The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1898-05-27
BIG SANDY.
Major. .Bixby's Favora-
bic Report.
cInclNxArI. O- April 27. lS''s

How IN \ uott
through a narrow valley between
r,r.xy hills, and smpii.- int" the
ohIo IL catlstl,burg. It, bottom
Lands. varying in width, lie about %
se., above low water. and are gen
sralIy not suhlec. to overflow. It's
h.nk.. except where the rocky hills
,,,nealn,ely border the river, a'e
comuass.d Of doe sand, easily wash
aAhv the current, aud its many
,m.ll tributaries are all sediment
bearing during the rainy weather
season.
The l.oul.a fork Is the larger OF
,ha two streams that unite 10 form
the Big sandy. It rises - 'ns
,outhwe.tern part Of Virginia a'
n elevation OF about LOO ieet
above high water, and flows IN a
northwesIerly direction. It's banks
An many cases are rocky, In others
composed Of sand and clay. II nas
All the characteristics ofA noun
tain .,resm, with steep average
slone. and with pools Of varying
dep,h separated by rocky bars
which in Iow water often have but a
few inches Of water over them. Its
average fall from PikevilIe to Lou
i.aIsI.5a feet per mile, the dis
,ancs bstwseu those points being
s65 miles, and the total fall being
1870 feet.
The Tug Fork RI -es Ia the noun
t.lus OF Mcdowell county, W. Va,
and flows In northwesierly diree'
tlon. IL. general features are lile
those Of the Louisa fork, i,s pools
being separated by rocky barr
BELOW the falls of the Tug, ho~ev'
-, its pooI, are gradually hliing
nm. 40 that Ia this locality Ihe
drop. tormerl, 35j feet 10 s,reieh
OF 100 feet, was found in 1851 TO DC
o,ly about O.5O feet. It's average
fan from Pond to wa'neld is lse
feet psr mile, tho distance belnR
$50 miles, and lie average iAiI
from wsrAeld TO Louisa is LIZ iee'
p.r mile. the distance being Si.S
miles. IL. total fall from the mouth
10, III. Pond TO Louisa being lV9-o'
feet.
Y The only way OF securing sum
Client depth OF water for purposes
Of navigation, especially by nAvisa
lion by coal barges, Is to eanaii1
mi. river and its forks by mean
oflocks and dams
Ia 9s7s a project (see Annual IL
nor, Chief o. Engineers, 1910, pI
iss. .7es) for '.lmproving Big sand
from Cstlsttsburg, KY, TO the heA
Of navigation ,sprOvldsd for the n
moyal Of rocks, snags, overhang'h
trees, and other distinctions irO'
the main stream aud also ffo'
botb lis forks, the Tug and LOUIS
.Aoy, their confluence at Louis
XIV. to aid the light draft stean
boat. push boat, and rafting nav
Ratlon OF this river, and under IN
project anI appropriations ther'
for this river has been improve
. regularly, the main river from ON, y
10 1850 and the forks from 1851
10 the present tune.
BY river and harbor act oil Ju'
IA. 1850, $4,000 vas also approp'
.,sd for beginning the construct''
ofalock and 6xed dam at Louis
aud subsequent aets appn'pria'
the funds required for its comp
tIon, the substitution OF a moV''
far. hxed dam being specially .
thorixed by the river and hart
&C, Of July Is, 1892 This lock a
dam Is no~ completed and in :
eratlon.
BY river and harbor act o' :
gust II, lssS, an examination Y
ordered Of the Big Sandy lsi'
from Catlettsburg to Pikeviiie
Louisa Fork and to Pond Greek
Tuv Fork. Acting under ord
dated August 2s, 1883, Maj. D.
Iocswood, Corps OF Engineers,
January 10, 1889, made a rel
recommending the improvem
bv locks aud dams and an tstin
therefor. The number ofdams
vlded for In this report was Is
addition to that since ballt al
la.
Tn. lock and movable dam '
onsned 10 navigation over a
ina and have been operat"d '
marked succe-s, aud 1t has
,l.msnslraled tina, a movable
"f,bls form Is well adap'ed to
s,rsam aud can be maneuV
Win sufficient facility IN NEE
, conditions ,ha, may arise
poOl can be kcp, full at tue 10
stages -,
4 single dam In river s''
4, me Bls sandy can he "' !
advantage, bccsuse Tor the
mart ut the year tn" water y
"a l.w "a ,cwhcrs Tor satisfactory
,u,,lnn. m, lock aud aam
csmplcted WAS built largely J
,mrpnse et,le,evmlnl"g wh"'
ma, ,hla ,ypu OF dam was AZ
Ar n.u in the improvement
s,ream Oi the rharec,oro oi ~
sandy, rhe Oseen' OF sh'
dAm cnn he only local u 20
m,.,l for 3 mllos up Louisa
Il. IN