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

w standard for the elevation Of the line The ifesh
Ia James river on the 9Th and 9Th June last, ahorde
satisfactory proof Of the SKILL exhibited by tse Ing
rs rs of the Company IN ihls part OF Inc WORK "a
T" Warmins,er aad al Lynchburg and Tor some dsiahc
above and below these places. the fresh Ut june va
. somewhat higher than that oil cl4; out al no pom
on this part Of lire line did the water OF The river cons
within two feet of the top OF the embankment From
Ia Scottsyiile Richmond, Tie June Iesh was feiaIse
lover in so much that at COLUMBIA and Cartersvie
!, was fur feet below that OF 1914. But tue Chie
Engineer has that on this part OF inc hs
also such food as that OF lSl4, would not have
reached the level OF the tow path caled Tor ny tnt
location except a, point on the estate OF w M 1at
in the comfy of Fluyanna, and there the enibank
nent will be raised to guard equally win Inc
reat oc the line cranst the overflow OF the waters IN
| {. future time.
The old canal, between Maidens Adventure and
itcAmnnd in length ABBOTT twenty miies, was ie
| located with view TO its enlargement IN the year
one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven-the
whole Of the variations, of the new from the ola iine
throwing upon different and independent ground, Tor
distance of only three and iwo'ii'hs meS' Ne.
The whole OF this deviation, consisted OF highly ocne-
fcial change Of lo location IN the bed OF fcchnhoe
creek liable to be frequently submerged, TO one upon
the neghborng high grounds, beyond the reach OF eS
trao.iinarv floods The details oi Tie old ana oil Tie
new locations were communicated much at large, IN
the third aunnl report page hundred and thirty
nine TO two hundred and forty onr-nnd are unneces'
sa.y 10 be recaa,u.at4d, upon The present occasion
10 the statements made the three first annual re-
po,is relative 10 the location OF the canal, both in it's
acnere! outline, and i'll lis particular details, will
subion TIM, il was the decided opinion OF Judge
Wright and his abes assistants, that to place the line
upou the sides of the hills and cliffs OF the river, ABOVE
le reach OF all danger whatsoever, from hoods would
have added probably not less than million TO Tue cost
of ti first yisiGn-u sum, the interest OF which, every
yea. would, | have DOUBT, generally exceed the
amount OF extraordinary repairs, to which the actual
location may possibly be exposed once IN every term oil
ffiv wears The result of such heavy and unneces.
sa-ycxpcnditure, would doubtless have been an abor
tive cn;erprzc in the form oF finished line of canal
10 some point not Gar above The town CT Scottsve or
n Inc of unfinished works from Richmond 10 Lynch
burg strong conformation of the prudence Of the
middle course pursued by the Company Engineers IN
REGARD 10 this subject, to be found in the cnnscquea
oil the adoption of an opposite policy IN the admin
lslra,ion Of grea, neishborIng work
In the year l5}5, when The Chesapeake and Ohio
Cana! had progressed upnn comparatively To-" level
Tor upwards Of hundred miles up the valley oil The
Potomac il Yves decided, with view TO make more
psr(ecl work to elevate the line some ten fifteen
ect so as place it above the reach OF all possible
floods in the Potomac river The result was That the
estimates made al the convention which assembled al
Baltimore the Fall of 1891, OF the amount necessary
to extend tie canal Cumberland upon the ae oil
It's original location fell short BY millions Of the amount
afterwards called for and that noble and magnificent
work has been arrested IN lis course, without accom-
ylsl.nr lis first great object, which was TO reach the
coal mines al the head OF the river
The limited elevation OF our line was, moreover,
sanctioned by the example of the Erie Canal the East
ern division Of which, under the superntendence OF
De Wit Clinton, placed within the range OF the
h,yhes, floods in The Mohawk river, without having
sustained any very material damage or inconvenience
IN consequence Of so low a location.
The catastrophe with which il has pleased the AL
mighty 10 WISH: canal, when properly examined,
furnishes but slight grounds Of d,rust TO The cha
racter or location of The work. The whole amount oil
damage, inclusive Of that yet 10 be spoken Of in the
second DIVISION does not exceed the cost OF single
mile Of some OF the difficult sections on the line
and the fact, that this damage chiefly confined 10
entertainments either unfinished u. not yet settled or
protected auhorses the belief that such injuries Will
diminish with the progress CT time Oct of the vast
and variety Of masonry on the first division,
embracing s. locks II aqucducs, l9l cnlver's, and 1873
farm and road bridges, only single ohject-,he Gull
vert al Bent Creek-received injury from the severe
shock, 10 which large proportion was exposed.
In closing the subject Of the first grand division, !!
will only further add in vindcaticn of the Company E
late venerated Chief Engineer, That his views, as TO
the most expedicnt manner OF locating the Canal,
must have found favor with the Stockholders, well
as the Directory; for, although these views, as has
hcen siewn, were fully communicated in the Annual
Reports yet, at none OF the Annual Meetings. up to
the present time, has the slightest indication of dis.
appreciation eve, appeared.