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

course OF the How. 30 that there shall
be constancy OF location of the channel.
Auxiliary TO this Is the dredging OF
channels where the material OF the bot
tom does not readily Yield to the scour-
Ing force OF the current. and the removal
OF distractions.
slack Water Improvement.
1.-THE other method OF Improvement is
what Is known as the system OF slack
water navigation. which provides navi-
gable depths by raising the natural
water surface by n series OF dams.
placed at intervals along the river BY
this system the natural slope OF the
river surface Is replaced by nearly level
| pools and abrupt falls at the dams.
Wherever there Is dam, OF course.
there must be q lock, so that vessels
can pass ut low water from one pool to
another. The system Of slackwater
navigation IL divided Into two classes,
those with fixed dams and those with
movable dams. With fixed dams. the
locks must always be used for the pas
sage OF vessels from one pool to another.
until the dams are drowned out; that If.
when the river becomes very high and
there Is no perceptible fall over the
dams and vessels can pass over them.
With movable dams, nn-open river pas
| sage Is provided ut medium stages by
throwing the dams down when there
Is enough water flowing TO provide
navigablc depth in the channels. The
question then arises as to which method
OF improvement should be adopted.
I'm open river navigation there IL per-
feet freedom Of movement Of vessels.
with no delay In passing locks and no
expense for operating other than that
for repairs and maintenance OF the
necessary dikes and dams. With the
slRckwRter system, II would be neces-
sary 10 build movable dams. Fixed
dams would not be tolerated. because
the large coal tOws could not be delayed
by locking through each dam.
THE locks and dams are costly TO
build and the expense OF operating them
would be n perpetual charge. NayiRu-
tion would be delayed by the stoppnge
Mt every lock. In the report of my
predecessor. the late Colonel Merrill,
an engineer OF great ability, II was esti-
mated that TO lock and dam the whole
river would require slxty-elght locks
and dams. at a cost OF about S0,O0O.OOO.
There can be no question Of the deSir-
ability OF making navigation as free as
possible from all distractions and delay,
and open river navigation Is therefore
preferable. IN every respect, wherever II
is possible 10 obtain II. The possibility
OF obtaining 1t, depends upon the
amount Of water supply and the slope
OF the river. During the very low water
OF the fall OF 1892, had measurements
made OF the volume OF discharge Of the
river at various points. The follow
ing are some OF the results:
Just below Davis Island dam the
flow was 2.55S cubic feet per second.
Just below mouth OF Muskingum
river the flow was ass cubic feet per
second.
Just below mouth of SeIoto river the
flow was 6.6O6 cubic feet per second.
"Just below mouth OF Kentucky river
the flow was 1880 cubic feet'per second.
Ohio River Improvement.
These figures are important as
showing the amount OF water that
may be depended upon for making
channels, and indicate the size OF chan
nels that could he obtained at various
points For Instance. with 6,6O6 cubic
feet OF water passing Cincinnati at low
water stage, and assuming the mean
velocity at 2is feet per second, the cross
sectional area OF channel would be 2.6tn
iert, which Cor an average depth OF !
feet, would give width OF $50 feet; but
as channels are deeper In the center
than at the sides. an average depth OF
-
| II the velocity were Increased the cham
| mel could be larger or deeper. The re-
| duction in width OF channel to obtain
navigable depths IL not necessary FOR
all parts OF the river, but Is only needed
at the ripples. and possibly in some OF
the shallow pools. BY proper ar
| ranEement OF contraction works the
depth in the pools mas be kept undjs-
| turbed: for II we lengthcn the surface
| fnT n uriVaF1 fall FtDDle We
reduce the velocity, and consequently
reduce the volume OF water taken from
the pool above.
Now. by an examination Of the table
| OF discharge measurements given above,
| II will be noticed that there is an IN
crease OF volume as we pass each trtbu-
tary In descending the river. which, OF
course, was TO be expected: and the
| further down the river we go the larger
and deeper may be the channels, But.
in connection with this table, we must
consider another. giving the surface
i slopes at different parts of the river.
will not weary you by giving the whole
table, but Will illustrate by saying that
| In the first 100 miles OF the river nearest
| Pittsburgh the slope averages nearly II
| inches per mile. the greatest average OF
any ten miles being II inches per mile.
while for short distances the fall Is ms
much as 10 feet 10 the mile. In the low
er 81 miles Of river the average slope Is
only LIS inches per mile. with a greatest
| average in any 10 miles OF Inches per
mile, In general terms II may be said
| that in the upper part OF the river the
water supply Is small. and the velocity
| OF How IS great. white In the lower end
| OF the river the supply is much more
abundant. and the velocity OF flow is
less. Now. ms bearing upon the I'M
| portant question as to what improve
| ment the Ohio river Is susceptible OF,
| and how II shall be made, might he
asked what conclusions should be ar
| rived at from the statements mRhe.
Bearing In mind the falllhility of man,
and especially OF one who has positive
| convictions, should answer that with
| some caution.
slack WAGER Necessary Here.
From the knowledge we have Of the
river It would appear that in the upper
part, where the water supply Is small
| and the slope steep. the system OF slack
water. navigation is the only one that
can be adopted for making channels
| navignbte at all times. This 3ystem
must probably extend as far as Wheel
Ing, and perhaps TO Marietta.
From MARKETS. to Cairo believe
that omen river work will produce navi-
gable channels. which would increase
in width and depth as they approach
the mouth OF the river.
'I should not ray positively what
depths and widths OF channel can be
obtained. But what ! believe can be
obtained. and should strive for. Is
about as follows: At Marietta the low
water channel through the rlpples
might be about 200 feet In width. In
descending the river the widths through
the rlpples would increase TO about 700
-. 1 mn fnnI NJ ENnn