MUSKINGUM RIVER
IMPROVEMENT.
THE McCONNELSVILLE
LOCK-OLD AND NEW.
IRVEN TRAVIS.
The beginning of the improvement of the
Muskingum dates
back to 1827 when on January 17th the
following resolution was
passed by the General Assembly:
"Resolved: That the Board of Canal
Commissioners deem
it expedient, and authorize an
examination and survey of the
Muskingum River from Marietta to a point
most convenient for
a connection with the Ohio Canal, to
ascertain the practicability
of improving the navigation of said
river, provided the counties
of Washington, Morgan and Muskingum
provide the necessary
assistance for making such survey."
The Ohio Canal referred to in this
Resolution was formally
opened on July 4, 1827, New York's Governor
Clinton of "Ca-
nal Fame," having dug the first
shovelful of earth, and Gover-
nor Morrow, of Ohio, the second. This
commencement took
place exactly two years prior to the
opening, and was attended
with due ceremony.
The examination and survey of the
Muskingum must have
been delayed for a considerable length
of time, for as late as
February 22, 1830, Robert McConnell, of McConnelsville, ob-
tained a charter from the State
Legislature permitting the build-
ing of a dam across the Muskingum at
McConnelsville, which
would afford water power to drive the
machinery of a flouring
mill. This Charter required McConnell to
build a lock also.
This plan was carried out by McConnell,
and his plant operated
until the general improvement of the
river by the State of
Ohio. When this Charter was surrendered
an agreement was
made between McConnell and the State
officials whereby Mc-
Connell deeded to the State of Ohio 7.29
acres of land through
which the State purposed digging a
canal. In lieu of this and
the prior right of McConnell, the State
agreed to furnish free
(269)
270 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
of water rent sufficient water to drive
ten (10) run of Mill-
stones of 4½ feet D. to be driven by
labor-saving machinery, to
be used where the Mill of McConnell then
stood, or at such place
as would thereafter conduce most to the
interests of said Mc-
Connell and the State of Ohio.
The examination and survey having been
made, and the
locks and dams located, bids for their
construction were called
for through the newspaper of
McConnelsville; this call was dated
August 13, 1836. The bids were
to be opened at the Court
House at McConnelsville on October 20th,
of the same year.
This sale of contracts continued four
days when all the different
contracts for the entire river had been
sold in our own town.
The names of the successful bidders
appeared in the Peo-
ple's Advocate. The firm of Hosmer,
Chopin, and Sharp hav-
ing been awarded the contract of
building the lock and dam
No. 7 at McConnelsville. Mr. S. R.
Hosmer taking charge of
the work, bought a piece of land on the
hill and built the house
now occupied by Mr. H. L. Cochran, where
he resided during
his engagement here.
Excavation was made at the present
location for the lock.
A rock foundation was found so near the
proper level that but
a few feet of the rock was removed. It
would seem that no
better foundation would be required;
however, when the exca-
vation was completed huge trees were
prepared by hewing two
sides, and were placed side by side as
near as could be across
the lock chamber, which is 36 feet wide,
extending under both
walls. This required a length of 60
feet, the timbers being
12 inches thick when flatted, were the natural taper of the tree
in width, and in placing them they were
reversed, laying a wide
and a narrow end together-thus they ran
more nearly at right
angles with the walls. This timber
foundation extended from the
lower end of the masonry up-stream a
distance of 35 feet, and
down-stream from the upper end for a
like distance. At the
present time this timber would be
considered wholly unneces-
sary; in fact, a detriment, as water
soon finds its way "under
pressure" through the openings
between the timbers and around
their ends, but it is presumed that at
that time no means of se-
curing the mitre sills of lock gates to
the rock was known, and
Muskingum River Improvement. 271
it seems that the walls were built on
the timbers solely for the
purpose of having something secure on
which to bolt the mitre
sills. In order to prevent the water
from escaping through be-
tween the timber, a plank floor 4 inches
thick with water-tight
joints was laid on top of the timbers,
the joints running at right
angles with the timber and parallel with
the walls. This was all
right for a time only. The floor, which
was of yellow pop-
lar, soon became water-worn and leaked
badly. The masonry
was of cut stone and laid in lime
mortar, and was built to look
fair on the face, but the bond was
wanting; the front and back
of each wall being almost independent of
each other, and the
space between was filled with lime core,
cinders and refuse from
the cutting yard. The water soon found
its way into the in-
terior, the filling was washed out and
the walls left hollow;
so in a few years it became necessary to
drill through each wall
and put through bolts in to hold the
front and back courses to-
gether; this was not done, however,
until the front wall had
bulged and contracted the width of the
lock chamber.
The lock gates were built of the very
best white oak timber,
which was very plentiful at that time.
Large trees were re-
quired, as the width of the arms which
lay parallel with the sur-
face of the water was 22 inches when
finished; the heel and toe
post, which stood upright, were 18
inches by 20 inches; the upper
and lower gates were nearly the same
height. As the lower end
of the wall was not so high as the
upper, the difference being
about 6 feet, it was this fact that
caused much trouble and an-
noyance, as the river did not reach a
very high stage until it
was too high to lock, as the water would
run over the lower part
of the walls. In hanging the gates a
cast iron plate or pintle was
laid on the floor in the angle formed by
the walls and mitre sill,
and a corresponding casting on the lower
end of the heel post.
The top of the gate was held in position
by hog chains which
formed a hinge. The gates were not
intended to swing clear as
a circular track of a proper radius was
placed so the toe of the
gate would follow this track when
operated. On the top of the
track an iron of 3/4 inch by 4 inches
was placed on which a huge
sheave, which was fastened to the bottom
of the gate, traveled.
This was a failure, as stone or gravel
would wash upon this
272
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
track and chock the gate. This sheave
was taken off on that ac-
count and the gate then rested on the
track, where it must slide
-which soon wore a groove in the lower
arm of the gate and
caused another trouble.
The valves were placed in the gates near
the bottom as
near as could be and not interfere with
the mitre sill. This re-
duced the strength of the gate
materially at the point of the great-
est pressure. The valves were operated
by a rack and pinion
located on the top of the gate where the
operator must stand.
At first two valves were placed in each
gate with an opening
24 inches by 44 inches, but when the
gates were rebuilt as many
as four were placed. This still reduced
the strength of the gates,
and in some cases they went down under
the pressure from this
cause. The additional valves were placed
in order to reduce the
time of locking. I am inclined to think
that the delay in boats
passing through the lock was not so much
on account of the small
number of valves as it was to the slow
and tedious manner of
operating the gates. It seems now that a
more crude devise
could not have been thought of. Powerful
Crabs or Windlasses,
very slow in operation, as speed had
been sacrificed for power
in their construction, were provided.
One of these to open and
one to close each gate; thus eight were
required. Chains were
used, made of 3/4 inch rod and
links about 4 inches in length. To
open the gate, the chain was made fast
to the toe of the gate near
the bottom, (which would be 4 feet under
water), from this
point the chain ran along the bottom of
the lock to a point where
the toe of the gate would be when
opened, where it passed over
a large iron sheave, then up the
perpendicular face of the wall
and over another sheave, then to the
drum of the windlass. This
same arrangement was used to close the
same gate, the windlass
being located on the opposite wall near
the heel of the other gate,
which required a longer chain. You will
see that by this ar-
rangement that boats must pass over
these chains when entering
or passing out of the locks, and that
when the chain was being
wound up on the drum of one it must be
unwound from the other
in order that the gate might travel in
the opposite direction.
When it is known that one turn of the
crank moved the gate
but 1½ inches, you will at once see how
slow the operation must
Muskingum River Improvement. 273
have been, and it must be kept in mind
that both must be oper-
ated at the same time, for if there was
no slack chain on the one,
the other could not be turned. Taking the distance of travel of
each gate, which was 22 feet,
multiplied by 8, the number of
turns of the crank for each foot of
travel, multiplied by 8, the
number of windlasses, we have 1408 turns
of the cranks neces-
sary to operate the lock each time.
Eight men at least were re-
quired to operate if done in the least
time possible, and if the
Lock Master had the lock to operate
without help, he would
not have it done by this time.
Of course this elaborate machinery was
soon discarded and
a very simple and effective devise
adopted, which remained in
use until the old lock was abandoned,
which was in 1889, the
first lock having been in use for almost
fifty years.
Before describing the rebuilding of the
lock, will say that the
contract of Hosmer, Chopin & Sharp
did not include the building
of the abutments and guard gates at the
head of the Canal. The
latter being contracted by Conklin &
Russell, and was completed
before the lock, and in order that the
McConnell Mill might be
started a dam or fill was built across
the new canal about the
foot of Parade Street, thus affording
water power to the mill
without interfering with the work at the
lock.
Great expectations were entertained
concerning the bene-
fits which were to come by the
improvement of our river, and
many disappointments followed. It was
calculated that water
rents alone would pay interest on the
estimated cost, which was
$445,000, but this was not the case as
many disastrous breaks oc-
curred before the completion of the
system, and many soon after,
which caused damage suits which were
expensive.
While there seems to have been plenty of
business, navi-
gation was interrupted by various
causes, so the revenue frcm
tolls was not very great. The first toll
was collected on Septem-
ber 14, 1840. I notice that 98,000 bbls.
of flour were reported in
1843, the amount of toll collected for
that year ending November
30th, was 29,384, the amounts varied,
not going below $24,000,
and reached $50,000 as the maximum in
1847.
Finally on the 2d day of June, 1861, the
river improvement
was leased to a company. This lease
continued in force until
Vol. XIX.- 18.
274 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
1877, from which time it was in the
hands of a Receiver until
1878. The lessees did not pay much
attention to the needed re-
pair only so far as would enable them to
collect tolls, and conse-
quently the river became in worse
condition each succeeding year,
so when the lessees abandoned it in 1877
and the State again
took charge in 1878 there was not much
left to take charge of,
and it was with much difficulty that any
kind of navigation was
maintained.
This state of affairs continued until
1886 and 7, when the
General Government was induced to take
this improvement,
which had now cost 627,000 (The estimated cost being $445,-
ooo.)
At the time the Government agreed to accept this present
there was about $10,000 available fund
which was to go with it,
but by the time the final transfer was
to have been made this
money had been expended in much needed
repairs. This caused
delay, as the Government would not nor
could not make the
transfer without the money. Although
this was arranged for
by Congress as this deficiency had been
included in the appro-
priation for Rivers and Harbors. Here
President Cleveland got
in our way by vetoing this bill;
therefore, the river was still
ours.
It was at this time some of our citizens
who are generally
interested in public affairs, together
with others from other points
on the river, got busy; they having
already made trips to Wash-
ington, D. C., and fixed matters, but
they could not have seen
President Cleveland - hence the veto.
They now turned their
attention to the State Legislature, and
finally an amount sufficient
to cover the deficiency was appropriated
by the State and the
transfer was made.
Colonel W. E. Merrill, Corps of U. S.
Engineers, whose
office was in Cincinnati, Ohio, took
charge of the Government's
newly acquired property, and established
a branch office in Zanes-
ville, Ohio, with Lieut. Lansing H.
Beach in charge. This new
management immediately began doing
things. About the first
work of importance at McConnelsville was
the filling of a mill
race, which had furnished water to a
mill below the lock, which
had been abandoned. This work was done
in mid-winter when
the ground was frozen to a depth of 14
inches. The material
Muskingum River Improvement. 275
being taken from the shore bank of the
canal where there were
many irregular projecting points. The
frozen crust was drilled
and shot with powder, and many a huge
piece was hauled on a
drag and dumped in, to thaw out later.
This work was finally
completed at a cost of about $3,000.
This fill had scarcely had
time to settle when it was decided to
repair the lock. In order
to do this it at once became necessary
to remove this filling so
recently placed - so we went at it.
"After due Notice," on the
31st day of August, 1889, navigation was closed. A coffer-dam
was built across the canal about 100
feet above the upper end of
the lock, a second across the lower end
about 50 feet below the
walls. A few derricks were erected,
pumps and pumping en-
gines were set, and railroad built, but
the plant was not sys-
tematically arranged and completed until
the following year when
26 derricks were in use, the five
principal ones were operated by
steam hoists, the others mostly by horse
power lifts, and a few
by hand power. A railroad was now built
which extended from
the upper coffer along the shore side of
the lock a distance of 350
yards to a yard where the stone were to
be cut. From this
point the road switched back, passing
through the lock chamber
on a trestle 22 feet high. Three
derricks 60 feet high were placed
on this trestle along side of the track,
and so arranged that their
booms would reach any point on either
wall. This track ran
out onto the island to a point where a
derrick is now in use.
This track was arranged so that all
loaded cars went on a down
grade. The rough stones were received by
barge from up river
and were lifted from barge by steam, and
then pushed by hand
to cutting yard, where the track
switched back through the lock
chamber, still down grade, so the old
stone as removed was sent
out on the island, and the new stone
came in on same track with-
out interference. This was not a small
job, and the force em-
ployed soon required much clerical work,
but it was not until
October, 1891, that the force
reached 212 men, and the pay-roll
$6,117.47 as a maximum.
It is to be supposed that the new lock
would be an improve-
ment over the old one in all respects,
which I think true. In the
first place the upper and lower ends of
the walls are on the same
level, which enables the operation of
the lock at a much higher
276 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
stage of water than with the first lock.
Another improvement
is that the valves are placed in the
walls instead of in the gate,
which gives openings of much larger
dimensions; consequently,
they are operated quicker.
I will first describe the construction
of the gates, which are
built quite differently from those
already described, as there are
no upright timbers in these gates, all
are horizontal, the first 6
feet from the bottom is solid timber,
that is, one stick laid on an-
other, the bottom pieces are 15 inches
square, others varying in
size, but all 15 inches wide; these
timbers are 21 feet and 7
inches long, and are dressed so a water
joint is made. Above this
there are spaces between timbers which
are graduated in strength
to suit the water pressure. The new
gates are hung by a cast
shoe at the heel setting on a pivot, and
at the top by a Bonnet
and Pin. The points of contact are only
at these two points and
the heel of the gates is eccentric, so
as the gate opens it is car-
ried away from the Quoin, but in closing
it is carried up close,
and a water joint is made at the heel at
the moment the gate
strikes the mitre sill.
In building the front of each, wall faced
stone was used, and
hammer dressed in the back. In laying
the stone the plan is to
lay two stretchers to one header, a
stretcher being a stone from
4 feet to 6 feet long and about 2 feet to 30
inches wide, and from
2 feet
to 30 inches rise; when two such stones are laid end to
end then a header is laid next, which
shows only about half the
size on face of wall, but extends back
from 4 to 6 feet. First,
the front course is laid in this manner,
and then the back in the
same manner, but having the headers lap
past each other. This
is to form a bond, and saves bolting as
in the old lock. After
the back and front were laid in this
manner the voids between
were filled with rubblestone, and cement
mortar, then leveled off
and another course laid in like manner.
In building the present wall every
course was spotted level
with a surveyor's level, then cut to as
near a level as could be
before starting another course. I have a
small imitation of the
real thing which shows the construction
of the lower end of the
lock. The upper end is much more
complicated and would
Muskingum River Improvement. 277
be of much more interest if I could show
a model, which unfor-
tunately I cannot.
Another improvement over the old lock is
a needle dam
located immediately above the upper
gates; this is intended to
serve in shutting off the water in order
to make repairs at gates.
This I will not undertake to describe at
present.
The work of rebuilding continued from
August 31, 1889,
until December 12, 1891, when the first craft passed up stream
through the new structure. This work,
like all other river work,
was delayed frequently and seriously on
account of high water,
as after the water would fall and work
was resumed, weeks were
required to remove the silt from the
lock chamber, which would
be as much as 6 feet in depth, and of
the consistency of soft
soap. To remove this a platform was
built on which men must
stand, as without it they would sink out
of sight. All of this
mud was lifted with dump box and derrick
and dumped over
the river wall. This could be done at
the present time in short
order, as improvements have been made
whereby a suction pump
especially constructed for such work
would make such a job easy
and of short duration. As it is now
twenty years since the work
was in progress I find in looking over
the record many pleasant
recollections are brought to mind, as
well as some not so pleas-
ing. Fortunately, no accident of a
serious nature happened at
McConnelsville, but there were accidents
at other points on the
river, and several men were killed. In
conclusion, I must say in
hunting up data in this case, I have
been astonished to find the
names of 73 men connected with the
building of the dam, who
have died, most of whom were citizens of
McConnelsville.