The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-28

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The impression was created recently
through an interview with Chairman
Burton. OF the congressional commit
Tee ON rivers and harbors. that there
would be no rivers and harbors bill
passed by the present Congress. This
Information was, OF course. received
with regret throughout the Ohio valley.
which is gradually becoming the bene-
fciary Of the system Of locks and dams
on the continuous contract plan that
will ultimately give slackwater naviga-
ton from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati.
or all the Ohio valley congressman,
Captain Dovener. Of this city, repre-
senting the First West Virginia dis
trIct, has been the most active and In
nuenual In securing recognition OF the
great Importance of improving the Ohio
river. At the second session of the last
Congress, through his efforts as a meme
Der Of the rivers and harbors commit
tee, provision was made for dam and
locks at or below wheeling, and for an
other at Marietta, thus committing the
national government to the ultimate
construction Of dams between Marietta
and Pittsburgh.
II am confident Chairman Burton
was misquoted," said Captain Dovener
10 an InteIligencer reporter last night.
He evidently meant to give 1t as his
opinion that there would be no rivers
and harbors bill at this. the first, SEES
sion OF the present Congress; certainly
he did not mean to give out that there
would be no bin at either session. The
committee has not yet met to discuss
the matter, but my individual opinion
is that the bill will be brought up and
passed at the present session, instead
of the second"
What will the bill incIude2" was
asked.
Wen, that. Of course. cannot be
stated with certainty now, but l am
convinced the dam at Cincinnati, for
which the Ohio Valley Improvement
Association is working. will be includ-
ed. That will be the limit for these
dams; below Cincinnati only open work
viii be needed. AS to the location of
the other dam to be provided for in the
bill, it may be placed between Wheeling
and Marietta. or near Wellsville, Ohio.
between Wheeling and Pittsburgh
where Congressman Taylor desires 1t.
After the Cincinnati dam is provided
for, future rivers and harbors bills will
provide for the intermediate dams nee
esEary 10 make up the complete chain
from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. On
the upper stretch of river many more
dams are needed. for instance just be-
low Pittsburgh some are only six or
eight miles apart: below Wheeling they
are thirteen to fifteen mile; apart, and
below Marietta some will be even sepa-
rated by twenty-five to thirty miles OF
slackwater."
What OF the Wheeling DAMP"
The contrac: for this dam viii be
given early In the spring. The engln-
GERS are now at work on the plans and
specifications. It's site Is just at the
lower part Of the town of McMechen.
near JIm's run 1t will give harbor
for wheeling extending from the dam
past McMechen. BenwoOd, Bellaire'
wheeling Bridgeport and Martins
Ferry to Just below the Sisters is
lands"
when do you expect to see Wheeling
and Pittsburgh connected by a COM
pete sytem Of dams, giving slack
water?"
within six or seven years, and 1t
will take but little longer time TO give
slackwater to Marietta. With slack
water from Pittsburgh to Marietta,
packet ana coal towing navigation can
be maintained to Cincinnati and, Of
course, beyond, nearly throughout the
year so far as low water would inter-
fere"
ARE the prospects good for Wheel
ing's government building biIl?'
They are. / introduced such a bill
in the last Congress, and on the first
day of the present session re-lntro-
duced 1t. 1t will now be taken up by
the committee on public buildings and
grounds. and in due time the commit
tee will cal! upon the treasury depart
ment for Information as to the need for
new building. The department Will
thereupon send an inspector to Wheel
ing. when the people viii have an OPP
por,unlty 20 show him the crying need
for new building on new Site
Congressman Dovener will not return
TO Washington until next Tuesday, To-
day he is called to Fairmont on legal
business, but he intends returning be-
fore the close of the week,
pnypdgpopm uAppENINGS