The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-03-21

many an attempt to secure adequate
Improvement Of the Ohio and MonOn-
rnhela rivers. the other day:
More has been accomplished III the
las, six months, since the organization
~ the Ohio Valley Improvement As
ISOLATION at Cincinnati. than in years
nervous The association meeting
brought together the Representative
BUSINESS and manufacturing people OF
the numerous Ohio river cities and
towns as they had never been brought
together before. A unanimlty Of senti-
ment was developed to an extent not
bonsd even by the more enthusiastic
leaders in the movement that resulted
In the formation OF the association.
since the October meeting q large
amount Of hard work. which is hoped
IA prove effective, has been done By
the members in all OF the river COM
niunities, particularly in Pittsburgh,
Wheeling and Cincinnati. Delegations
have appeared before Congress, pray
irc for favorable consideration OF
man ior the systematic improvement OF
the waterway, and one member OF that
committee tells me he has II on good
authority that the committee never be-
fore heard so much about the Ohio
river. This ding-dOnIinS process may
have wearied the statesmen at the time,
hut there is no doubt that many con-
rresstnen know and appreciate the Ohio
liver at It's true value and Importance,
which they certainly did not before the
orranfzatfor Of the Ohio Valley In
prSyement Association and Its agrees
sive campaign since"
The association could not have chosen
a better man for the presidency than
Colonel John l.. Vance. OF Gallipolis,
Ohio. He has spent nearly the entire
winter in efforts 10 further the cause
Of Ohio river Improvement. and his SER
vice as a member OF the house in for
mer Congress has stood him in good
stead.
- President-HOn. John L. Vance. Gal
ipoiis. Ohio.
Treasurer-J. D. Parker. Cincinnati.
Vice presIdents-Hon. John F. bravo.
Pittsburgh; F. A. Laldley. Cincinnati;
+. A. Burnside. Charleston, W. Va;
John Ingler. Evansville, Ind: W. W.
Hte, Louisville. KY; W. p. Halliday,
Cairo. tf-r.---, ------.-=---r----....-
Friends eC DIVER Improvement IN this
valley have always thought II tortu-
nate that such an efficient officer oil
the army as Colonel Amos ]. Stickney.
should have been placed In charge OF
the improvements. Though there is
regret al his removal 20 the MlSStss-
ippi. yet the general expressions OF ap-
prevail over the selection OF Major he
ner as his successor on the Ohio river:
leave no room for doubt that he VIII
I'LL the shoes Of his popular and able
predecessor.
Colonel stIekney's Address.
Colonel Stlckney's address before the
river improvement association at Gin
cinnati. was the keynote OF the cam
palgn for federal aid that followed. COL
pncl Slickhey said, IN part;
The OHIO river is nearly one thoiS-
and miles in length: the distance from
It's hend, the confluence OF the Allie
Eheny and Monongahela rivers. at
Pittsburgh, to its mouth at Cairo. being
95T miles. In that distance the river
surface ut low water has fall OF about
IsI feet, which, however, is by no
means uniform. the fall being cOnsid-
erably treatcr In the upper part OF the
river. and twenty-seven feet OF II be-
ing consumed in the falls nj Louisville.
The river bed Is composed principally
os gravel and sand. with solid rock In
4 few places. In the upper part OF the
river the gravel Is heavy, with many
howIde this gradually becomes light
or In descending the stream. and in
the lower part the bed Is mostly OF
sand, with some fine gravel, aud In
some places q hard, cemented gravel
The river, for nearly itE whole dis
lance. in low water. IL made up Of pools
and ripples. In the pools the water Is
o'en quite deep with comparatively
small surface declivlty and slow cur
rent. while on the rlpples II Is shallow.
"l'h sharp fails and great velocity OF
row In direction the river Is quite tor
tgou7. passing from one curve into nm
other. the channel usually following the
SuHcnvc shore. and crossing the river
bed at each reverSiOn OF curvature.
The water supply is extremely vnri-
able, which may be illustrated by the
statement that the oscillation Of water
surface at Cincinnati from extreme low
water to the greatest flood height Is
about 100 feet
In the study Of the question Of the
Improvement Of the river tOrnnvlgatlon.
there are many considerations to be kept
10 view: such MS the nature OF the COM
rncrce to be benefited. and the method
~ CRYING Il: the kind Of channels re-
CURED: the amount Of water necessary
and Obtalnable for these channels, and
lie kind OF work necessary for prOduc-
!HS and maintaining such channels.
"a very large part Of the present COM
mere, Is the movement Of the coal from
the M0nongnhcln md Kanawha rivers.
which. for economy In movement Is
placed In large towB comprised OF many
"asSeia secured together and moved by
one steamer. Thes tows are unwleldy.
and therefore require large channels,
With easy curves. In addition to the
conf. there is freight @ every kind and
description: ore. grain and lumber.
and the products Of the mills and pot
'aries and factories that line the banks
~ the river. This freight IL carried In
smaller lows and on steamers. and there
ar" many packet lines that carry both
ln2cngers and freight. This commerce
docs not require a. large channels M
'hc conl towB, because tho vessels are
more easily and quickly handled.
Commerce NJ the Ohio.
"T will not weary your patience with
many statistics. hut | will give YOU a
''w figures that may be of interest, The
commerce OF the river during the year
ending December II. 1891. ms nEccrtaIncd
Ia nyatli5e amounting In round numbers
~ 100000 tons. which IN much greater
than that NJ any other inland waterway
90 thiP country, excepting two; one OF
which 70 the pathway or the great lake
commerce. and the other IL the Hudson
river. To express the magnitude or
'nig commerce ~ the Ohio river moro
clearly ! win use tho familiar method
* comparing /, 10 railroad carriage.
II would require to carry II 1900 trains
~ oars, supposIng each train TO be
s,mpNs"d NJ thirty cars, each loaded
, itE twenty tons. This IL for the river
IN H. FFGuout conditions tyhnt tho CDm-