The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-09

Members of the House Committee
to Examine Proposed River
Improvements.
GEN. M'KENZIE'S REPORT
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON. April Son the invita-
ton of Representative Hemenway. the
House committee on rivers and harbors will
visit Evansville during the coming congress
sional recess to examine the proposed i'm
provement project on the Green river. near
that city. Notwithstanding the adverse re-
port of the army engineers on the plan to
construct a movable dam below Hender-
son, KY, with view TO providing six feet
of water at Evansville Representative
Hemenway will insist at the next session
that provision shall be made for this
project, which is one of the most compre-
hensive now under consideration, involving
as it does expenditure of more chan
100000 The House committee has not
decided when it will visit Evansville, but
the trip will probably be taken some time
in June. Mr.. Hemenway also expects to
have the army board make another exami-
nation at Evansville.
General Mckenzie, chief of engineers
submits the following to Congress in con-
nection with the adverse report of Colonel
Lydecker on the subject of a dam below
Henderson for the benefit of that city and
EVANSVILLE
The law ordering this preliminary ex-
animation requires a report upon it simply
from the point of view of the benefit TO the
harbors at Henderson and Evansville and
TO the Green river navigation. The facts
brought out by the preliminary examina-
ton sufficiently indicate the inadvsability
of the construction from these points of
view. The project has, however. been
pressed on the additional ground that a
hpd no Of oIa in,
of canalization in the lower Ohio extend
ing from Louisville to The mouth of the
river, and to make this report complete this
phase of the matter must be touched upon
By appropriating money for dam No. 81
Just below Cincinnati, on the Ohio river
Congress has indicated its intention of
adopting, at least in part, the project
rounded upon a survey Of the Ohio river
from Marietta to the mouth of the Big
Miami. 500 miles below Pittsburg which
project provides for canalization between
these points. and is an extension Of a
previously adopted project TO provide
slack water navigation from Pittsburg to
Marietta.
Although work on the first dam of this
series, namely. the one at Davis island.
was begun twenty-five years ago. only two
OF the dams have yet been completed, seven
has been arpropriated for 1--WE "' sddifi 0e
ones. As yet, therefore, only a beginning
mas been made on the project for thirty
eight dams, carrying slack water TO the
mouth OF the Big Miami. No provision has
been made for the portion lying between
this river and the head of the falls at
Louisville. and 1t seems premature to
locate. at this time, a dam below the falls.
which would. to a certain extent, commit
the government TO an extension of the
siack-water project beyond any point yet
considered, and before the portion already
authorized has been so far finished as to
enable its full usefulness to be correctly
and certainly measured. The work which
no 1nd 70 hnrr
upon, namely. the sack-water system to
include dam No. IS, will have cost when
completed. according TO present estimates.
about SSS. 100000 The further extension to
Louisville and thence to the mouth of the
river would require probably about eighteen
more dams. The lower dams would neces-
sarily be much larger than any on the
upper river. would usually require a much
more expensive foundation. and would cost
very much more. Without attempting an
accurate estimate for these structures il
may be said that the total cost of the ex-
tension from the Big Miami to Cairo may
prove to be little. If any. less than the cost
or the first thirty-eight dams of the series
from Pittsburg down.
Il concur in the views of Colonel Lydeck-
er and OF the board of engineers for rivers
and harbors, that it is inadvisable a the
present time to undertake the constr lction
of movable dam in the Ohio river below
the mouth of the Green river
A B. Ward, of Bear Branch, Ind, is an
applicant for a position in the Weather
Bureau.
You could almost get a quorum of the
House at the races said a member of the
Indiana delegation to-day. This remark
| was made in the presence of William
i Forbis, of Monticello, one Of the numerous
/ Hoosiers employed in the House wing of
the capitol It's remarkable thing. -
/ said ForbiS, the amount of department
work the members do when the races are
/ on"
Quartermaster General Humphrey to-day
forwarded a communication to the Senate
| committee on appropriations bearing OH the
Indianapolis army post. He recommends
that the general appropriation for posts
and barracks be increased from $500 600 to
Sl,5OO,0OO and that the appropriation of
$4,000 for Fort Benjamin Harrison be re-
tanned in the bill as passed by the House.
Senator Fairbanks to-day offered an
amendment to the sundry civil bill appro-
priating $3.50 for the relief of Mrs. Lala
| States Consul John G. Ingersoll. This
amount represents salary due to the consul
at the time of his death.
A bill was introduced by Representative
| Zenor appropriating 5000 for the relief of
John Glenn. of Corydon. whose property
was damaged during the Morgan raid.
| +
Senator Fairbanks to-day recommended
the establishment of rural free delivery at
| Charlottesville and Butler.
| Under provision in the Indian appro-
| priation bill, which was agreed to in con-
/ ference to-day, the secretary of the in
| terror is authorized TO approve leases of oil
properties in Indian Territory which have
been held up pending action in Congress.
/ This is of concern TO the Indian Territory
Development Company. in which several
lndianians, including Governor Durbin,
Harry s. New, State Senator WolcOtt and
others are interested. This company has
secured twenty-one leases, covering about
| 1900 acres of valuable ground in the Terri
tory. from which it desires to transport oil
by means of pipe lines. Attorney Samuel
.. P1ckens, of Indianapolis has made sew
eral visits here during the past few months
in connection with this matter.
Frank NJ Sharp, of Indianapolis is an
applicant for an appointment as Jefferson
guard at the st. Louis fair.
The nomination of HamIin Smith for APP
/ pointment as postmaster at Brownstown,
Jackson county. has been reported favora-
1 bly, by the Senate committee.
! Representative Watson will leave for In
diana early next week on account of the
illness of his father.