Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-12-28


To The Stockholders Of The James R.rer and kanaeha
Company.
In conformity TO the functions of the charter beg
leave TO present the Stockholders the usual report OF
the operations Of the past year and of the actual state
and condition Of the Company. In executing this duty,
will present; first, the of the Companys works;
and secondly the Of the Companys funds; and in
the review Of the works, will speak of them as they
present themselves in successive order, commencing IN
the Last, and terminating in the West.
state OF THE WORKS
lst Tho Richmond Dock The greater portsn OF the
mpro vemenl necessary to restore this work to an &C.
tive and useful state, put under contract ~ Sept
ISL but very little progress had been made IN me
execution at the period of the last annual meeting OF
the tockhulders About the beginning Of the presen
year. the contractors authorized and invited 10
proceed through the Winter upon very reduced scaie
sations not to exceed the means at the dis
pnsa Of the Company, and TO await the result OF legs
aiive action upon its memorials. Upon The passage oil
the loan act Of the 18th March las., containing uneX
rected restrictions on the powers Of the Company, II
vas with difficulty that these contractors could he IN
duced 10 remain until the called meeting oil the Stock.
holders on the End May. The order which was given
at that meeting the Board Of Directors TO apply the
arrearares of subscription to the prosecution Ut this
work. removed the previous impeachment TO its progress
and, since that PERIOD il has advanced steadily and
with much rapidly the great difficulty OF collect
ing these and oil rendering them arnabe, would
permit In consequence Of the unfinished state OF the
einOQnkfDeHlS, tue uoCh WIS 6uuUcIEeo IhCa
the month Of July last which caused some delay to the
progress of the contractors, but happily the oyerHo"
produced little other injury 10 this portion OF The Com
panys works.
To form just conception Of the character and exten,
of the improvements made upon the work, il is
sary take into view tic original plan and the state and
condition in which stood at the period AT which it was
delivered the possession Of the james River and
Kanawha Company.
The Richmond Dock, according TO i!s original de.
sign extended along the North bank of the river, from
tweD sixth street. up to Mayos bridge, the line oil
fourteenth street, being distance OF three thousand
seven hundred and fifty feet. 1t consisted of three
principal divisions, forming originally uninterrupted
wa!er communication for the whole dstance-he hrsl
or lower division, being in the form OF paraelogram
or broad canal one hundred feet wide and two thou
nd six hundred and fifty feet long, and stretching from
street. up the awbridge, the line oil
eighteenth street.-the second or middle divisions being
a quadrangular basin, averaging two hundred and
sixty feet square, and extending from the drawbrldge
up 10 strcet-and the third upper DIVISION
being oblong basin, seven hundred feet long, with an
average breadth of hundred and eighty feet, reach
ing from eeventeenth street. up TO Mayo bridge, with
Shockoe creek crossing it at right angles, al point,
about 0nc.hrd Of lis length from the lower extremity
of The division. The original design contemplated
deph Of water Of eleven and half feet from the outlet
lock- at twenty six,h street, up TO Shockoe creek, and
of ten ard half feet from The creek up 10 Mayo 8
br;dge-but this depth being speedily lessened by the
deposit brought in by the waters of the creek, TN abor
tive attempt subsequently, made give separate
vent TO those waters, by means o two parallel Walls,
connected together by pgaes at their outer ends,
the river, and having side gates to admit The pas
sage Of boats up and down the dcck-the whole beng
erected frame work of timber, resting on iounda-
zion CT earth. For the first nine hundred feet at the
lower end Of the first division of the dock, there was
M wharng on either side of the work, the retaining
INK on the side next the river, being ordinary
canal bank with the outer slope protected ny range
Of lis base, whilst The natural bank, on Inc
opposite side SO low as 10 permit the water 10
spea I'D out the foot Of The neigborIng cfa and 10
overflow several lots belonging to the corporation OF
Richmond, which were contiguous 10 that part OF the
deck The whole Of the residue of the first DIVISION.
and also the middle division, were lined on the int.
rior sides with wharhng OF timber, generally from
ten 10 twelve logs in height The upper division was
surrounded with stone walng, partly sunk beneath
the ordinary surface of the DOCK bui rising in the
form of strong wharf WALL three feet above the same
surface for distance of hundred feet, nn The SIDE
ne ri the river The outlet lock, al the lower extremity
of the dock, winch was constructed OF wood, with
chamber one hundred and thirtyeght feet long, and
twenty-five feet in BREADTH was placed upon timber
foundation resting upon earth, and wss located IN
reference the nrighhcring channel TO expose its
entrance frequent obsifuctInn from the mnceasng
deposit formed by the wners Of The river. The whole
dock being projected on low level with embankmenis,
raised to only ordinary height above it's water surface,
was ex posed To the land wash, from the rising ground
on the one side and the othe to the direct access
of the river upon The occurrence of every exraordl'
nary food.
I'm consequence of the unfavorable features Of or.
pinal plan and construction, which apparent, upon
the face Of the preceding statement the work, by the
time il reached the hands Of the present company, had
faIlen into most runous and dilapdoted condition
The foundation of the parallel walls at Shockoe
Creek having sunk, the side gates had been derangee
md the waters of The creek had forced passage INTO
the Dock bringing into il the drainage Of consdera
BILE portion orthe City Of Richmond, and large GuanI
ties u earth and sand washed from the hills IN It's rear
The combined results Of the nroads from the creek,
from the land wash and from the river wasa vast mass
Of accumulated deposit, which averaged about nine ieet
in drpth in the upper divisions From exposure to
The atmosphere By the absence OF The water, conside
rabe portion of the timber wharfng had decayed and
called for renewal AT the centre OF the outlet lock-
The upper part Of the sides had collapsed abont three
feet: 90 that passage through the lock imprac
cable for the argest class Of vessels that could enter
n, the ends The excavating machine boat, also, lay
wreck on the bottom Of the Dock aud the approach to
the lock from the river below, was so obsructed by
deposit, as to leave only depth Of eight feet OF water
at the height of the tide.
In the selection and settlement of the amendments
and changes necessary 10 recty and restore this work,
and to make it suitable termination Of the company $
line Of improvement the directory not only Prolted Of
the plans and suggestions of the resident Engineer
(Mr c. O. Sanford,) but were also aided by the expe-
Wright) who, among The last labors of his long and
useful life, devoted to this subject very careful and
deliberate investigation.
In adjusting the plan of an aqueduct over Shockoe
Creek with view 10 give 10 the creek an outlet un
derneaih The dcck- he mosl important Of The changes
eneraf;ed on The old woIk)-it discovered that the
requisite elevation Of the Of the arch would not
admit of greater depth than FIVE feet in the water OF
the aqueduc above IL, consequently followed that no
boat exceeding the draught of canal bonts would be
able to pass over the of the arch and that the
range of vessels ofarger dimensions must De Limited
by the squeduct or some point below the same.
part Of the plan of improvement which was first
adopted, was to lock down just below the aqueduct,
BY lock Of four feet lift from upper TO lower lev
eli; but 1t finally decided TO raise up the work be.
low this point TO present one uninterrupted sheet
Of water throughout the dock with an ultimate depth
Of FIVE feet from aayos bridge down to the new bridge
TO BE- fixed little below the aqueduct at l7th street,
and ultimate depth Of fifteen feet from the a.'eT
bridge 10 the lover extremity Of the work. When
completed according the plan adopted the dock will