The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1893-01-14
The Cities of Louisville and Gin
cinnati now Wrestling over High
Prices of Coal.
The Kentucky River Improvement
Necessary to Relieve Them.
An Old Document on the Subject
Most Interesting Now.


Der 80, 1887, the following article ap-
peared, which, just at this time, is OF
great interest, both To this city and
the cities of Louisville and Cincin-
natl, which are in the midst of the
annual troublesome question of how
to reduce the price of coal:
1.-THE opening of the Kentucky river
and of the great Eastern Kentucky
coal field is such pressing Importance
in view of the coal famine, which is
costing consumers immense sums of
money, that the following commune
cation of committee of the Frank
fort Board of Trade to the Louisville
Board of Trade is interesting. 1t is
probable that the Louisville organic
alton will take immediate action in
the matter. There are some valuable
facts in the following communication,
which is copy of one that has been
mailed to President Messenger:
FRANKFORT, KY, December 90
Harry Wetssinger, Esq, President
Board of Trade, Louisville DEAR SIR:
The undersigned, a committee ap-
pointed by resolution of the Frank
fort Board of Trade, to correspond
with the Board of Trade of your city
for the purpose of securing your CO.
operation in urging Congress to COM
plete the slack water navigation of
the Kentucky river, beg leave to pre-
sent for your consideration the fol-
lowing facts, showing the importance
of the work in question.
The Kentucky river has its source
at the base of the Cumberland Noun
tains, in Eastern Kentucky, in three
tributaries which, after traversing
the Eastern Kentucky coal fields for
about one hundred miles, unite at
Beattyville, in Lee county, the local
ity being known as the Three Forks,
near the western edge of the coal
field. Thence for a distance Of 261
miles,it passes through thirteen of
the richest bluegrass counties of the
State, and empties into the Ohio at
point nearly equi-distant between
Cincinnati and Louisville. Although
confined to the limits of a single
State, its Importance as navigaDle
stream has long attracted attention.
More than 30 years ago it's improve
ment, by slack-water navigation, was
begun by the State OF Kentucky, and
for nearly one hundred miles from
it's mouth it has been, through this
means, made navigable for steamers
of 300 tons burden. Valuable, how
ever, as this has been for local COM
merce, and for placing it's products
within easy reach of the markets of
Louisville, Cincinnati and other
cities, its chief value has not been re-
allied from the failure as yet to com
plete the slack-water system to the
Three Forks, and thus secure to the
population of this and other States
the abundant supply of coal, iron and
timber which exists at its headwa-
ters.
In 1880, Kentucky having expended
more than one million dollars in the
construction of five locks and dams,
following the precedent of West Vir-
ginia in the case Of the Kanawha and
Pennsylvania of the Monongahela,
coded TO the United States without
price these improvements and the
river, to the end that the General
Government might complete the sys-
tenn of slack-water navigation to the
Three Forks and give free nav: cation
through its whole course. Since that
period Congress has from time to
time made appropriations sufficient
to repair the original locks and dams
80 as to give free navigation through
out the entire year for the distance
Of about one hundred miles, to place
under contract sixth lock and dam,
and to build an experimental dam at |
the Tree Forks, which has, after one
years. trial, proven practically fail
ure. The object for which we seek |
your co operation is to prevail upon
Congress to change it's policy of
small annual appropriations, under
which the completion of the system
will be indefinitely postponed, and to
make such provision as will enable |
the remaining distance of one hun
dred and siXty-one miles to be made
navigable at the earliest practicable
date, it being equally as feasible to
place all the remaining locks and
dams under contract at one time as
10 construct them by piece meal. We
shall not weary you by detailed ex-
libit of the great quantity and supe,
,ior quality of coal which will thus
become accessible to the inhabitants
lot only of the State contiguous to
ts waters and of the cities to which
We especially appeal for aid in this
,ndeaVor, but also to the Mississippi
yalley south of it's mouth These
details will be found officially set
orth in the reports of the Kentucky
Geological Survey, in which these
Goals have been thoroughly described
md analysed. Suffice it to say that
hey will bear US out in the assertion
hat, as a source of supply, this river
,ffers a field as extensive az either
he Kanawha or the Monongahela,