Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-03-05

Hand, and Operations Must be Sus-
pended and Rivermen Await
Action Next Winter-The Status of
Things II Decidedly Bad.
yesterday morning that the river and
harbor appropriation bill had failed in
Congress, through the inability of con-
ferees to agree upon two or three of the
items carried by the measure, was read
with deep regret during the day by
all those interested in river matters,
from Pittsburg and above along the
entire course of the Ohio. Business
men, and those interested in the re-
Gently consummated, al well as in the
pending coal deals and prospective de-
velopments, were visibly ~agitated, and
the interest extended to farmers and
owners of agricultural land carrying
coal strata who expected with conf
dence speedy developments of prop
critics transferred or about to be. In
a word, the failure OF the representa-
tives of the two Houses to agree in
conference carries with it disappoint-
ment, chagrin and loss to a wide range
Of material interests throughout this
valley, and, as a matter of course,
there are like effects in many other por-
lions of the country. 1t is a misfor-
tune, for which. unfortunately, there is
no remedy except that afforded by
time. When the new Congress meets
next autumn, the bill will be resurrect-
ed, but as it probably will not pass un-
til the spring OF 1902, it will be seen
that a full years time will have been
lost to contractors and the river in
terests generally, while work that has
been in progress will suffer more or
less damage.
Eliminating certain items upon which
the conferees could not agree, the bill
carried s49, 655, 006, a reduction from
the original amounts voted by both the
House and Senate. The Senate's 0ri-
ginal figures were $50, S54,526, and those
Of the House 500, 1885,, 415. The Senate
bill was used as a basis in coference.
The bill carried more than 81, ZOO, 900
for the upper Ohio, and among its pro-
visions were the enlargement of locks
l and 2 on the Monongahela river;
building of a park on Davis Island
dam; $500, 900 for maintaining dredges
on the Ohio; 100000 for a survey of
the Ohio from Cincinnati to Cairo, with
a view of locating dams, and $3.50, 900
for purchasing sites for the locations
of dams 8, IL and IA, and 100000 for
a site for a dam at Cincinnati. This
meant that S $500, 900 would have been
spent in the near future on new dams.
The amount needed for finishing the
Merrill dam at Beaver also fails, but
the work already contracted for on
the upper Ohio dams now building will
not be affected by the failure of the
bill to pass. The Monongahela and AL
legheny suffer. improvements on the
Monongahela are absolutely needed, as
some of the dams are in bad shape and
will not stand much longer.
Rivermen all along the stream were
deeply interested. Capt. James A. Hen
derson, president of the Pittsburg and
Cincinnati packet line, said yesterday:
The rivermen are up against 1t, and
will have to wait. The most serious
matter about it is that much of the
work already done on the Ohio river
improvements will be ruined, because
Of lack of money to finish them. Take
the dam at Merrill, for instance. It
only required about $3.50, 900 to finish
it, 80 that it could be in working or
Ger, but the dam cannot be completed
o for two years. 1t was thought
that the dam would be in operation this
year. 1t is a great calamity to Pitts
burg. Many men who work on govern
mont Improvements will be thrown out
of work"
Capt. W. B. Rodgers, a big coal oper-
ator of Pittsburg, expressed his great
sorrow at the setback given to coal
operators, and local coal and rivermen
also manifest deep dissatisfaction. It
is fully realized that no work can be
done on the McMechen dam during
1901, and the high hopes entertained
OF industrial activity the coming sum-
mer in that locality are knocked into
a cooked hat.
Yesterday navigation was resumed
on the Ohio by a number of the pack
cts, and the remainder of the boats
will be out to-day. The City of Wheel
ing was the first boat to reach +hic