The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1840-12-10
Report OF Maj. Gwynn
ON the
DRAINING OF. TaE SWAMP LANDS,

To lac Prssidsd aud Directors Of Tie Liir@y
Fiusd Of -ysrti carOiiaa:
GENTLEMEN: | have the honor 10 re-.
port 10 you The result Of The operations
since The drainage Of The swamp lands
vas committed 10 my charge.
The feasibility Of The undertaking has
been so fully and clearly established. by
former statements 10 The board, (parlicu
larly by The report Of Mr.. Shaw.) A. TO
render any comment from me unnecessa-
~ on The present occasion. shall ihere-
fore proceed 10 lhe subject Immediately
befnre me.
The only tract Of land. Owned by The
state north OF Pamlico Sound. sufficient
ly elevated TO afford q fall Tor its drain
age, il situated on the high grounds
which divide the waters that flow into
the Albemarle from those that run into
Pamlco Sound, lying between The an.
giles formed by The meeting ri the boun.
Diary lines Of Washington, Hyde and Ty-
rsli counties, near lake Pungo. which /,
embraces: il extends To The west shore Of
Alligator lake and Eve miles TO the south
Of lake Pungo; on The norsh II inclades
portion of laka Phelps, and contains.
exclusive nf the area OF The lakes. 64,50O
acres. A reference 10 the map herewith
submitted, will give more perfect idea
Of its loeaiion. and exhibit, both in plan
|. and profile, The main and lateral canals
by which il 10 proposed TO drain il
; This tract 10 portion OF . swamp con
/. tanning about hundred thousand acres
an idea Of the formation OF which may
be had by conceiving il 10 form. what il
, reality il does, = large basin. filled viii
i decomposed, pu,rescen, vegetable matter
saturated with water, confined and pre-
/, vented from running of by an imperviou
+, subsoil and an embsnkment, or elevate
. strata OF clay and sand extending nearl
. oil around il, not sufficiently dry for Ill
o lsse =, the exuemities aud higher part
8 al any season of The year. When over
. saturated, as is The case in The winter an
i. spring and sometimes in The summer, th
d surplus water fpws into Alligator an
1 Pungo Likes, aud into Lake Phelps froI
d The sou,h--tnwsrds Alligator The desccr
' Of the surface from The south is three lei
y and a half from the verge oil the swan
or basin. The redundant water. ate
). filing the lakes 10 OVERLOOKING. is di'
/. charged into Alligator, Pungo and ScaI
pernong Rivers over the surface and b
J. purcilation. In dry weather. the loos'
Q spungy soil Of the surrounding swamp
d draws the waters again from The lake
10 and so gres, is this attraction upwards =
h we'll as horizontal, tina. The very surfae
}, Of the swamps 10 kept wet during III
10 greatest droulh and hottest summer 50
is thus through the medium Of this fil
}. ceous soil. the lakes and swsmps reciPr'
re cslIy supply each other with water
a there may be a preponderance in eithe
i" or. to render the description still MOI
~ plain, this swamp land so nearly all Z
N the swamps in the s.a,e) may come und'
| the denomination Of Londlocked Boys I
10 liordsses. such as are neither produ
N ed by water rising in themselves. nor
i. tina, of springs in The adjoining bank
d, bu, become wei by an accumulation
,is rain water s,agnasing on an impervio'
or sub soil through which ii can have |
o. descent. and being surrounded by high
a. ground through which there is no ve
| or natural discharge for the water.
he The plan Of drainage is. therefore, o
Ell. vious, and consists in cutting through d
70 high grounds or elevated strata that q
N, round The swsmps and pen up The la
10 waters; dr.ins. Of sufficient capacity
a, draw of the surplus rain water which
By this erea, basin. or laboratory OF nasu
,ot has contributed, and, indeed, from iss
of gency, in . slate Of s.agnation. ia M
re. rushing, we may say generating thu
|, a aqueous plants and ,rsss from the deco
No. position Of which The earthly matter oil
as, .wsmps is entirely composed. may
I'm said TO be The cause Of their formas'
yes In sccsrdaucs therefore with this r