Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-01-18

and others, they named it the Pitts
burg, Brownsville and Geneva Packet
Company, Geneva and Greesnbore, on
the opposite side of the river, the then
upper terminus of the line, were
thriving little towns with aspirations
toward becoming manufacturing CEN
tiers. But just as they were coming
into prominence railroads penetrated
the districts to the north and south,
MOrgantown became the head of nav
igation, and they were left behind in
the march of progress, till to-day all
that remains of past glories and am
billions are two quaint little villages
set high upon the river banks, and a
erockery factory, for whose product
and a stray passenger now and then
the packets still make landings.
Riyermen claim the old locks are
obsolete and not large enough for
present and future needs. They will
only permit the passage of boats the
size of the Adam Jacobs or the James
G. Blaine. Some of these locks and
dams are wearing away with the con-
slant use of years, and will before
long have to be replaced. 1t is the
intention to make the ones which
take their places sufficiently large to
permit passage of the large lower
river boats.
The scheme for the futher improve
ment of the Monongahela includes
the building of locks and dams SO as
to secure slackwater up as far as Mon
ohgah the river at present not being
navigable beyond Morgantown.
Six locks and dams are to be built.
Their location will be seen by a refer
ence to the map of the upper portion
of the river, which is to be improved.
The sites have been fixed by the Uni
ted States engineers, options have
been secured by the Government on
the land needed for each lock, the
contract has been let for the entire
six, and all is in readiness to begin
the work of actual construction as
soon as the titles to the land are vest
ed in the United States. The matter
of titles is in the hands Of the de-
partment of justice, and to hurry
things along Joseph II. Gaines, the
district attorney of West Virginia,
has been detailed to look up the rec
ords.
G. |. Mcdonald, of Pittsburg, has
the contract for constructing the
locks and dams. The contract price
for the entire six is in round figures
$608, 900. In addition to this, the
Government will have to pay the ex
penses incident to superintendence,
engineering, contingencies and the
purchase price of the land. With
this, however, the total will be well
within the limit Of 1900, 600 placed
by Congress.
1t will be three years from the
time work is begun until boats can go
through to Monongah. Monongah is
six miles beyond Fairmont, and is
one of the coalshipping centers of the
West Virginia fields, and it was here
that much of the trouble in connec-
tiOn with the recent strike occurred.
The first surveys of the Monon-
gahela above Morgantown were made
in 1875, under Colonel William E.
Merrill, Colonel Thomas 2. Roberts,
of Pittsburg, one of the prime movers
in the Lake Erie ship canal project,
having charge of the field work
In addition to the improvement al
ready decided upon for the Monon-
gahela within the borders of West
Virginia. more are in contemplation.
Only last Thursday Representative B.
B. Dovener, of the First West Vir-
ginia district introduced in the
House bill for survey of the West
Fork river from its junction with the
Monongahela, near Monongah, to
Clarksburg, a distance of about %
miles, with view to improving the
navigation of the stream by a series
of locks and dams similar to those to
be constructed between Morgantown
and Monongah.
There are vast deposits of coal ly-
ing as yet untouched along the upper
valley. and extending far back into
the country OF either side. With
constant cheap means Of shipment to
the South, which will come in an
even greater measure than to-day
with slack water extending down to
the mighty Mississippi, the upper
Monongahela valley will become as
the lower now is, wonderful center
of industry, a contributor to Pitts
burgs wealth.
House for Rent.
I room house on Main street for