Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1835-01-22

canal through this City Of Washington: ana
who he asked. ever saw solitary craft navlga-
ting il save now and then boat with WOOD, OF
> few fragments of rocks for completing the wall
of the Canal2 and in the Spring, once in whne
a fish boat with white cat fish2 Yet 1t had cost
the United States 100000.
He hoped the House would come to decls-
ION upon this bill without much debate. Woulo
thew 90 on voting hundreds of thousands ana
million upon million Of the public money Tor
this District, because Congress happened to meet
here2 or would they apply the public treasure
to the support of the Army, the Navy, and 1ne
Civil list? If they were to have system OF IN
ternal improvements. let it be general sys-
tenn, in which all parts OF the country were 10
share. kindly shower of the pubic money
would make agriculture smile in Kentucky OF
Tennessee as we'll as in this District oil C0uIh'
ba. Yet here they were spending mlihons;
while there lay at this moment upon the CLERKS
table, bills appropriating enough OF the pupiG
money to break it down. He trusted the Dill
would be promptly rejected.
Remarks of Mr.. Chinn, Of Va.
MIR. Chinn said that he was unwilling at any
time to ask the attention. or to delay the action,
of the House; that after the discussion OF this
bill at the last session, he would cheerfully nave
torborne TO do so now, but the remarks which
had been made by the gentleman from kentuc-
XIV, (Mr. Harding the particular relation IN
which he (Mr c. stood to the BILL and the deci-
ded interest which he felt in its passage required
at least brief statement Of facts from him.
He proposed no more than such statement
and q short review of some considerations
which induced him to report the bill and TO re-
commend its passage.
MIR. G.. said that the gentleman from hentuc-
XIV had made statement to the House, upon
which his argument mainly rested, which state
cd m entire
of facts. He regretted that the gentleman mao
not received more accurate information or mat
he had not personally inspected the work winch
was now in progress. He would take leave 10
put the gentleman right as to the facts, ana 10
shew that the progress already made In the exc
cuton ofthis Improvement was such as 10 leaye
no reasonable doubt that the Improvement could
be made and at an expense not greater than
the estimates before him.
The gentleman had told the House that the
auueduct the great difficulty in this improve
ment must be 1900 feet in length; that the span
of the arches could not exceed so feet; and that
from the immense weight to be borne by them
they must be Of enormous size and almost In
calculable strength. In each and every part OF
this statement the gentlaman was IN error IL
was true that the river was 1900 feet VIDE, out II
was equally true that by the extension OF the
abutments on either side, the length OF the aque-
duct is reduced to little more than 1000 feet.-
Thus the gentleman has added nearly one third
to its length. AS to the arches and the number
of piers required to sustain them, the truth was
that the span, instead of being SO, was 100 feet
and over; so that here the gentleman had doub'
led the number of piers. Nine piers only are
proposed and men of science and practical skill
have recommended lesser number.
The gentleman was equally wide OF the Tact
in another element of his calculation. He had
compared this aQueduct with the stone bridge,
IN hp thrown
posite this city, and had taken as granted, and
so stated, that the same weight must be lmpo-
sed upon the different supports ofthe aqueduct
as would have rested on those OF the bridge;
and from this comparison, he has drawn ms
conclusions as to the dimensions and strength OF
the piers &c. But the gentleman had either ior-
gotten, or had not informed HIMSELF that the DO
dy of the aoueduct was not to be of stone. &C.
mented but of wood; that the weight upon the
supports will be but the weight of this wooden
trunk, and the volume of water which it held;
and that no conclusion could be drawn from the
comparison which had been made. The gen
teman being under mistake in all OF these points
of fact, his argument drawn from lhem iuust
fall the elements of his calculation either do
not exist at ALL or if they do, they are combined
with so much Of error, as to destroy the force
of the conclusions to which they lead.
Mr. G.. said that it could not be necessary now
for him to go into any general argument TO
prove that this Improvement could De maze; nor
into any minuteness CT calculation, 10 shew that
the cost would not exceed the estimate. He
would only state that the authority to sustain
both of these positions was abundant, and was
to him, at least conclusive. Much was upon.
the desk before him, open to the examination of
any gentleman who desired to look into it, and
he would be pleased ifthey would do so. Among
others, were the reports ofthose who were now
superintendng the work; and also recent re-
port of distinguished engineer, wholly uncon-
nected with it who has carefully examined the
work already done. They all concurred in
showing that the construction had thus far been
conducted judiciously and with economy, and
that the casualties incident to such works had
been to great extent avoided. He said, that ne
was aware that every thing in the shape OF an
estimate was received by the House, and partic-
ulary by certain class of gentlemen with
great doubt and suspicion. 1t was right, per-
haps, that it should be so. He was himself one