Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-11-14
U. S. ENGINEER OFFICE,
Room No. 405 Custom House,

Room NO. 4U0 custom HOUSE,
CINCINNATI, O., November 3, 1909.
Mr.. E. p. Wilson. Secretary,
Ohio Valley Improvement Association,
Room A, Chamber of Commerce, Gin
c.nnati, Ohio.
sir:-Yours of November ? is duly re-
ceived. making Inquiries regarding the
usefulness ana practicabllity of dams In
the Ohio River at points below Salt River,
below Henderson and below Brooklyn.
Each dam as now proposed for use IN
the Ohio River above the mouth of the
Big Miami, is intended to be so arranged
as to raise the water about feet at each
dam and give a least depth of feet in
the harbor or pool thereby formed above
such dam.
Between Louisville and Salt River, the
present river slope at low water stage
is about feet in 20 miles; between Green
River and Henderson, about or feet n
20 miles; between the mouth OF the Cum
berland River. and Brooklyn, about or
feet in, 20 miles. A dam of about feet
height in the Ohio River just below the
mouth of the Salt River would therefore
probably back the water for Is or y miles
up Salt River. and tor about 81 miles up
the Ohio River, to probably the foot OF
the Louisville canal, so as to insure 9
feet depth Throughout the pool thus es-
tablished. similar dam below Hender-
of about 80 to 40 miles length, SO as to in
clude Henderson Evansville, and the
Green River up to the foot of the lowest
lock and dam on that river. A similar
dam below Brooklyn would form a pool
over 40 miles length, so as to include
Brooklyn harbor, Paducah harbor. the
of the Cumberland. At each place these
pools would give deep water over great
many shoals now exceedingly trouble
some.
Dams as above described could probably
be so located as to become part of the
general scheme of improvement now au-
thoriZed by Congress from Pittsburg to
Marietta and now under the consideration
nf from Marietta IN the month
of the Big Miami, the Indiana State line;
So far as now seen, the construction of
such dams is entirely practicable. and Is
merely question of dollars and cents.
Such dams would probably cost: the one
below Salt River, sl,5oO.ooo; sbelow Hen
derson, $2,500,000; below Brooklyn, $1,000
river affected being however. about the
same as In the upper half of the Ohio
river, where work is now in progress.
My official report of April H. 1900, on the
survey of the river from Marietta to the
mouth of the Big Miami, now before Con-
gress for it's consideration, stated that in
my opinion, special advantageous results
to commerce, obtained with special quick
ness, would follow the construction of dams
across the Ohio river, whenever such
dams were built a short distance below
large tributaries and large cities; partly
because the large harborages thus OBJ
tanned in the river would afford fine places
for the loading and unloading of coal
fleets and other lows, and for the stop
page ana aSSemDlaSe OIL SuCn meets ana
towns while awaiting favorable stages for
departures up and down both the main
river and its tributaries and partly be-
cause such increased harborage would be
most advantageously placed by being at
the already established centers of popula
ton and freight communications. thus
giving special stimulus to general COM
merce and related business interests.
The above estimates as to the lengths
of pools and costs of work are merely APP
proxmate No definite estimates can be
we'll submitted until the lower portion of
the river from the Big Miami to Cairo has
been carefully surveyed, in the same way
is is being done above the mouth of the
Big Miami under the past authority of
Congress. Such surveys are roughly es-
timated as requiring an appropriation of
100000 for their execution. Should Con-
gress desire to authorize such surveys,
the locations of individual dams and care
full estimates of their cost, to be made by
this office to Congress on its request,
will naturally follow closely upon the COM
pletion of the survey.
The desirability of such a survey is a
matter TO be settled by Congress through
its Representatives, in response to the re-
quests of their constituents, accompanied
by reasonable proofs of the necessity. inn
portance and value of such work to the
public at large
Very respectfully.
VIII. BIXBY,