Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-10-23
RIVER IMPROVEMENT
a Valuable Exposition Of Plans and
Progress Of Work.


DAMS BETWEEN M0RGANTOWN
AND FAIRMONT- WORK ON ELK
RIVER AND OTHER WEST vIR-i
GINA STREAMS.
Special to the Register.
WASHINGTON, D. c., October 22.-
The annual report of Brig. Gen. John
NJ. Wilson, chief Of engineers Of the
United States army, contains sixteen
pages devoted to river Improvements
in or upon the borders of West Virginia.
Concerning the construction Of dam No.
IL, near Wheeling, and dam No. IS, near
Marietta, the report says that prepare
tions for this work are being made. Up
to July 1, 1899, however, no moneys had
been expended for local survey or ac-
QUESTION Of sites. There is an unex-
pended balance of $4,000 available for
the preliminary work on each of these
dams 1t is estimated that $4,000 can
be profitably expended on this improve
ment during the fiscal year ending June
80, 1901, the total amount to be ex-
pended being $1,700,OoU.
On the Monongahela river, six locks
and dams are being constructed be-
tween Morgantown and Fairmont, the
principal object being to afford water
transportation for coal from river
! mines near Fairmont. The report
says:
1.-THE locks and dams are to be built
Of concrete. The total lift GA feet, will
back the water into the mouths of the
forks of the river few miles above
, Fairmont The controlling depth on
the lock stills is to be seven feet and the
chambers made large enough to take
in two coal boats abreast, or of the
same width, 56 feet, as the large locks
at the lower dams.
1.-THE locks and dams are under con-
struction by the continuing contract
system. The contractor commenced
work in 1898 at lock No 10, near Nor
gantown. During the year the river
chamber and the low mitersill walls
were completed, the land walls nearly
finished, guard cribs partly built, filling
| behind land wall partly made, Golfer
| dam for lock No. IL built, excavation
| for same partly made, and cofferdam
built for a section of dam No. 10. Be-
| sides these contract operations, requir-
| ed ironwork for lock No. 10 was fur
| nished the contractor for his placing, a
small Office building was erected at No.
| II, 161 additional borings into the un-
| DERIVING rock were made at sites for
locks and dams Nos. Is to Is for fur
| Their showing character of foundation,
and surveys made for marking posi-
tons of buildings and structures"
The commerce accommodated by this
improvement in the fiscal year 1899
amounted to 25,31O passengers and A.
sos tons of freight. 1t will require the
expenditure of nearly 100000 to COM
plete the improvement.
There was expended during the fiscal
year ON the improvement of the Little
Kanawha river $554.94, and 81, 496. So in
operating lock and dam. This river is
navigabe as far as Creston. During
the year navigation was suspended six
teen days on account Of low water and
for twenty-five days on account of ice
| and floods. The commerce in the cal
endar year 1898 amounted to 122, 405
tons, almost wholly timber.
Nearly 100000 have been expended
on the improvement Of the Great Ka-
nawha river. THE expenditures dur
| ing the year ending June so, $780, says
| the report, have resulted in opening
| three locks and dams to navigation, viz,
| No. on July /, No. 10 on July Z, and
| No. II on October IL, 1898. Nos and
! 10 were finished during the previous
| fiscal year. In addition to the work of
! completion of No IL, which was fin
ished under contract on October 8, 1898,
| a large amount of miscellaneous work
| has been done during the year, such as
| building lock houses, tool houses, shops,
etc, and clearing channels in the pools
| with dredge and crane boat
'On June 30, 1899, navigation was
continuous from the head Of the slack
water system to the mouth of the river
! in the Ohio at Point Pleasant, w. Va.
| The channels in the pools had been