The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-10
Tomorrow They Start on an Outing
Up the Kentucky River to
Head Of Navigation.
BUSINESS MEETINGS ON BOAT
PROGRAMME OF ADDRESSES THAT
WILL BE MADE By WISE MEN.
VI. c. CARRIER, President Of Association,
Talks EntertafnfngIy About the
Features Of the Trip.

The Southern Indiana Press Association
will hold its business meetings on board
the boat during it's outing up the Kentucky
river next week. A number Of well-known
editors are down for papers. NJ. c. CARRIER.
president Of the association, will preside at
the sessions. The secretary is Jay c.
Smith, OF the Seymour Republican.
The programme of addresses follows:
"Co-operation Among Indiana Newspapers
and Uniformity of Rates." j. A Pick
hardt, Huntingburg Signal, discussion led
by r. E. Purcell. Vincennes Sun; internal
Waterways and the Value of an Improved
Ohio Valley" Col. John L. Vance, presi-
dent Ohio Valley Improvement Associa-
lion; Machine versus Hand Composition"
Louis Hoffman, Shelbyville Jeffersonian,
discussion led by ]. B. Gordon. Richmond
Item; Club Rates and Premiums ]. A.
Kemp, Salem Republican-Leader, discus
sion led by Walter Bradfute, Bloomington
Telephone; 1.-The Competition of City Pa
9ers." Frank Gwin, New Albany Public
Press. discussion led by Frank T. Single
ION. Martinsville Reporter; 1.-The Southern
Indiana Press Association" John r. Simp-
son. Paoli News. discussion led by Luther
Short, of Franklin; Circulation Building"
w. S. Montgomery. Greenfield Republican,
discussion led by w. o. Protsman, Vevay
Reveille
The outing will be on board the steamer
Fails City, which leaves Louisville to-mor-
row afternoon at o'clock. Returning, the
boat will reach Louisville some time Thurs
Gay. The trip will be made up the Ohio
and Kentucky rivers to the head Of navi-
cation and return. 1t is stated that the
length Of the Kentucky river is from $50
to 26l miles from the Three Forks, whose
union at Beattyville form the main stream,
to its mouth at Carro,ton. AS the bird
flies. from the Three Forks to Carrolton it
is but los miles. Carrolton is the point
where the river flows into the Ohio.
UP KENTUCKY RIVER.
In discussing the Kentucky river, M. c.
CARRIER, president of the association, gave
the following interesting description of the
stree-m: ut is a wild, picturesque, beauti-
frl river, with towering castellated battle
ments cut out of the solid rock and indi-
vidualized by peculiarities of bend and bot
tom which have received characteristic 10
eel names, such as Hell's Half Acre, the
DEVILS Elbow. Goggen's Ripple. Crooked
Shoals, Troublesome Creek and Cow Run
the river are known as the North, Middle
ard South Forks. They rise in the Cumber-
land mountains and unite at Beattyville.
The scheme of river Improvement is to
reach the mineral and forest wealth in the
mountains by slack or pool water naviga-
tien and open 1T to the world through the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The first locks
and dams-fVe in number-were built by the
State of Kentucky. Their construction was
commenced in 1881, and they were completed
In 1913, at a cost, according to j. Stoddard
made the river navigable for boats of 800
tons for a distance of 100 miles from it's
mouth. a United States engineer famil-
lar with the river recently Informed me
that the old locks and dams cost about
$4,000 each, and the new ones, built
building by the United States, approximate
ly $4,000 each.
THE United States, as the official re-
ports show, has expended more than $780,
600 on the Kentucky river Improvements
since II took charge of the locks and dams
in 1873. The maintenance of the locks and
dams became a burden to the State and was
so neglected that by the close of the civil
war the system was practically worthless.
The expense of extending the system to
the Three Forks was also too great for
Kentucky, and the State ceded her prop
erty TO the United States on condition that
Congress would repair the old locks and
dams and construct new ones TO the Three
Forks, making fourteen locks and dams in
all, navigation, of course, TO be free. The
government is obliged under the agreement
10 put boats through them, and not only a
crew on a steamboat, but q man IN a skiff
at any hour of the night, can hail the lock-
master and require him to get up and let
him and his craft through the lock.
WEALTH FOR FUTURE DAYS.
1.-The problem of how to best utilize the
Kentucky river for all purposes of naviga-
ton when the locks and dams are COM
pleted is not yet fully solved. There is a
Of npin
this subject and opportunity exists for in
genuity, invention and adaptation of meth
DDS new to the river The Importance of
opening up the raw material in the head
waters of the Kentucky river to the Indi-
ana manufacturers is but slightly appre-
ciated Wealth is there to enrich both
great States and to employ largely in
creased populations in each. Prof. n. s.
Shaler, in his General Account of the
Commonwealth of Kentucky writes: Its
headwaters 1.-THE Kentucky riversl lie alto
gether within coal-bearing rocks. The en-
tire drainage of the Kentucky river above
its forks in Lee county is in carboniferouS
rocks. No portion of the State exceeds the
upper Kentucky region in number, thick
ness and quality of Goals. The veins are
from five TO six feet thick. Analyses by
state chemists show camel coal in eX-
tensive deposits and OF remarkably good
quality. There are miles of outcrop of Red
river car wheel iron within twenty miles
OF the main stream. Salt, fire clay and
hydraulic cement abound.
In these forests are giant poplars with
trunks seventy-five feet long and six feet
in diameter, out of one of which $4,000 feet
OF boards may he sawed. OF oak no less
than twenty-six varieties appear; white
walnut, cherry, ASH pine, cedar, maple.
sycamore. buckeye, blackberry, gum, beech,
linden. tulip and locust are everywhere in
abundance. The magnitude of the terri
tory drained by the three forks OF the Ken
lucky is not realized. The forks are about
as long as the main river. Congress should
ascertain the amount of money necessary
TO complete speedily all meritorious river
and harbor improvements and then issue
bonds and have the work done at once"