Historic Highways of America (Vol. 9)

tions for the great land thoroughfare-the Cumberland Road. In thirty-two years (1806-1838) the government spent $6,823,559.52 on the Cumberland Road. In sev

vement looking toward the improvement of the Ohio River originated. With the burst of popul

se, goes without saying. Perhaps the average stage of water was less than it is today; and yet the vast amount of water that stood in the tangled forests and open swamps and meadows drained off so slowly a

sylvania who made reports to their several legislatures under the date of November 2, 1819. But during the generation following, each of these commonwealths became absorbed in internal improvements. Ohio, for instance, between 1819 and 1844, built seven hundred and sixty-five miles of canals costing nearly ten millions and almost as many miles of turnpike at a cost of four millions. Ohio also built seventy miles of railwa

ment commenced a system of surveys and an improvement of the low-water channels by means of riprap stone dams, arranged so as to prevent the spread of the water by guiding and maintaining it in comparatively narrow channels.

rue of most of the principal tributaries. I refer to this to show the probability that when the present snags and logs are removed, a slight expenditure annually will keep the river clear of this character of obstructions." The snags and logs of generations had been almost untouched by the government-"left to the uncertain and unpaid-for attention of private individuals." The plan now (1866) to rid the valley entirely of these great impediments to navigation marks a new era in the history of the Ohio. It was found, upon examination, that in the s

ance

gs, etc. Wreck

nel of Brunot's island belo

side as last,

t channel Brunot's isl

nnel near old pork-house; one o

ding; above Hamilton's house, on Neville island, a large

rst, on right side, across channel, is

ousetown, left si

wickley, a little be

hore below Sewickley, in

al barge stranded, Logt

In channel of two b

foot of Crow is

d mile above Freedom

ose in shor

channel, very la

in to right; not danger

In channel belo

Industry, below S

boat.* Left s

Left channel of Line

er, burnt, left channel of Babb's is

channel foot of Baker

t of Brown's

r of River, hea

channel, pier Pittsburg and

eft side above Steu

site Steubenville lan

he vicinity of the Virgi

Two, right side,

.* Left, below

side, below last

osite brick house,

right of chann

ight side, near w

ead of Pike islan

of bar, not dangerous

enter, bottom of river,

ferry-boat, close in ri

At ship-yard, Wheel

er. Sanders reported that up to September 1837 there had been three thousand three hundred and three obstructions removed from the Ohio. In 1839 there had been about ten thousand removed; at which time the work ceased. Some of the snags were six feet in diameter at the butt and over one hundred feet in length. In a report in 1835, on Mississippi improvement, Lieutenant B

n of a canal, which followed the route of the ancient portage path two and one-half miles in length between the present sites of Louisville and Shipping-port, Kentucky. In this distan

. The stock was taken by about seventy persons, residing in Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, the United States holding 2,335 shares, and 1,665 issued to private individual

n the Louisville and Portland Canal in five years a sum equal to her entire cost. "A boat of one hundred and ninety tons, owned at Cincinnati, has been in the habit of making her trips from this city to St. Louis and back, in tw

cash dividend (to 1843) of $258,378 was earned-$23,378 more than the Government's original investment. Other stockholders fared equally well from this systematic highway robbery. Such a drain on the public purse as was the

of the canal previous to June 11, 1874, the date when t

l company on original

y on subsequent improvements

company for enlargemen

for enlargement of canal, fr

es from funds derived from

--

st $4,57

anal to the U

stock $

tions for enlar

nds paid

--

ost $2,

by the canal company to

--

$2,610,

s the traffic, in tons,

s. 1886

ve. Fis

Tota

yea

40? 1,019,947

363? 5,76

44? 1,21

1,442? 1,

0,270? 1,

,213 2,299

1,021 85,30

at 151,621 5

ufactured 518,642

685,182 18

4,396? 4,

w 198,523? 6

,830? 51

954 4,233

sses 125,746?

gles 475,310? 3

,568? 835

1,319,552 69,5

------

23? 1,472,545

f supplying the Ohio with a regular flow of water by means of reservoirs was strongly urged upon the Government about 1857.[81] Near the same time Herman Haupt proposed a plan of improvement by means of a system of longitudinal mounds and cross dams so arranged as to make a canal on one side of the river some two hundred feet wide, or a greater width, and reducing the grade to nearly an ave

hange in the river trade-which loudly called for improved metho

rivate purposes. It is important to note the change which has taken place in the coal trade, not only on account of its great and increasing magnitude, but on account of the altered system upon which it is conducted. Formerly, and at the time when the riprap dams were constructed, the coal business was carried on by means of floating coal barges, drawing at most four feet water, which were not assisted in their descending navigation by steamers, and which never returned, but were sold as lumber at their point of destination. The increasing demand down the river for the Pittsburg coal, the increase in the value of lumber, and the general systematizing of the trade, all combine to revolutionize the mode of transportation. It is now [1866] carried on by means of large barges, each

proach the railroad prices, the freight, whenever it can, will of course take the railroad, on account of the saving of time and greater certainty of delivery; and thousands of passengers always prefer the railroad to the river. But in this connection it is proper to note that since 1844 a large local business between various points on the Ohio, both freight and passenger, has gradually sprung up and become important, which scarcely had existence at that time. The population along the river and in the counties in the sev

ivers exerted a powerful influence in its favor, and for many years its adoption on the Ohio was urged patiently though unsuccessfully. At last the important matter was advocated with success, and in 1885 the first of a series of locks and movable dams was erected at Davis Island, four and one-half miles below Pit

s in the river, the cost of l

length, and with weirs of two hundred and forty feet available openings, all arranged to provide six feet navigable depth

masonry, timber, and ironwork of fixed and movable pa

; same items a

tments; same item

s, storehouses, other buildings, dredging of approaches to locks and passes, dredging of shoals and removal of obstructions in pools, e

-

l $8

g, incident to the individual locations of the dams, increase the above estimates to final totals of from

rnment on the Ohio River fro

ss. Appropria

1827, $

1835, 5

1836,

1837, 6

1838,

1844, 1

, 1847,

0, 1852,

y already appropriated, for improving Missi

ent for snag boats and apparatu

1867, 1

r repair, preservation, extension, an

1870, 5

1871, 5

1872, 2

1873, 2

1874, 1

1875, 3

, 1876, 1

1878, 3

.00 Harbor of refuge

1879, 2

1880, 2

1881, 3

00.00 Continuing work

, 1882,

0.00 Harbor of refuge

1884, 60

884, 17,0

, 1886,

, 1888, 3

19, 1890,

Relief of Stubbs & Lackey.

1892, 3

, 1894, 2

1896, 25

or restoring levee and banks of Ohi

1899, 3

priated, $400,000; $41,000 being for F

--

$6,56

iations, 1827-19

ments, 1827-18

sales, 1866-

$6,925

not drawn, 1827

drawn, 1866,

reasury settl

rred to other w

- 173,

--

6,752,04

TNO

hilosophical Society (new s

s mentioned in his journal of this expedition (1749). This map was preserved in the archives of the Departm

s "Céloron's Expedition," Magazine of Ame

and Allied Document

ays of America, vo

kenstra

nal in Darlington'

al in Darlington's

and Allied Document

rnal in Darlington

s and Allied Documen

of the Allegheny Valley see Historic Hi

klin, Pen

rnal in Darlington

s and Allied Documen

rnal in Darlington

ia (See Parkman's Montcalm and Wolfe, vol. i, p. 45). This view is supported

rnal in Darlington

f Céloron, has been preserved in the archives of the State of Pennsylvania. Fo

een All

rnal in Darlington

pp. 157-158. In this article it was demanded that the Eng

go, in Engl

Expedition,' Magazine of American H

rnal in Darlington

ates as given in Darlington's Fort Pitt, which would naturall

rnal in Darlington

Id.,

., pp.

r Bonnécamps calls it Sinhioto. It was near the present s

d unusually clear waters. From distances mentioned this was probably the Little Miami

he present Great Miami. It was called the "

s and Allied Documen

rnal in Darlington

ghways of Americ

Clair Papers,

., p. 3

vol. ii, p

., p. 5

but as an exponent of the American idea he had a sort of justification; see Professor

pers; St. Clair Papers

he Moravian towns in 1773, were vested in the Moravian Church. Gnadenhutten, Ohio, was, technically,

Old Northwest (1

ighways of Amer

r (fifth edition)

manner, and appearing no more than about a foot above the surface of the water in its middling state. So firmly ar

f a less size, yielding to the pressure of the current, disappearing and appearing by turns

large quantities of drift wood, has through time, been arr

's Tour (18

Business Directory for th

Id.,

can Pioneer, v

ghways of Americ

See n

istory of Louisv

n Pioneer, v

ollections, vol. iv, p. 183

rd is given in The Navigator (1817), p. 306. For a desc

Pioneer, vol.

author states the historical succession of river

orest published in the Cincinna

ildreth's Pionee

ory of Kentucky, vo

er's Note

History of Lo

e Olden Time, vol. ii, p. 442. Cf. Wisconsin

rgh Business Director

ris: Tou

d., pp

., pp.

vigator (18

igator, (181

Memorial of the Citizens of Cincinnati to the Congress of the United States R

istory of Louisv

istory of Louisv

story of Kentucky

Id.,

ngress, Second Session, Ex

f Cincinnati to the Congress of

Id.,

ef of Engineers, U. S. Army,

d., p.

Congress, Third Session

Id.,

ngress, Second Session, Ex

f Engineers U. S. Army, 19