Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/896

OHIO RIVER. only ten to twenty miles from the south shore of Lake Erie. The glacial drift in this north part of the Ohio basin changed the line of the water parting so that the crest of the divide between the Saint Lawrence and the Ohio basins is now ten or more miles nearer the lake than in the preglacial epoch. The chief northern tributary is the Wabash, a placid stream navigable by small boats to Terre Haute, Ind. Other northern affluents, as the Muskingum, the Scioto, and the Miami, descend, like the Allegheny, from the plain studded with lakes not far from Lake Erie. The southern affluents are larger, and rise, like the Monongahela, among the upland glades of the Appalachians or on the Appalachian plateau. The Kanawha (navigable to Charleston, W. Va.) and the Licking traverse salt-yielding regions. The Kentucky River (navigable to Beattyville, Ky.) joins the Ohio above the Louisville Rapids and marks the natural division between the middle and lower courses of the river. At Louisville a coral reef obstructs the Ohio with a series of rapids which disappear during the floods, but which arrested navigation at low water until the rapids were turned by lateral riverine canals. The greatest tributaries from the south are the Cumberland, navigable to Burnside, Ky., and the Tennessee, navigable to Knoxville.

Many fine towns and cities border the Ohio, the larger places standing chiefly at the mouths of the affluents. Below Louisville the valley broadens and the skirting hills retire to a great distance from the river banks. As the larger part of the drainage comes from the mountain districts, the Ohio is unable in times of very heavy rainfall or rapid thaw of the winter's snow to carry off the vast quantity of water suddenly emptied into it. The volume of its discharge has varied as much as eightfold. The difference between the high and low water marks is sometimes as much as 50 to 60 feet in a single season and in 1887 it exceeded 70 feet. The river at flood covers the lower parts of many towns on its banks, causing great loss of property and much suffering. On the other hand, in periods of drought the current is often reduced to a fordable depth above Cincinnati. These great variations in the level are a serious impediment to navigation. Boats loaded with many thousands of tons of coal and other freight destined for Ohio and Mississippi river points are frequently held up for weeks at Pittsburg waiting for enough water to float them. In spite of this drawback, the Ohio and its tributaries carry over 15,000,000 tons of freight a year, mainly coal, lumber, grain, and the product of iron and steel mills and the potteries on their banks. The total length of navigation on the river and its affluents is about 2300 miles. In the development of the West the Ohio played a prominent part.

Consult: Ellet, “Contributions to the Physical Geography of the United States,” in Smithsonian Institution Contributions to Knowledge (Washington, 1849); Bliss, “Dr. Saugrain's Relation of His Voyage Down the Ohio River,” in American Antiquarian Society Proceedings (Worcester, 1897).  OHIO STATE ARCHÆOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. A learned society, founded in 1875 as the Ohio Archæological Society, and reorganized and incorporated under its present name in 1885. Its object is to promote a knowledge of archæology and history, especially as relating to the State of Ohio, through the maintenance of a library and a museum, open to the public, as well as by courses of lectures and the publication of books dealing with subjects within its scope. The society is officially recognized by the State Legislature from which it receives an annual appropriation for the prosecution of its work. The membership is divided into four classes known as active members, life members, corresponding members, and honorary members. The regular annual meeting of the society is held during the month of February in the city of Columbus, unless some other meeting place be designated by the executive committee. The society issues an annual volume of Publications (11 vols. 1887-1902).  OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. A coeducational State institution at Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1870 as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, and opened in 1873. The present name was assumed in 1878. The original endowment provided by the Land Act of 1862 has been supplemented by a permanent annual grant from the United States under an act of 1890, by special appropriations of the General Assembly, and by a permanent annual State grant made in 1891 and doubled in 1896. The university is organized in six colleges: Arts, philosophy, and science; agriculture and domestic science; engineering; law; pharmacy; veterinary science. Admission to the college is by certificate from accredited institutions or after examination in five groups of studies—English, history, mathematics, science, and foreign languages. The entire work of the college is arranged on the group and elective systems. It confers the bachelor's degree in course in the various departments, and the engineer's, master's, and doctor's degrees for advanced work. Military instruction and the wearing of a uniform are required of the students. The attendance in 1903 was 1717, distributed as follows: Arts, 527; engineering, 662; law, 166; agriculture, 243; pharmacy, 40; veterinary medicine, 94. The faculty numbers 133. The library contains 44,523 volumes. The university grounds consist of 345 acres, of which 235 are devoted to agricultural and horticultural purposes. A laboratory is maintained at Sandusky for summer work. The value of the property under the control of the university in 1903 was $2,850,000, the grounds and buildings being valued at $2,500,000. The total endowment was $569,876, and the income $545,909.  OHIO UNIVERSITY. A coeducational State institution at Athens, Ohio, organized in 1804, two townships of land having been set aside for the founding of a university by the terms of the purchase made from the United States Government by the Ohio Company of Associates in 1787. Besides the collegiate department, the university has schools of music and commerce, a preparatory department, and a normal college. The bachelor's degree in arts, philosophy, science, and pedagogy is given in course and the master's degree after one year's graduate work. Tuition is free. The registration in 1903 was 551, and the faculty numbered 39. The library contains 17,500 volumes. The university receives about $7000 a year from its land endowment and about