Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1825-12-16

the best ground for locating 1t will be observed that
the last Is miles the Eastern side Of the mountain
has fall of % feet To the mile One mile and third
of the summit level will be tunnel, and about 10 miles
will be deep cutting, increasing in depth from its ex
IRENE end each side Of the mountain 10 its entrance
INTO the tunnel at which place ii will be 81 feet deep
and TO give II proper slope, 1t will not be less than
100 feet wide al TOP, unless the excavation should
be OF rock, in which case will be much expen
sivc.
From the wstern end of the summit level TO the
mouth Bear creek, AT miles, the fall 81 feet 10 the
mie. In order 10 raise the water IN the streams the
side of the as 10 give six feet depth of
ter IN the summit level II is proposed 10 erai
dams OF heights the highest of which TO be
% feet The whole amount OF rise and fall being 1887
feet, the number of locks, SuppOslng them 10 he feet
hit each. average which believe Will be thought
BY most Engineers proper average will be about i8O.
All this told by the Engineers can be done at
moderate expense but YOU and who Will have 10 pay
our proportion of it will think 1t erroneous.
was much surprised to in the Enquirer of the
lIh November that at meeting of the people of Ere
derrick county, Maryland on tie 25th OF October last
with view to the promotion OF genci al scheme of in
tcrna improvements the cost of the Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal estimated at about 1000. 600, ofwhCh
sum, it calculated that the District of Columbia
would raise one million the State of Virginia seven
hundred ANA fifty thousand, the State OF Maryland five
hundred thousand, and the balance, seventeen hun
dred and fifty thousand, supposed would &c SUD
scribed by government and Individuals am at loss
10 conceive how at all acquainted with the sub
Ject could have brought his estimates TO such result.
with the fact staring hum in the face, that there 1857
feet of lockagc The general cost OF constructing locks
of the best workmanship, IN the United States one
Thousand dollars per foot lift. am warranted III
ing that this. nj least, was the average cost of the locks
in \ CIV York. There is sometimes extra work pre-
pairing the foundations where there rock To blast or
piles drive, and from the character OF this ground
expect great deal Of the former TO be required
There must be- guard lock al every feeder, and basins
Will often he introduced between the locks 20 cqualZe
the current. So that If we include these. we shall be
very safe in putting iown the item of lCckage alone at
four millions OF dollars. The same cause winch pTodu-
ccs the lochage viz the fall IN the stream which &c
neray upon rock for the stream will CXcavae lis ted
tall arrested bv rocky also produces the necessity OF
blasting eXcavatc the bed OF the anal: Because the
rock which occasions the ripples will most commonly
show itself in the hills opposite to them. This makes il
exreicnt To wall and Inc the canal, well because il
is the reaest way TO dispose of the rock, because
there will be for the most part scarcity of ear 90 form
an emhankncnr. and in such even the earth and
clay required line and puddle the wall is necessarily
transported considerable distance. And where tie
fall amounts to % feet per mile as ii does for ) miles
side of the mountain, and 10 81 feet per mile
it does for II miles the other, we may readily ina
CINE that throughout the whole Of these two spaces there
will be continued chains ofwaug from lock to lock OF
nearly This added TO ali tbs rest Of the wang winch
vii! he required on the line ct the canal, the aquoducts
cuverts. bridges the ten miles OF deep cutting, tie
penGous DAMS the long line OF excavation, and all lis
concomant expenses will lead to probable conCl-
sion ha the four millions Of dollars for the sing item
lpckaGa viii rot be fifth, perhaps not one sixth part
of the whole expense OF the work The iockaga in
New York has probably cost about eleventh part oil
the whole. And whilst is admitted that the proportion
olockage the Chesapeake and Clio Canal is vCiy far
beyond that On the Erie Canal it will be observed on the
other hand, that tho which produces The dit
ference in the oclIagc, produces something like cor
respondent difference in the expense Of excavatnc
large portion of through rock instead OF earth The
difficulty of raising water to the summit level bv the
enormous dams before mentioned is uGknGwn in "a.
New York Canal. The summit level is ! l-3d miles
with tunnel how much Of this cutting is through rock
cannot say; far Ii Is tunnccd If will be fortunate
If 1t entirely OF rock, for viii cost less TO blast
through rock than 10 carry arch through That N
New York through the mountain ridge vel! as Can
recoect. about miles in length, tunnel less
than three miles through rock, and part of 30 feet
deep.
haze lately understood that locks arc built 10 tLc
North upon cheaper plan, with hammered instead OF
Gu stone; which requires great deal more cement tc
fiji the FONTS, circumstance not much regarded
Their, since they have at hand. This, however, would
have but little influence on the aggregate estimate of
work like this, which for magnitude Of design and en-
ormy of xpensc, probably unparalleled in any caun
try. do not believe that any caual IN Europe over
comes summit exceeding 600 feet while this viii! have
to encounter OF more than six times that AMOUNT
have been the more particular in drawing YOUR at
teEiDH 10 SUBJECT, because III is proposed to
our dear native Virginia into this scIape. So far as i
is contemplated TO perform the work with the funds
the general government these things may not have any
effect in preventing it, because while il wouId cperae
as Good gate to prevent the tariff from OVERLOOKING the
treasury, it would have fine effect in Strengthening
the arm government by lis liberal increase of Exc
cutlve patronage.
The object OF this canal communication is TO invite
the trade of Pttsburg TO the Atlantic ports instead OF
allowing it go down the Ohio and Mississippi to the
Gull OF Mexico, where nature seems 10 have designed
it should go. would not be understood 20 say If IS
wrong in all to attempt to divert the commerce of
any portion of the country from he channel that Daturc
seems to have provided for it, but will say that before
We take the case out of natures hand by such mon
orous diversion IS his we should count well The cost
OF 50 rash an enterprise
There i, good steam boat navigation al ts ti.ac from
PrsbuJg TO the bead Of 'Dc falls of 0dio at Louisville
am from Louisville 10 New OIeens. Ard ,yhea the
short canal around the falls Is finished there viii be no
ob'trucon lett in tie way Of steam boats tErou yhout the
"hoie distance except the savers and such other ia
Pediments will be from tmc to time removed. Dai.
" improvements making 10 the application Of steam
powei and when the vast region of fertile territory
wIch IS contiguous TO all the tributary streams of the
Aisssippis empty hairrich productions into Che lap
OF New Orleans, that mighty city will laugh al these una
a(y &, g.