most OF this class will have to be re-
tired. At q first glance it would seem
that this would end river traffic tempo
rarily, but on the contrary tho entar-
prising steamboatmen intend that
nothing OF the sort shall happen US long
as there are twelve or fifteen inches OF
water. The class Of boats that will now
come into use on the upper Ohio are
known us
SANDY PACKETS" COMING
from Catlcttsburg at the mouth OF the
Big Sandy river, where Ohio, West
Virginia and Kentucky exchange salu-
tations. These steamers bear the dis
tinction OF being the smallest vessels
.navigated by steam power known on
the western rivers; likewise they draw
the least amount OF water; most OF
them can got along with less than ten
inches.
Captain Booth yesterday took the
initiative in securing boats OF this class.
He left for Catlettsburg and will secure
one Of them to replace the Liberty in
the Clarington trade. According to the
captains view his boat has been scrap
ing on rocks, snags and sand bars alto
gether too often, hence his trip to Ken
lucky. Other steamboat owners, 1t is
said, will at once follow suit, and bring
light draft boats into tho local trades.
Speaking OF this trip of Captain
Booths, an old river man remarkedtha
two West Virginia streams, go far Us he
knew, are tho only ones On which the
old.fashioned and Anticipated tlat.boat
survives the march OF progress, steam
boats and railroads. "These two streams
are the Guyandotte and Big Sandy, both
emptying into the Ohio at the lower end
ofthe state, twelve miles apart, between
them being the metropolis OF that end
OF the state, Huntington, and Kenova,
the new railroad town.
"Until the Norfolk & Western rail.
road cut across the region made famous
Tor rather notorious by the Hatfeld.Mc
Coy and other feuds, communication
with it was almost entirely by the Guy
andotte and Sandy rivers. Not over
three months in the year could the
light draft steamers 20 upthese streams,
and during the remaining nine months
THE FLAT boat MADE FAMOUS
by Mark Twain and other writer's, was
the sole means Of communication. The
region, the people and the flat boat arc
about equally advanced in ci~vinization,
consequently it Is an interesting expert.
ence TO make the trip in the primitive
craft. The advent Of the railroad has
about killed the fiat boat trade on the
Guyandotte, and nearly 90 ON Sandy"
Though the river is pretty low now,
Il has been much lower in the past six
years, at ono time. being at tho eight
inch mark. Captain Crockard, of the
whartboat yesterday gave an INrELLI-
GEScER reporter the figures for the pc
Rod commencing In 1887, up to the
present. The lowest stage reached in
1887 was mi foot fiat. on September q.
Tho water contiWled low that season
for several months, and oven in Decom.
Der the highest stage recorded was
three feet. Navigation that season was
practically killed,
In 1888 the lowest stage on record
was two foet on August6 On the 25th
Of theaame month sulnlner rains caused
the Ohio to swell rapidly, reaching on
that day thirty-two feet. From that
time on navigation was continued with
out interruption. The stage Of water
continued satisfactory until September
OF the succeeding year, 1889, when as
low as nine inches were shown on tho
marks. This was also IN open year,
there being no trouble with the ice
during the winter.
In 1890 the lowest recorded was l foot
9inches, aud that was only for O few
days, q summer rise coming in July,
causing the stage to remain good for
steamboats, for the balance OF the sea.
son. In 1901
MATTERS OPENED obviously,
as on tho fourth Of January there was
A feet II inches in tho chanuel. At
this time, 1t will DO remembered, the
whRrfboat was tied up on Eleventh
street. The high water did not last
long, as on May 2 there was but 2 feet
IL inches in the channel. Up TO Octo.
Der, however, there was fair boating
wator, when there was o big fall, tho
lowest stage recorded being 10 inches.
The river came up again in November.
1892 opened with good water and IN
open river, which continued until Sop.
TENDER, when / foot 8 inches were
shown IN the marks; in October tho
record for tho year was broken, II
inches. II was late In November whom
thero was good wator again. On Do.
comber 70 the river closed at the Top
Mill with 3 foot 2 inches on tho
marks the gorge broke January 4, 1903,
but tho river closed tightly hero on the
NAlA aAl NtI aaN l,snaLs ,saNn Az Bnll.
The lowest water In June this ycar was