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The Lewistown Reservoir.Iff History and Relation to the Miami Canil.• Tint the laritnie Sommlt Ik»v.*1 i* supplied with wiUt from the Miami River durin* n p*rt| of the year, the water from which i« intr*»turc1 into said level at ort JeflVr*on, at the head of the Sidney feeder, and is coitveved by said feeder to the canal nt 1 cKkport, and a« soon a* laid rit'er fails to afford the necessary supply there is no means to keep the Summit up but the amount of j water laid up Id the Laramie and Lewistown Res-The recent Legislative attempt to j enroirs, which is entirely inadequate for that pur-abandon the MiamP? od an unusual inter; r**i»»oi I.*, mralr*n 1 l*me a,ul unlegg some electual weans are speedilyl CHiiai usa awaaeu- | ad«»|»uM this portion of the canal must becomerest ail along the liue !at%an. ^ ^ ^ ^ ■ i ?___use the cid.iI as a channel nf commerce will loseJ of 111i# ifnportUt water-way. The fol- I confidence in its efficiency ant Seek some otherTheury oh ond ct bondslt;The ci$7,000.' aro reg, . j means to itocomm sLtte their iuteresU The pro-j lowing article, taken from the Ctlicin- | plt;H»eitenlargement lt;s the only way in which thejiiati Enquirer, will interest the readersn!1fli-of the Herald :The w aft i s of Lake Erie and those of the Ohio River are separated by what is known as the dividing ridgo, the southern point of w hich, ou the canal, commences at Lock port, a distance of one hundred miles from Cincinnati,and extend* north ward to Bremen, some twenty six miles. That portion of thecanal lying along this ridge is called ih • Summit Level, and is 516 feet above the Ohio river. The Miami or Sidney feeder, which runs from Port Jefferson, six miles above the turn of Sidney to Lockport, a distance of thirteen miles, where it intersects the canal, is along or upon this same ridge. The water ou this level is drawn both ways.sx. mart's reservoir.I\»rlur!lt;nea-nfi-d* _*di-itThe Mercer County, or. as it is called sometimes, the St. Mary’s Reservoir,supplies that portion of the canal running north, a distance of some one hundred and twenty-nine miles. This reservoir, which, perhaps, is the finest artificial reservoir in the United States is located on the Summit Level, between the waters of the Wabash and the head branches of the St. Mary’s River, about one mile southwest of the town of St. Mary’s, in Mercer County, and on a level eighty-one feet below the Summit Level, sufficiently elevated to discharge its waters into the canal at a point about six and a half miles from ; the north end of the Summit by a feeder two and a half miles in length. It contains a mean area of 17,000 acres,inclosed on the north and south sides by high grounds, and on the eastern and western boundaries by two artificial banks, one iu the valley of a branch of the St. Mary’s River and the other in I, j ilie valley of Beaver Creek, the longest branch of the Wabasb. The entire length of this reservoir is eight utiles, stretching westward to a point within ten miles of the western boundary of the state. From accurate estimates of this great body of water it is found that it has a capacity, when filled, for supplying the north end of the canal for navigable purposes tw’o years without an additional drop of rain.The cost of its construction, whichtook place in 1838-39, was $600.000.—While this great artificial Lake redounds to the credit of the State.whioh built it, yet does not benefit that portion of the canal south of it as it should. In 1854, Alex. P. Miller, a member of the Board of Public Works, leased to parties at Celina, without authority of law, water sufficient to run four mill stones. Under that lease, however, more than twice or thrice that amount is drawn from the reservoir and discharged into Beaver Creek, and from there if finds its way into the Wabash River, and is thus lost to the Stute of Ohio. If this vast amount of water they wasted was thrown into the canal and passed northward it would, in passing some thirty locks, produce a power sufficient to propel more thin one hundred run of mill stones over and above what are now on the canal. It would create at Defiance, where there is thirty-five feet fall, a power calculated (o drive a good deal of machinery. It would do a great dealmore. The 5.000 or 6.000 cubic feet perminute which would be thrown into the Maumee River would enable the State to keep up the slack-watcr navigation in that stream, so as lo do away with complaints of boatmen and shippers. Now, if Mr. Beatty would turn bis attention to the interest of the State be would trv and correct this flagrantoutrage. It would bo far more to his credit, than to have an act passed which would, iu effect, destroy the Miami and ! Erie Canal. Abstracting water at Celina, from the Mercer County Reservoir, and thus rendering the supply for lhe canal precarious, is not the onlvevil, but by discharging 4.000 to 5.000cubic feet of water per minute iuto Beaver Creek, the Channel being so small, it overflows its banks, and so alarge amount of valuable land is submerged. A few years ago the citizens living along Beaver Creek petitioned the Legislature to relieve them from the effects of the water thus wrongfully abstracted from the reservoir, aud upon their petition a law was passed appropriating $35,000, provided the laudowners raised a little sum, to dig a channel down Beaver Creek, of capacity sufficient to carry ofl‘ the water fromlt;\cl-l-ni-ite11I--*oyiotsn-)Hnflyr-d.b-rhhentabove Uiiticnlty can 1m? remedied.”Upon this same point John W. Er win, of Hamilton, Butler couutv, under date of January 3, 1857. says:‘*S© one fact conuected w itti Ilie Mliwi £ Erie Canal his been more clearly established than that of the enlargement ot the Lewistown Reservoir being necessary for the »upj*)rt of the summit Level, and without said improvement must eventually become irorthl**and u*tU*x as aiftvat channel tor tr*u*|»ortatiou between I mcmnati and thelake* or Ik*tween Cincinnati ami the Wabash Valley. In thee assertion* I am lully sustained by the reports of many Board* ot Canal Co in mini oners and oi the ablest engineer* the State has ever had In her service. I allude t*» Samuel Farrar, Leander Ransom. William II Price. Timothy G Bates, and others, all eminent and of acknowledged ability, as Civil Engineers; many of whom have timk and again urged the coutruetiou ofsaid reservoir.”During the wiuter of 1855-56 petitions were extensively circulated, and uutncrousiy signed by men of all classes, forwarders and boatmen activelyengaged on the canal, praying that the Legislature would take the proper steps toward having the Lewiston Reservoir enlarged.On the 7th day of April, 1866, the General Assembly passed an act providing for the enlargement of the reservoir. On the 17th day of April the Board of Public Works, on behalf of the State, contracted with M. C. Ryan, James G. Haly and T. L. P. DeFrees Co. to make the said enlargement, iu consideration that they and their assigns were to receive all the surplus water or water-power ou the canal between the foot of Lock No. 1, situated at Bremen, north of Laramie’s Summit,and the foot of Lock No. 51, at Cincinnati, south of said Summit, and that which thereafter might be introduced between said point, inclusive, together with the right to pass along, aud in said canal as much water as enter be passed with safety to said canal, and the right to take said water from said canal for hydraulic purposes, at such place or places as they might desire, but not to interfere with the water required for purposes of navigation.— The work whs begun, and immediately trouble commenced between the Board of Public Works, the contractors, andthe citizens of Logan county, who opposed the enlargement. The citifeuscommenced suits in their county against the Board of Public Works and sent up memorials to the General Assembly protesting against the submerg ing of their county. This opposition and prejudice against the enlargement were based upon the supposition that it would create additional malaria by reason of the water at times being drawn off and exposing the bottom of portions of the reservoir to the action of the sun and hot weather, and that the gradual decay of timber would increase diease and suffering among the people who resided in the vicinity ofthe work. In April, 1858, the Senatepassed an act “to cancel the contract for the enlargement of the Lowistown Reservoir,” and to pay the actual cost incurred by the “Miami Hydraulic and Manufacturing Company,” to whom the contract of James G. Ilalv and others had been assigned.The Lewistown Reservoir lies in Stokes township, in the northeast corner of Logan county, and is located near the village of Lewistown, on two of the head branches of tho Great Miami River. north and middle branches, and is so situated that by a single back, two-and-a-half miles long, these two longest branches of the Great Miami, having their lise north of the “Greenville Treaty line,” are received directly into it, without the addition ot an artificial cut for a feeder. The reservoir covers 7/200 acres, but from this must be deducted 200 acres covered by the embankment, atul contained within the strip of fifty feet in width outsideof the embankment, which is reserved,to the State. About 500 acres more is shoal water, which being deducted, leaves an area of 6.500, which is filled toan average depth of seven feet, gives ita capacity of 1.981.980,000 cubic feet. Ifthis was all available it would supply7.500 cubic feet per minute for 140 days,but as a considerable portion of it is necessarily lost by evaporation and absorption it can not be safely relied upon for a much greater length of lime Ibau ninety days.DRAISAOE.Majr Ohio a Union had qu this wlLastUnitedtv vnlt262,000Sam Toledo cantile a pistoThe Philad two h fledgeiAlesfined ta largeNo 1years lt;0year.TheconfirropposiCorrTexas.ATT(Aentrust© com peteNOT!hiistrator Miller, 1DatedB. A. BAATT( then to allTo thebchoolYOU Moelectionthe houito choos of said lt;By onM a ret]NTOT]tCcounty.in fir clec2, 1877, tThOuOrOrTv-TvOrMarchNOTtlt;to meet In said 1 for towiT1OiOiOiOrOrAnd a place o Ditto, bMarch11-of)!lUtpVY±_ andit was thought that a reservoir so large could not be filled by the available drainage, but it has been done, and the estimates of the best engineers proven correct. The area drained intoorder oiof Marcbusinesi len coin 1877, pi claim* i duly pr ed by hAsslgMarclI-CVlie6-H'tthe Celina mills. The work has not the reservoir is 145 square miles. Iur-1-ide-afitsreitireli-idbeen done. The annual rent for waterat Olina tva* to have been $400. or butfor twentv-three years. It is under-• 0stood the rent has not averaged $2t)0 per annum. Had tho water of the reservoir been properly taken care of, aud discharged into and passed along the Miami aud Erie Canal, the water rents would have been very great and the caual interest greatly advanced.LEWISTOWN RESERVOIR.Before the construction of the original Lewistown Re-ervoir, the supply of water was furnished by the Miami or Sidney Feeder, which was by a damthrown across the Great Miami Riverthis latitude the average fall of rain is estimated at thirty-six inches, which gives to the square mile 83.635,200 cubic feet, or 12.127,149 000 cubic feet tothe area drained. United States engineers have estimated that of all the drainage water of a given area two-thirds would be discharged or find its way into a reservoir. If this be true, then there is a discharge iuto the Lcw-istown Reservoir, during the year, of8.084.736.000 cubic feet, sufficient to fillit four times and have a surplus. Thereservoir is situated fortv miles north-0c**t of Port JctlVr* *n# aud i* 84 feetabove th© Summit L°vel. Tho reservoir is connected wirh Sidney feederFiveness paon e;iyhomes i I expo© 80 acreIn lian:DelplNK1ruat Port Jefferson, in Shelby County, j UQ| by means of a feeder or canal, butabout six miles above the tow -* o Sul-1 tj1Q wa,PI.t ftftPr passing out of the res-hensf»t.esoliiev. and 'rom there a distance of about thirteen miles lo Lockport. five miles above Piqua, where it intersects theMiami Canal. The failing of the Sid-1 thrown iu l*a|ney feeder to meet the demands, it therefore became necessary to procure a further supply from other sources, and for this object competent engineers were set to work to make surveys of the country on the Summit, and devise 6ome plan to supply the required amount of water. It was first thought that a feeder could be constructed from j the tow n of West Liberty, crossing be i from the valley of Mail River to that’I of the Miami.along the valley of StoneyCreek, a distance ot twentv-fonr and;P* I one-half miles.connecting with the Sid-;uey Feeder at Port Jefferson. But up-to | on the publication of this plan that partof the population along Mad River, be-tween West Liberty and Dayton, rose up in arms, as it were, against any r*!such work. Large and flourishingervoir, flows through the natural bed of the M ami River a distance of forty miles to Port Jefferson, where it isto the Sidney feeder.IMtleceasc count) take in of the v 6th day the Pr»that thflclentceMrs. Ilayes held her first reception at the White House Saturday afternoon. It was very numerously attended, principally by ladies resident iu Washington. aud included a large and distinguished representation of unofficial, as well as official society of the Capital.ettee-Chieago Tribune: Blaino will neverlead iu the Senate. Ho is not a leader by nature or education, but a phenomenon. His fl i*hes of s lone* are almost as bright a* his meteoric displays of eloquence. When be is silent others dothe leading.iti*rinsimplecountyOut-1three (! E liar titled t The ] of rto\*premiaSaidof Aprcan l»eAdiiJ. K MarvTO'Oilihasler.imanufacturing establishments of themost permanent characte er«*rtcd upon its bank seriously injured if the contemplated feeder should be constructed, just as our manufacturers along the canal | uj. would be should the Lewistown Reset voir be abandoned. The damage done to the ownets of property of this description, iu either case, would be® incalculable. So the p|in ahitti- jdoited. In 1851 John W Erwin, rcsi-dent engineer, was ordered to locate areservoir at Indian Lake or Lewistown 'not to exceed one thousand acres in ca-j pat J. jr. lie did so. and iu a report then■s. 1 made to the Board of Public Worksu.ji.d tl,c construction ot a larger one! the If.* '-despenK.ahle, but as the L gi-laiure thought best to withhold the moneyJohn II. Noyes, the founder, and, toa very large extent, the father, of the Oneida community, was tho man wholaracter had Ix-eii r*' !lM ™ h.Mh.M,r,.I l.n.i., which would b*|er. Ile,l,d 11 ,a 18,0 io Ihe 0ne,,laCircular.Wt te«*itlt;Uiitime iIiirht a earn fi tit .ualnu*ik; 1 tfi.liIn »p’trail* we wil writ in,tlollanan* I KiUvi Piif youttBOKGp§-ndit.*pttn-New York Tribune: Th re’s an orator and an editor and a man who lias just published a book in this Cabinet. Too many of these “dam literary fell-tbiuks Simon Caiucron.Tlitera,•*iuIPittsburg Pott: Western States furnish Presidents, New York supplies candidates. It is about time D«*roo- j crats would turn their atteutiou West-, ward.ktriThe vem'rablo wito of Hon. John Peter P. Lowe, of Dayton, was found tlii'vu. money, dead in bed Saturday moruing, sup-'•• on . S C°r!ru:' * l.r^ripo.,a he.n-di.cue,ttie i “Jt'nJl \ T lle.pr.olrot 1.000 acres failing to supply the wa83;; | tc. necessary for navigation, the ques-. lion of enlarging it was agitated, and j under a resolution of the Senate a larger*j amount of evidence was taken In the shape of depositions of civil engineer*., boatmen aud others, io reference to the ;es, | matter ol enlargement. Upon this __ _ice , point W. I. Jackson, of Miami County, J people' are ~waiUug fo7 something tb| turn up in S*n Trancuio.Public meetings at Memphis,Psul sod Schenectady indorsedIlayes supposed poliey toward South. At the M- tophis meeting three ex-Confederatc- officers were upon the Committee on Resolutions.St.Mr.theForty unemployed workingGrconAlto 104 NJ priceAug i
Newspaper Details
Delphos Weekly Herald
Delphos, Ohio, US
Thu, Mar 15, 1877
Page 2
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 17 Jan 2019
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