Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-06-21

L
ses are estimated at s 5000. But as the
company draw also revenue from the rent
OF water, applied to mills and other waite
works erected along the canal, they hav,
been able in some years TO make dividends
OF 16,a00 dollars, being at the rate of l.
per ent on the orig nal capital, bnt of on
| ly about per cent ifcalculated on t. e sum
of 244,00 dollars, the amount OF capital
expended, and interest accrued before any
dividend WIS made.
J ~. POTOMAC.
| The company incorporated by the states
of Maryland and Virginia, for improving
the navigation of that river, has executed
the following works
1. At distance of 10 miles above the
head of the hide, which ascends ab out three
miles above the city of Washington, the
river is 143 feet higher than tide water.
AT that place designated by the name of
Great tails, the boats passing through ca
nal one mile in length, six feet deep, and
twenty-five feet wide, descenfi 70 feet by
i've locks, 100 feet long, and II feet wide
each, and re-entering the river, follow it's
natural bed, eight miles and half Ano-
Their canG of the same dimensions and two
miles and a half in length, brings them then
through three locks and by descent of 81
feet to tide water. This last fail IS distin
guished by the name of Little faHs. The
two lower locks of the Great falls, exca-
waited out OF the solid rock have each a lift
OF 10 feet; the three upper locks of solid
masonry are of unequal height, and have
together a lift of forty feet. The taree
locks of the. Little falls, are each one hun
dred feet IN length and eighteen feet wide.
mat breadth IS unnecessary, ans consumes
100 much water, defect which will be re
medled, when stone locks will be substtu-
ted TO those now in use which being of wood
will soon be decayed.
Three other canals without locks have
been opened around three distinct fails :;
ne principal at the Shenandoe falls below
darper's ferry, and at the place where he
Potomac breaks through the Blue ldge,
is one made IN length around a all Of fiji
teen feet. Between his and the Great fans
another canal three quarters of mile in
length, is opened aroun d the Seneca falls
The third, fifty yards II length, has been
cut around Houre's fails, FIVE miles abev,
the Shenandoe salIs. Above tnis place, The
nav cation has been improved by deepen
ing occasionally the channel, raising the
water IN shallow places by small dsns.
aud opening siuices along the shore lbs
believed that by muls lip, wing the number of
those low dams, BY -throwing the channei
ong the, shore, and when necessary open
ing canals with or W thout locks around the
principal rapids, the navigation may beim.
proved, perhaps as high up as Cumberland,
1870 miles above tide water, to such de-
gree as to render he river passable for
boats the greater part of the year. And if
this be found practicable on the Potomac,
winch is the most rapid of the great At
u fhn
w III greater facility be effected on any o.
the others. /. will be indispensable, in or
der to attain that object on the Potomac,
that additional canals with locks, should
be opened at the Shenandoe or Blue Ridge
falls, which as has already been stated, fall
43 feet, in the distance of FIVE miles.
2. The Shenandoe, a river nearly as
| large as The Potomac itself, after a course
! OF $50 miles througbthe Great Lime. stone
valley, unites is waters with those Of the
Potomac at Harper's ferry just above the
Blu Ridge. From Port Republic till with
IN eight miles of the Potomac, a distance of
near 200 miles, it affords a good navigati /.
on the fall of the river being at the rate
o less than two feet mile. In the last
eight miles it falls eighty feet, aud was i'm =
Passable before the improvements compile
ted last year by the Potomac COMPANY
Six different canals twenty feet wide, four
eet and half deep, and extending alto.
gether 2, 400 yards, have been opened ronnd
the most difficult fails. Through those, and
five stone locks, bund. d feet long and
twelve feet wide each, and cfFecting toge-
ither descent of near fifty feet, the com.
munlcatiOn is now opened, and will render
the undertaking much more productive than
heretofore. The water i'm all those canals
and locks, as we'll as in those executed on
the Potomac, is uniformly supplied by the
river itself.
The capital originally subscribed amoun..
ted TO Sl1 500 dollars, divided into 7O1
shares; Of which the state OF MARYLAND
owns two hundred and twenty, and the state
OF Virginia seventy. The total amount ex g..
pended, including an additional payment
received from late subscribers. 3S 600 dol.
lars arising from tolls, which have been
Iapplied to the work, and debt Of about
81 600 dollars contracted by the company,
amounts to 444,652 dollars. The annual
tolls raised on eight thousand tons of sun
| dry articles, valued at more than half a
million Of dollars, have not before the OPEN
ing OF the Shenandoe, exceeded Is 600 dol u.
lars and the annual expenses and repairs
are stated at 5000 dollars.
! One hundred shares Of c145 sterling
each, remain open for subscription.
V. SUsoURHANNAH.
| This river has no perpendicular or alto b.
lgcther impossible falls but from the head