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Show II. Examples of Industries and Communi- ties Benefited by the Provision of Waterways A. Ohio, Monongahela, Allegheny, Kanawha and Cumberland Rivers Pittsburgh., Pa. Pittsburgh;, Pa., at the junction of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers, is the center of one of the leading steel and industrial regions of the world due largely to its tre- mendous advantage in navigable waterways transportation and vast reserrves of coal in the contiguous area. Located at the point of origin of the long Ohio-Mississippi River transportation system, Pittsburgh enjoys a permanent ad- vantage in transportation routes whereby large quantities of the necessary coal and other raw materials can be moved to the steel plants, and iron and steel and finished products of all kinds can be moved to destinations by low-cost water hauls. Tonnage movements on the Monongahela River prob- ably represent the densest river traffic in the United States. In the year 1947 there were 27,800,000 tons of coal and coke alone carried on its waters out of a total of all classes of cargo amounting to 31,700,000 tons. Tonnage on the Monongahela River increased from 6,000,000 in 1900 to a peak of 33,900,000 in 1942, of which 29,600,000 was coal and cake. Little Falls, Monongalia County, W. Va. An important expansion in the coal mining industry is taking place in the upper Monongahela River Basin due to further improvement of a navigable waterway to provide cheaper water transportation for coal in quantity. The total reserves of mineable coal within 10 miles of the river in Monongalia and Marian Counties exceeds 3,000,000,000 tons. The Weirton Steel Co. recently has opened a new mine near Little Falls, 110 miles above the mouth of the river in the Upper Freeport coal bed for the production of metallurgical coal. The mine, cleaning plant, and other structures are situated about 2 miles from the river. The coal is transported by conveyor through a tunnel to a river terminal, thence by barge via the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers ta the company's steel plant at Weirton, W. Va., a distance of about 170 river miles. Production is scheduled to be increased rapidly to 1,800,000 tons per year. Neville Island, Pa. Neville Island, located in the Ohio River about 3 miles below Pittsburgh, is about 5 miles long, and from one-half to 1 mile wide. It is a highly developed industrial strip of land. Prior to canalization of the river, Neville Island was practically aLl farm land. The American Steel & Wire Co. began construction of its plant on the island almost immediately after water transportation was made avail- able by the construction of locks and dams. By the begin- ning of World War I there were nine industrial organi- zations on the island, comprising Carnegie-Illinois Steel Co., Concrete Products Co. of America, Independent Bridge Co., Pittsburgh Demoines Steel, Dravo Steel Corp., "Vulcan-Detinning, Graham Nut & Bolt, Witherow Steel Co., and Lee Moore. After World War I, land was bought up by the indus- tries at prices up to $7,700 per acre, and additional com- panies located on the island. These included: Foundation Co., Gulf Oil Co., Frick & Lindsay, Shenango Furnace, Air Reduction Ways Co., National Cylinder Gas, F. Mal- linger Co., Marcus-Ruth-Jerome Co., and F. G. Kirk- patrick Construction Co. World War II brought a second period of expansion. The industries turned to produc- tion of needed war materials and expanded their plant facilities. Chief among these was the Dravo Corp., which during the war built 150 landing craft alone, costing $193,000,000. All of the above craft were floated down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico for service in far parts of the world. The Gulf Oil Co. refinery was built on Neville Island in the Ohio River, Allegheny County, Pa., in 1932. Gaso- line is shipped by barge from this plant ta Morgantown, W. Va., Brownsville, Pa., Donora, Pa., McKeesport, Pa., all on the Monongahela River and to points on the Ohio River as far as Parkersburg, W. Va., which is 179.5 miles downstream from the plant. This plant refines about 14,000 barrels of pipe line crude oil a day, of which a large portion of the finished product is distributed by barge on the navigable waters of the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. Jones Laughlin Steel Corp.-Aliquippa Works After slack-water navigation was established in the upper Ohio River, construction of the Aliquippa Works of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. was started on the bank of the Ohio River, 26 miles below Pittsburgh. The works is now a modern integrated steel plant stretching about 2>l/% miles along the river front and employing about 12,000 people. The Jones & Laughlin Aliquippa Works was one of the pioneers in the shipping of finished steel products to south- ern ports by river transportation as a means of cutting cost. Finished steel products are delivered by water to Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, New Orleans, and points on the Gulf Intercostal Canal. Development and expan- sion of the Aliquippa Works caused a remarkable increase in the entire company's production of steel, effected prin- cipally by its use of the navigable waterways. 426 |
