Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-07-29
LOCK AND DAM AT MARIETTA.

without argument, the cOndltlonS mere
being such an eloquent plea in them
selves that further urging of the petit
tion for relief would seem superflous.
Some days ago the Board of Trade
took up the matter and appointed a
comittee and asked the City Council
!, % join in the movement, and the
; Council at its next meeting also ap-
pointed a committee The resolutions
adopted by both Board Of Trade and
City Council were sent to Hon. H. G..
vanvoorhis and to Maj. w. H. Bixby,
Engineer in charge of the Ohio. To-
day Hon. H. c. VanVoorhis sends us
the following letter, which explains
itself:
Office of the Chief Engineers, United
States Army.
Washington, D. c., July 26, 9S.
Hon. H. G. VanVoorhis, M. c., zanes
Vile, Ohio.
Dear Sir-Referring to your letter
of the 10th inst. inclosing copies of
resolutions adopted by the Board of
Trade ana City Council of Marietta,
Ohio, in regard to the location of the
next dam authorized by Congress to
be Duilt on the Ohio River, beg to in
vite your attention to the views of
Major BiXby as expressed in the fol-
lowing Endorsement of your letter:
! I'D indorsement.)
U. S. Engineers Office,
Cincinnati, O., July q, 1898.
Respectfully returned to the Chief of
Engineers, U. S. Army.
I am decidedly of the opinion that
specially advantageous results to COM
merce obtained with special quickness |
will follow the construction of future |
dams across the Ohio River whenever
these dams are built a short distance
below large tributaries; partly be-
cause the large harborages thus OBJ
tanned in the Ohio will afford fine
places for the assemblage of fleets
waiting favorable stages for departure
both up and down the mainriver and
its tributaries, and partly because
such increased harborage will be very
advantageously placed by being at
the already established centers of
population and freight communication
by which special stimulus will be
given to business and commerce.
For. such reasons, l fully endorse
the request of the people of Marietta
that the next movable dam to be built j
on the upper Ohio River be located {
just below Marietta and the mouth of .
the Muskingum !
w. H. BIXBY, t
Major, Corps. of Engineers, U. ). A 1
Very respectfully, your obedient SER |
want, JOHN NJ. WILSON, l
Brig. Gen. Chief of Engineers, u. S. A. !
The reasons urged by the Board of F
Trade and the City Council for early ;
action on the lock and dam matters Z
affording relief to navigation as we'll F
as to riparian land owners, are in S
part as follows: y
First-The shadows extending from 7
this point up the river to Carpenters P
Bar would be done away with forever. ;
Second-The bars at the mouth of v
the Muskingum which now seal the p
river to navigation, would be no long v
sr a menace to navigation. Thus the v
slack water secured by a vast expen-
iiture Of money along the Muskingum
oy the Government would be rendered
effective all the year around.
Third-The dam at the head of Ma
'ietta island would in all probability
1e rendered unnecessary and be done
away with, so that steamers. tow u u
)oats and other river craft could take v
he Virginia shore in going up thus Il
jhortening the route and avoiding the e
swift current On the concave side. .
Fourth-The land owners on the {
concave side, that is the Ohio side, A
who are now suffering so every year il
from the wash OF their farms, would :
be in a measure relieved and the Gov =
ernment avoid numerous claims for
damages which are likely to be pre- |
fered if the present conditions shall I,
be allowed long to continue. All .
holding that the dam at the head of
Marietta island has greatly agra
waited the situation and caused ire
parable loss and damage to their
lands along the shore for FIVE miles or
more above the city.
Fifth-The dam proposed to be
built just below Marietta would do
away with the immense dixie extend
ing from the foot of Marietta island
for several hundred feet down the
middle of the river in front of the city.
On which the citizens have seen coal
tows pile up and go down to destruc-
tion, owing to the cross curernt Gre
ated by the unnatural retention of the
water on the Marietta side to create a
deeper channel.
Sixth-Last winter the people of