Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-01-06

>that l,e'l'as car +, " examined nv report and
t"sirnaic, mot the river or country and taat he
carnot make such Improvement for double
he money cs, mated
I's lowest estimate is consequently 81 .32G, ESQ
AS The OILY element. mon which this is pre-
d'catcd, appears To be this gcntlcmaha own cx-
| ocr'ercc; wall also appeal To experience TO en-
able the public Ia form lis own estimate.
| We have also had dams built III Virginia, and
on this very james River. ! will choose the
uoSt expensive my basis. Bosher's CAM $50
! feet hong III feet high, ha, cost Sl1,992 ex-
elusive of fish slope and OF thc luck IL II.
| This sum includes also $4,000, allowed for re-
moval of Gravel. Which | rught To- deduct e: |
can assure the gentleman that no such con
tngcucy Will occur abov; hut | mean TO be Ii
beral, and leave hiu the advantage oil this enor-
| nous sum.
| Now the work estimated Tor, from Mni,len's
Adventure to i.yrchburs. consists of canal "a
Sven Island Falls, estimated by inc al
s5l2o,37o, wich is S5i.75l per mile. near
| v equal TO the cus' OF the Onin and Oh sapcakc
cama!, at which, al his own estimate for canals
can suppose stand 1t Is. To this must be
added $1,000 fur blasting rot used IN dams. In
| AL, $l2i $40, exclusive ot the dams and locks.
| The former, 81 IN numb"-, average TO feet
III leng'h; their aggregate lift is : 20 feet These
are my data.
The cost Of Bpshcr's dam. divided bv III.
gives very nearly 1000 r foot Lift of the dam
$50 feet long; ard for the average TO feet
aforementioned, Sl.i75; which multiplied bv
the whole lift, 1928 feet, makes the whole cost OF
he 81 dams at this rate, 1885 400
| TO which add fer canal at Seven ISL
an;s, &c above, 1880
And for ,S2S feet lockugc, nj the high
rate of S. goo per foot lit, 3e3 900
And this sum, 1897 40
will be the whole cost OF this improvement, ac-
cording TO the da:a furnished by our own cxpc.
| Renee. 1t is only % per cent. above my esli-
mate Of 1928, and falls still ) l90,5l0 short o!
Judge Wrights minimum.
| And still it must be recollected. That the stand
ard assumed for dams here, is known tc have
hecn expensive. The d fiicultirs cncoun, cred
were great, aud the plan, demons, ted in
my rrYprt, (!328, page 250,l more costly than
that rroposr.
And as to the locks, 81 900 foot lift is known
| to be high, even in cnr.:,is; aud have shcwu
in the same report, t2lS That a lock in dam
| must cost less than III canal.
If then, the most eXaggerat d data, furnished
by our own experience, cannnt swell III" cstimat-
more than onc-iounh. we must 6, out o! the
s. ate 10 the scene of the associate engineers own
experience.
Two dams have been built upon the potam
after his plan.
One of them, 1857 feet long, u feet high.
cost S,23 900, which is S3,nG7 per foot lift OF
that lcng Ii, and S! ,3c9 for 20 feet,
The cost of the other dam, $500 feet Ling, 5
feet high, is SCI .2o0 which $40 10 per fool
tt for that length, and Sl,!7l for 40 feet
length.
The average between them being, therefore.
s ,2ll per foot lift,
And for TO feet in length, which
muiiDliet By the Whole If, 32s. is $f07, 043
To which add as above, for Seven Isl
and, &C., 1880
FIR lockage, 1913 900
And 1858, 4l8
VIII be the highest estimate can obtain from
:hat source of information; and yet, his dams are
also upon more expensive plan than mine, the
width of one Of them being much as 81 feet,
and both covered by an arch of good bull ing
stone. There is much experience cfthc dams
have described OH the Rivahsa, and elsewhere
in the State.
The above calculations are ncontrovcrtible
and will give tie public pretty correct estimate
OF the cost of the system under consideration, al
the same time that they viii shew how high ,hIt
genlemans estimate Is.
His next objection is against the moving pow
err. 1t is the first time | have heard steam pow
cr objected to, where SO readily applicahlc-and
why? Because ii requires TOO much mechanical
skill! Is this general principle, or merely APP
picab.e to Virginia?