Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-01-15

|
Board, of the peculiar features vi the country lying
between the creeks have mentioned, and OF The
conseqsen' facility oi uniting them hy caaal, with
M adequate suppl. OF wafer.
| a eUmDi'tee OF the House Of Representatives,
upon other authority than this, unanimously
por,ed the s., of May, 1892, that il no lon
- ger questionable bu, that the head waters of the
4" Oho may lie mingled wiki those of the Potomac,
" by "a su'erranesn Canal, not exceeding miles
IN iengih, aud the produce ol the soil aud ,nJus,y
OF ihe West, after ascending the Youg iugeny, fluid
| safe aud comu,ojous channel thence to tue VAL
" ley oil Savage Geek, and, through IL, the north
branch and the main river, 10 the Chesapeake and
:" tue Atlantic"
In tue report Of the Virginia and Mar, land Com
H'ssoners, transmitted by their respective Cover
nors To their Legislatures in the commencement OF
Tue present Year, those facts were re-afirmed, IN
tue authority OF survey, repeated under the imnie-
uate eye OF the Commissioners, 10y the same engi-
neer and, in The reported depth, breadth, and
ocity OF Deep Creek, basis is furnished for cacu-
ins Tue quantity oil water on which reliance Is had,
Tor the supply OF the summit level, and the locks des
cendng from IT'S opposite extremes. (F)
But this is not all. Subsequently to this report,
examination and survey have heen made, of the
same country, with ike object, 10y a
highly Intelligent aud respectable Delegate OF this
Convention. lie not only confirms the correspond
ins results Of both ,e former surveys, hut has been
enabled, 10y long continued olse rvai,on, 10 she'd
light upon this interesting pant of i0Iu, aud to
ascertain that large additions may be made, at no
dspropor,iOnaic cost, the supply of water furnish
ed by Deep Greek. (G.)
| The information deri. ed from all those respectable
authorities, oviates my possible doub of prac
ticab,liy Of filing, as fast as the time necessarily
Consumed 10y descending boat would per mil, "a line
OF locks OF dimensions suited TO the proposed en-
largrmeuI OF the Canal IL exte sds yet further, and
warrants The be lief that, when the commerce Of the
lanai shall render u necessary eXiedient su =
ceEt supply OF water MAY be obtained io double that
line.
Il is necessary, therefore, in order TO obviate
this objection 10 an enlargement OF the Canal
SORT 10 inclined planes, any Of the various subs-
tues Tor lock navigation, suggested by the necessi-
ties, aud illustrated by The example, OF oIher
| tries.
| The most familiar principles of natural science
a,o, demonstrate The superior ECONOMY OF water, II
reference he had 10 the tonnage hoated Oh Canal,
~ no use, nhere practicable, Of enlarged boats,
| snd consequently locks Tor IL is not proposed to
pass n'ore than single boat time through each
luck.
As part ofihe summii level OF the Canal, tunnel,
10 which haze iei,ired That of the gentleman, 10
whose authority last REQUIRED, reduces the length
at The tunnel recommended by his predecessor, one
fourth or, non, TWO miles, and half. But
aci,iri the COST, the iide required
tunnel oi ether length, should discourage US, in any
degree, ifon completing Ihe Canal, scale COM
| 'e"s'Jdte with Its iutu.e, we'll lis Immediate
Importance.
| The canal of the Trent and Mersey, connc citing
The ports OF Liverpool aud Hull, in England, viii,
seventy six ucks has less tnn five tunnels in q
miles. vi these, the one at Harecasile is 2, $3.50
ya,'ls long, aud more than 10 yards below the surface
OF tue e"rh. The celebrated BIindey estimated IL:
srucied III England, and actually 81. los Sd. pei
yarJ
Tina, at Superior, part of canal, AZ feet in
breadth, which unites The Thames aud the Severn is
more an two and half miles in length, and is cut,
for ioorhi's ot that extent, through solid rock,
the expense Of eight guineas yard.
The Chesterfield canal has, al Hartshiit, a tun nel
5000 yards long But tunnels are, now, very
rous III England aud ia cost for labor only, vary
from three 10 seven guiAeas per Innning yard. (H
| Some judgment sIay he formed Of the expedition
lain il
the tact, that more thar mile Of the Bitmin
nod Worcester tannel, was completed III single
year.
| la quitting that part Of my subject, cannot for
bear To express the consolmg rcilaci;Un, that, sho
the lockage oi the proposed canal, when both
tons shall have been completed, will exceed that o
any sinar work III existence, as it's length will sur
pass thar Of every other canal except Of China
aud the Erie canal Of New York. Such the mo.
dern improvements ~ the STRUCTURE OF locks, that
supposiDg their average lift To ne feet, each may
with facility, be passed by boat in three minutes
and all Of Them, they together, instead of being
distributed on line Of $40 miles, in the short
pass OF iwen'y-one hours, with consumption oil
water, va the entire voyage, equiyaeBt 10 the
icuis vi only two such locks. ~
/ This consumption of time does exceed the de-
lay which woGId be occasioned, we're there no loci
on Tue canal, by addition Of fifty miles leng
Aud with Iis addition, the Union Canal would yet
MAINTAIN its superiority over every other practicable
connection of the Eastern and Western waters,
whether regard be had 10 economy OF lime ex-
pense, IFS nav igntion.
have purposey lorborne, Mr.. Chairman, 10 en-.
large upon those points Of superiority, because all
such comparisons, where not necessarily requf ed,
lend To arouse the spirit Of local jealousy aud be-
CAUSE so FAR fIom being disposed boast of pc.
cnlihr advantages, TO deprecate the value OF 81
mllar enterprises III other states, do SINGER
wish, aud confident, this COny ention will unite
IN the .entiment hat their number could lie aug
menied, the obstacles their speedy execution
mounted, aud tue noble example Of New York not
only Improved by herself, but initiated without de-
lay, by every other stale in the Union " Thar your
cnuniry may he beloved, you must make IL lovely,
was the sentiment of u great statesman.
| What American, alive 10 the true interest of hi
counry, can behold, without delight, the rapid march
of The spirit Of internal Improvement, which imme-
dnlely succeeded The termination OF our late war
10 the South, much has been done, aud much
more IS proposed To he accomplished Georgia has
c,nsecraied fund for internal improvement, after
the examine Of Virginia and The two CaioIinas.
South Carolina is all eady looking "a connect ton
by short portage Of the CoDgaree with Southern
branch Of tie Tennessee, called The French Brond
and, IN conjunction with North Carolina, 20 like
union Of the CAtawba with the HolsfeiH, n more
Northern branch Of The same Western river
! North Carolina and Virginia have just completed
tie Roanoke Canal aud the latter, after setting
pIr permanent capital OF - million aud n third for
Internal Improvement, Of which her contribution 10
the ttoauUke was the first fruits, now pushing,
with augmented zeal, caual along the margin oil
james river, towards the base of the Allegheny,
where turnpike of 80 Hiles is rapidly extending to
The Falls Of the Great kanawhd.
vi 'ryi md ~ contemplating, with just estimate OF
Us Importance, Canal irom the tide Of the Susque-
hannah, along the gin OF that noble river, with
the auddJle hope Of day connecting its waters
wi sume Of the sources oG the Ohio.
Her commissioners, after surveying the route Of
literal canal, from high poiut the Potomac, to-
wards Baltimore, forming their the
tension OF canal from the Eastern Branch 10 the
PdiAscO, ar the Severn.
Delaware, assisted by her opulent neighbor, is a.
bout To render essential sefyicc 10 al the Atlantic
STATES, AID TO enhance the Importance of the enter
prize in WHICH DESTROYS TO embark, hy com
ulan9 line long desired Of tite Chesaneake