Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1828-03-22
cON.uUNIc4TYONS.
RIcuMoNn. AI,Rct

was duly received, but owing to indisposition
could not answer it then. The same cause pro-
duccd such an accumulation of Official business
on my hanis that for long tina, could not
attend to any thing else.
Most OF the inform ltion you desire "a regards
" the resources of the stream and its capacities
Tor Improvement" 81; is Confined in my report
OF January, 1897, on the survey OF the Rivanna
which you will find in the Journal Of the Iegisla-
tu-c of that year, AMI in the eleventh, annual re-
port OF the Board of Public Works.
! As to the cost, my estimate 1892 800, from
Moore's lord, down to the north of the Rivanaa
for an Improvement by locks and dams adapted to
the use of light Steam Boats, as proposed
James River; ii appearing expedient that the
same system OF Navigation, should be adopted ON
both streams
This plan, when James River shall have been
improved will certainly be the result desirable
there being 90 miles ofnayi CATION along between
Columbia and Richmond upon which then pro-
duce VIII be transported at reduced prices with
which common battcauX couM not compete Ii
cannot DC doubted but that the 80 miles OF James
river, trom Maiden's adventure UP to the Riyan-
ma, will ere long be improved; when as lust
Observed the advantages OF similar STYLE of i'm
Proveincnt on your river would be felt In the
mean time, however. ] have understood that it
VIII be diiI;ast t, get the above amount subscri-
bed and that ney CATION for common batteaux
| is proposed
| have therefore made an estimate OF system
gation which amounts to 5tiS DO
A further reduction oftho cost could not | think
be effected without sacrifice of the pcrnlanency
OF the works. The dams ana locks arc calculated
to consist OF frames of timber supported by dry
walls. pretty much upon the plan OF the dams IL
sually built on the Ilivanna The depth of wa.
ter afforded by this inferior improvement is no.
where less than | IL feet.
| 1t might perhaps be suggested that this i'm
proVcmeht might answer present purposes and be
enlarged afterwards when deemed expedient but
1t can easily be demonstrated that this could not
! be without sSon of expense much beyond
| the difference fthc two estimates
| In the first place III order to give 3 instead of
| IL feet depth of water the dams would have to
be raised ~ feet some other expense in
currred.
In the next, locks for battcaux being narrow and
shorter would have TO be altogether rebuilt; 50
that almost the whole amount for lockage on the
| enlarged scale must then be expended.
Lastly, the short canals round existing dams,
beng III the first instance smaller in their sec
tion, and also shorter, their subsequent enlarge
'nent aud extension must interfere materially with
| the navigation ana cost about as much as would
COW their const' uetlon with full dimensions. This
every practical man knows
TO this may be added that the enlargement of
the improvement would also occasion change of
pan III many places: for Instance, the Shadwei
mill race which may answer now for batteaux with
slight improvements, could not then be increased
without ihcuirlng greater expense than that Of
constructing succession Of dams to overcome
| the fa!i at that place Hence all the work done
now along the race would then be sacrificed
Campbell 5 dam whichmay be passed without g, eat
cost, by Il small canal for batteaux NAVIGATION
would occasion an enormous expense if this ca
MAJ was to be enlarged afterwards as stated in my
report. The Gam must then unavoidably be an
neXcd and all the work previously done crnsc
quently lost BY pursuing in detail the d;.li,lil-
nlarn
could shcw many other points whe similar OBJ
stacics would exist; but what precedes is think
sufficient to Gcprccate the idea Of adopting now an
inferior plan, with view to ils future cukqrpe-
M'R!: the word abandonment would almost salt as
| well.
am well aware taat if James river was not I'M
proved, the plan proposed in my report would be
unnecessarily expensive; since the advantage con-
templacd could not be Obtained: and if there was
no prospect Of this Improvements being effected
l would certainly recommend batcaux navi "a
'ioh on the RiVanna; but must hope that the
principal stream will not long remain an obstacle
TO the moderation of its tributary, and assume a
style OF improvement on this latter In accordance
with that which will be effected on the main river
proceed now to an analysis of the advantages at
tached to the more complete mode of Navigation
as recommended in my report, to which and that
on james river (iS26, p, 2S) will refer you for
further details.
Certainty, safety and speed will certainly belong
10 the proposed mode OF navigation more than TO
that with batteauX Moreover tho boats going
several oftiem together with valuable cargoes
would be placed under the care of respectable and
responsible agents, hence the loads would be bet
ter attended to and less liable to damage or acct
dents, and again the same boats being then used
on the Rlvanna as ON James river, there would cx-
| ISL competition, whereas If a particular kind of
boats were exclusively employed on The Rivanpa
winch small improvement would occasion the
Price OF carriage would probably be higher than it's
due value These consideration arc generally
understood, J will therefore not dwell upon them
and pass OH immediately to calculations of the rates
would produce.
ne chel advantage of an enlarged improve
nent is to afford the possibility of conveying lar
ger loads, without an augmentation of power: the
economy resulting from the reduction of freight