Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-01-18

nsr;rd makes ., an aggregate amount Of payments OF
Sll2 1872 prior 70 The J., November, 1913
In Tho course al tte present year, NJ. Lancaster
unde, who's, abis aud zselous snpernendenee, as re-
s,d.ni committee OF toe boad the improvements on
tho doek ha 20 c7n;inu,d IN progress has found himself
comnel,cl il, order 10 prevent Suspension 81 "P''"
tons 10 anticipate the afdy and difficult coecu'ns
from The arerrs of subscription, by occasional ufa''s
on lha psn.rsl credh -; the company Atlhe oct'oef
mee,in. Of he beard, provision was made Tor rem
bors;na 10 The gpreraI funds out oil the nufe income
of the dock HE b. uce whc appeared to be due on
accoun, Of these drafts, and direction was gwen 'n"'
sucb drafts shouts altogether cease, ana that 'ne
oavmen, Of all existing and sm'nse contracts shono
lie charged eA:!us''tiy o' '"c iu'u'e i'''""- " "
work
TIC amount If tails received from the 1T oil Apr
IN The ait oe October "a term of seven IN 'nhs from
The ner;od Of opening the dock TO the larger class OF
vesses,) amou, I" ha aggregate sum "' S'''7o -
or To an average Of 81 ,lc5 20 per month -
Al me Oc,ebar session OF the directory, the taritf
nc ,s nnderwcnt rev,slon and a material reduction
was mad. on a,telss of ,adc The effect of this re-
d,c,;on and Of the increasing facilities and aceommo-
da,;on afford. d. is already 10 be IN the forest OF
mas,s now gathering in the midst OF the CITY, ana
viii doubtless be perceived in other forms, IN the
rand eu1meI a,ion of the revenue of the dock, ana IN
the ucrta ssd commercial activity Of The neghborng
par's OF the city
In closing my remarks upon the subject of the dock
!, il nroref That should rectity mIstske MADE III
,he In 4 annual report (ase lGD relative to the own
ership OF the ground upon which the slips near inc
outlet lock situated ltaPpeaTs, upon reinvestiga
lion that he m,sconcepuon upon this snb.ect orig
no..i from the failure of former city surveyor duly
,o NM, these lots on the plat of the dock which was
referred 70 in the condemnation. The western sup
j. located ON part of Water street, and the lots on
which the other slips n:e situated, are not the
propertv Of the city of Richmond, but OF The James
RIVER and Kanawha COMPANY, they having pee" con
drmned for The use Of the dock company, md having
passed with the rest Of the property OF that company
10 tn, present company at the time Of the sale oil the
dock property IN July, ISL
, TIE first Grand Dir,siom Of TIC Canal
Ia conformity the intention announced IN the last
annual report the first grand division of the canal with
view 10 it maintenance and repair, was arranged al
the commencement Of The year in'o two subdivisions
the first extending from the cat! OF Richmond TO lock
No. - just above the town Of Scotsvc; the second
from The last named point to the guard lock immediate
~ above the town Of Lynchhurg. To zach of these
subdivisions superintendent, with three assistant
overseers, appointed and IN order to ensure the
presence Of an able engineer on the line, when one
might be needed the snpern'endencIes was given
in charge TO Mr. f. H. Gall, late chief engineer, nc
being willing TO act IN that character during the suspen
sion of The company work.
In addition 10 the ordinary annual repairs TO accrue
in the progress OF the year, there renamed on mana
at lis onset considerable amount of unfinished work
consisting of deferred repairs, originating IN the resh
of JULY one thousand eight hundred and forty-t"o
and of elevations of the embankmens below the LOCKS
and guard locks which the plane of ,hatresh had sus
gesied "a expsdient precautions against future ioocs
Nevertheless, the annual force OF hifelngs Tor 'he
whole civision with view 10 rcducti"n OF expense
was en-; down 10 savsn,y-two men. With this aggre
rst amount of force il was expected that the curen
ordinary repairs could te promptly and suitably man
aged that by time in The course oi the spring ihs
deferred work OF the previous season conid De cosed
and that By The end Of the year, the necessary Improve
menta cr the embankmcnts could be completed. Bn
this estimate was defeated by thu recurrence III the pro-
press OF the year. of extraordinary aud unexpected DIS
asiers, tn b. more patcollrly mentmned IN tue Sc
q,cl) which rendered Indispensable TO call IN the a''
nf additional force, and in instances OF great OH
.cul:y and emergency, TO resort to the assistance Of
contractors.
In the course Of the first four months, and after the
Is, December 1912 T,he end Of The fiscal year under
the late arrangement events of great or peculiar
interest occurred upon the line Of canal During ihIs
period some damage sustained IN the class OF me-
chanca structures, by the undermining cf n part 81
one Of the wings of the culyer at Archers CREEK and
by the breaking down of of the head gates oil lock
No H. and some injury in the embankments, by the
occurrence Of two small breaches the 18th level
and two like wise, the 32d level all OF which da-
mage promptly repaired without considerable cost
the company material interruption to the naV'ga'
ton.
During this period, the superintendent urged with
vyor and despatch the various operations having Tor
their object to place the division in good state and con-
dton, such as redressng the towing-pa'h and the
slopes OF The embankmsniS, clearing out the BERN
bitches, removing with the aid OF the mua machine
bars formed or forming in the bottom OF the canal and
filing in, with earth or broken stone, places heavily
shed upon its sides.
The precautionary policy of rasing the embnnk
menis the upper part Of the levels had also been
carried into effect 1T sundry places on the division.
From punt Just below the Middleton mills, Tor
nearly half a mile down the line, the embankment was
raised one foot and half higher than had been at
any previous pcrioG elsctualy keep out future
lods in the river should they rise to the heeht even
Of one foot greater thnn that of July 1912 The EN-
bank ent was also raised from to two feet tor the
distance Of half mile immediately below lock No A0,
in addition 10 an eqnal eight and for an equal extent
given to immediately above lock No. 50 Is. low the
Joshua Falls guard lock, extent Of about eleven
hundred feet Of the towing path was rnised from one
and half to two feat in height, 50 as u rlce II OF
least foot above The plane OF the July resh upon
that part Of the division Likewise, with similar views
the towing-path raised at and near the head OF the
Joshua Falls pond, in addition 10 protecting wall oil
rp--ap put in progress Immediately below The new
uhutmcnt the southern shore at the Joshua Falls
dam
The result was, that upon The return Of the month
of April, the deferred work growing out oi tie July
fresh had generally been completed throughout the d.
vision, and the canal appropriated 10 state OF first
rate order and condition.
Unlortunately, however, the liih Of April, the
works we're again thrown into temporary disorder ny
another visitation of unusually high waters in The river
produced Dp SGluen S'inuiuneohs Overflow VI
Northern tributary streams from Richmond 10 the Blue
Ridge. The plane of the April fresh from Lynchbure
10 Scoitsy;e YVES, upon from two TO three
feet belc.a tina. Of the July preceding but the high
water mark of April eSceedd that 0! JnIyby five inches
at The to~n Of Columbia, and by 10 inches at the
1 AIalden's Adventure dam.
/ In the lower section of the division, the embank
men's of the canal consequently more extensive
ly submerged in April Than they were in July, and &C
| tualy susa ned twenty two hreaches averaging Sc
/ N
upon the ith, .th 9lh l'h, li,ll, and 10Th levels
The emhonkments also heavily washed on The 4t
7,h, Ilh Nth and 18th levels; the damage from tins
the 7th being greater than that arising from
the whole OF the six breaches which took place upon
tina, level
Considerable damage also done to the towing
path along The aden Adventure pond, but mol atany
point Of such extent TO render il impasahIe
A hammock Of about acre in extent was formed
ogains, the Klvanna aqueduc but without any eonse
quentia njury-ttus furnishing additional evidence OF
the safety i'll point Of plan and Of the sodity in point
of execution, of that important work.
| The principal damage TO the wood structure of the
first etton consisted the loss of three farm bridges
hch the company is slill bound TO keep up over the
cha oc chloe creek although since the change