Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1826-01-21
Conf ruM1oAT1oMs.
FOR THE UIRER.
;, INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT.

""piesuihlng man, duly impressed with proper re-
pee ior The Official delegated wisdom of the land
VIII only exercise this right upo,. ex,raorliaary
occasions that part of the late Repori OF he James
i'i'e Commissioner recommending the abandon
ineh' OF the communication be, yveen the Basin and
'ae wafer, ~ deemed by one who has long felt
deep Interest in the intern, i Improvement of his
haVe state, as furnishing strong case of this cha
race.
The error of'he opinion that this communication
- usSIess appendage 10 the CANAL is 80 p1lpa-
u'e' a. 10 require no argument to expose 1T shall
eiofe uespass no farther upon the attention of
tue Legislature thin TO add few remarks TO draw
'helr attention To tie subject
Inns 'mmunication long suleci of anx-
lo"s soHcitude 10 The Legsl, ure, and was finely
io.cea open against the powerful opposition of The
'u jaime. RIVER Company. Aud might have
oeeh anticipated. like most works execu ed b, I'm
VIM agents, ha- turned OUT as TO give pau-
sipiliiy 10 heir opposition
Inc golfers ssert, that for the want of this
com iiunlcation, their article is taxed with the adj
e''o"'i co-' oil Two Cents bushe, besides the in
jury rom repeated kindiings and it will be pre-
sen'iy shewn, that tey will REQUIRE every facility
10 enable them to maintain a CONNIE i ion with IN.
au"itiohai supply of northern coal that will be soon
coming into The markets
JUICE Virgin, and the James River Commission
ess srongI' recommended in their Report 10 he
ia'' winter the re-openng aud etailisli-
|
'he improved avigaton above now h ,ppily ac-
conpiished throughout the coal ii-tric; and only
iequ"i ms completing job 10 derive the full flu
iuon nom the corl trade, upon which our homes
nave nalhly relied, as The means of reimbursino
'he state Tor The heavy expenditures ON he FIRST
| section "
! In relation to the competition in his rade. bicb
we -'e destined to meet o the nurth--it NAV NOT be
Known to all the members of the IesisIatIra ,ba,
cahal Is now IN state of considerable advance
,i'eh' o bring the coal o he city of New York
from mat region inexhaustihy rich in this mineral,
ming The dividing ridge bet,y cen the "a alters OF
.ie ''Htiaehanna and the Delaware. This canal
communicates with the Hudson, in he neicbbor
nopd OF hines'on, in the county of Ulster. one
hundred miles above the civ and takino soutb
western orec'ion along the valley of the Rondout
| 20 'he summit level at Maintaining, between the
hudson and Delaware, thence down the valley oil
| branch OF the Negerspk, and the Neversink TO
,re beiaware ihen pursuing the course of the
i1e.a"" 'e 'cr seventeen miles along of the most
rapd parts OF its channel mp to he mouth OF the
I4acka axen and then 0long the low grounds of the
i1'cNa axe, nearly TO the head of that water
course III the Immediate vicinity of the coal mile
MS He OF canal in it, whole length one hundred
and sixteen miles with upwards of six hundred feet
Oh iocsaee, IS now under Contracts through all that
part OF it, from the Hndson to the Della are-and
IN course OF speedy execution
his great enterprise is the result of private -,
p"i, and Is conhden ly expected to he acco,nplisb
co III TWO years from the time OF It's commencement
last summer; and when done, (if the work is exc
ca'ed at the Inmates, and far the actual cos,
las lalIen below hem,) III deliver coal Of sumo
'or quality 10 the Richmond coal for ers,es al Tho
city OF New York, for small fraction less ,ban
fourteen cents bushel. With this prospect before
us VIII conclude this branch of tie subject. with
verbum sat.
VIII, however, trespess still farther TO add that
the work oil forming the communication between
the UPPER and lower navigation can no probably |
De executed tor one half of the sum, it would have
cost the state, little while ago aud in way
equally permanent, though not as slightly as the
cut stone range work of the new locks lately exc
Gu ed.
The co tractors upon the Hudson and Delaware
Canal, are now executing permanent lock, OF ham |
mered stone, poued walls, with cut : one hollow
CONS and coping the walls one hundred feet long
and to average seven feet thick, including but. |
Tesses-and seventy-six feet between the gates:
the chamber 10 be nine feet wide in the clear at The
following prices: lock of the above description
OF eight iee lit, costs four hundred and twenty dol
lars OF ten fee lift three hundred ard ninety:
and o. eleven feet lift, three hundred nd eighty;
loo lift, which make he whole of lock Of ten
fee ilt SO 800. If them undertaken. can be f,n d
who VIII work wi hin % per cent OF these pr ces,
ii IS lear, tina double Of locks for ascending
and descending boats al the same time may now
be executed for nearly the me sum expended upon
the late Imperfect comm n,catlon, of perishAbie
materi *, already gone ruin.
However Engineers may differ, as to the details
oil eifec ing particular object, tie mpor ant and
leading questions connecte! with the internal i'm
provence Of country, are for the most part within
the range OF The common mankind; and when
dves ed OF all mystery and undue influences i'll be
cr'rec ly decided upon, nine times out OF EN- by
community well informed IS he people of Vir
gnia. IL requires no engineering science TO decide
thal The products OF the upper country in seeking
a market through the upper and lower navigation
of James River, must I've more or less taxed in
getting over dam across the was. The question
then il, as to the cost OF removing the dam, and
giving safe aud easy passage in IFS place. II the
foregoing stateme Is can be relied upon, Sky or
seventy thousand dollars will accomplish the object
IN The case before The collier ,loBe will pay
tax 70 the curriers' Rockets, aud in the loss of
value upon their ariicle, mounting o ills sum, in
few years, if kept damned up in the Basin
As 10 the extension OF tile improvement up the
river, there many good reasons, Why this diff
Gull question may be more safely decided in future
The resources Of the state now applicable 10 he
objects OF The James River, are probably not
more than adequate TO accomplishing the mountain |
section, and the communication betw cen the Basin
and tide ater both of which may be finished
nth proper exer'ions, in the course OF this year
In The mean lime, much light III he shed upou The |
question, to he best mode OF extending the |
York upwards The Improvements JUS gone into |
'peration. fortunately combine, both the lock and |
m system and the Independent canal. The floods
Of ibis winter and spring will probably unite a
majority OF the state in favor OF one or the Other
~ hese modes, possibly, as some think, set boih
,ldc. It's 10 be hoped too, as we have nov ar
we'd at the crisis when something defnitive must
he done, the deplorabe apathy which has hitherto