Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-11-18
OHIO RIVER CONVENTION.

for the Davis Island Dam, Whlch was
the first of the kind to be built in this
country. The original scheme was tc
build these dams along down the
Ohio from No. / at Davis Island,in reg
ular order. The fight that we made
for Marietta a year or so ago was to
break the regular order and have these
dams built along the river where they
were most needed and especially just
below large cities. In this we were
aided by other cities which hoped to
get dams in the near future and so the
regular order had to go. Now there
is scarcely one left to object to the
proposed construction of these dams
at points along the Ohio where they
will do the most good. AT the con-
vention just closed in Cincinnati the
Engineer in charge, Major w. H. Blk
by. explained that surveys had been
completed from Marietta down as far
as Cullom's Rifle short distance be-
low Cincinnati, and that 1T now re-
mains for Congress to make the nee
essary appropriations to build the dam
at Cullom's, as he recommended that
this be the first one of the series to be
built, for this reason, that it was need
ed the most. Then the next just be-
low the mouth of the Big KanaWha,
DIV ETOAIN TAO NATIOINNSHR RR
then below the mouth of the Little
KanaWha, then below the mouth OF
the Big Sandy and the next below the
mouth of the Scioto river. Those rec
concentrations of the engineer were
endorsed by the convention and an ef-
fort will be made to have the legisla-
lures Of the six great states border
ing on the Ohio to instruct their sena-
tors and request heir representatives
to favor any bill that may be present
ed in Congress authorizing these i'm
provements.
There were about. 200 delegates in
attendance and would have been more
if the railroads had given reduced fare.
AS it was the certificate plan was all
that could be had. This gave two
thirds off in returning, but as a rule
it is not understood and is thoroughly
despised. Twenty certificates were all
that could be mustered and inasmuch
as it required one hundred certificates
to secure the reduced fare the whole
attmpt at reduction fell through
Those that did get there, however,
were as a rule representative men,
mayors of cities, heads of transporta-
ton companies, members of boards OF
trade, steamboat captains and so on. A
fine looking body of men as rule,
and brainy and physically above the
average, and the whole proceedings
we're characterized by good humor and
harmony. The convention was often
ound congratulating itself on the sue
,ess it had already achieved, in secur-
ng the passage by Congress of the bill
luG SONC lllllCllb W lllC Ill
of the Ohio river. Several
were in attendance and
I'll expressed themselves as enthusias-
ic friends of the movement.
1t was stated that the convention
vas building better than it knew when
t started out to have the great Ohio
ocked and damed, for since the work
vas begun five years ago, it has been
discovered that the coal supply of
England, Germany and France is on
he wane and that days of coal famine
or those countries are in sight. |
me only country that could adequate
y meet this new demand is this |
ountTy and that it is the Obi, river
hat will have to carry the coal to |
he Mississippi to enable the supply to
each the sea board and thence be !
distributed to the maritime nations |
yhich needs the fuel. Water trans
ortation being so cheap it will rem
er the project of supplying the Euro
can market feasible and profitable.
Another proposition was brought
ut in a strong light by Mr.. Hart, of
who is United States Minis
ar, accredited to the Republic of Co
Imbia, South America. He stated |
nat there were several lines of steam
hips, English, German, Spanish and
'rench and others, which ran to Co
IN, and that every one of them was
lbsidized by their respective govern
lents not for the purpose of enrich
lg the owners of the ships, but for the
urpose of extending the trade of the
Juntry to which they belonged. Not
single line of steamships were Am
'lcan, and why? Because this gov
'nment refused to give any money as
Ibsidy to our shlpowners and thus
le American shipping under the
tare and Stripes was driven from the
sean trade.
Resolutions were adopted urging up
n Congress the necessity of enacting
law to subsdize American shipping
hen in competition with that of for
gn countries which aided ther ship,