Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-11-30
.AM.s Rlxea wv NhNawNA coMrAsY.

RESuNprION OF WORKS

i
OF the course taken 5y Inc Board OF Directors
Immediately after yonr adjourned annual meet
ing on The i7th March last, having in view The
speedy resumption OF the companyS long sus-
pended wcrks, and OF the events which suauehiy
arrested their action, and led 10 recession VI
their proceedings, and the necessity 81 caring
another meeting of the stockholders on inc = u "
Nav folowpg-by which means me efe' d''ohS
Of the company were delayed fully eisn' We,
Won were informed 10 The con,hnh',a'on W ny
Predecessor 10 that callei mte'H's. s' - 80.
tue commence my report Oh .liis sos -.
The neriod OF The appointment OF Inc late fies'-
aen, &C chief engineer oi The company anc ci NY
coli &C his successor in The Gnles ol my plessh'
Office but will first take occasion briefly 10 r.
caninlate The plan for resvmlng the WORKS "hi.h
The Board were engaged IN carrying on' az '"s
lime of The interruption OF their proceedings, 10
which have jus, adver!ea. -,
The nlan con,c mplared, in the hrs! place, 'ne
immediate preparation for contract oi 'ae ~
miles of unfinished wolk between Lyhchouis
and The mouth CT North river, with view 10 Sc
cure The completion OF that pofuon o' us n.s
within The shortest period practicable, and WIN
, no hone moreover, OF being able to open ine I'd.
viss,ion O. the eight miles formerly occupiea W
The old Blue Ridge canal in The early par 81 neH'
wear. Accordingly, Two parties Of ensinse',
headed by principal assistant ens,hesr "uI a.,
oneratins under The direction OF 'ne r'eSWeu''
In his then additional capacity oi ch'ei
were 10 be immediately placed apoh 'he su'scys'
with the expectation that The who'e - NM
would be prepared for anu pun uoa. .o"m"o -.
The first week in July al ialihest In view u .ne
paramount importance Of this OBJECT, ana 'ne
rrso, amnunt OF labor which !; involved, inc
Soa ri determined that, until il should be accom-
nl;shsd m. Efforts OF The President and engineer
corns should nut be Interrupted by an auenllon
~ any ulher part Of the line That object once
accomplished. however, it was Their po pose IN "a.
mex; place, 10 employ upon 'ie ''.e s;naa,.
Nor,h rive. and Buchanan, force oil ehg'netis
suficlen, 10 relocate The canal, and prepare II iof
contract before the end ot he present year
These were the views Of The board on me l7'n
and Iq,h of March when as you were niofmeo %
the la,e president they had this suolec' unu'l ~"
sidera,ion The bill providing Tor Inc iue""e,
CONNECTION. then pending in the Legislature, diu
NOT become law until the 20'h oil tna mon'n,
although il had been agreed 10 BY the fiou>e O,
Delegates, and lis final success was ah'cipa'eu
with great confidence |, was considered, now
ever, tina, even this important WORK oueh. no. 10
interfere with the plan OF leIing The unnnishea
work above Lynchburg within The period alrea-
dv fixed. but that, as soon as practicable ihereai-
Ter party of engineers should be employed 10
resume and compeie the surveys OF The various
rontes through The City Of Richmond, which hau
been or might be proposed; that those surveys
sbould share the attention Of the chiet engineer
eonauv with those intended IL be commenced
above North river; and that all pfac'.ca o,e
means should be used TO enable me ooaia uad'y
10 select route, and adopt oehnile Pian iot 'he
connection in time for their action IN The subject
70 be reported 10 the body OF stockholders 81 ms
meeting and with view 10 Offer The work Tor
contract before The close oil the present year
will only add that a. that time there was no.
thing apparen, in the commercial or hnancial
condition of the country, or IN any tluings wnich
had been received from Europe, poriend'ng s'aie
of things al all likely 10 interfere with tic cxecu'
lion OF The plans thus entertained by The BOARD.
With these preliminary explanations, pass 70
the period OF The adjournment 81 the caiseo meet
ing of the stockholders on The in oil May !as'.-
On the next day. the board with view ~ me o.
saniza,ion of corps OF engineers ,or i!sd oPc'
rs,ions anpointed Edward II! Gil! principal as.
sistant engineer, and Robert w. Tomiin ami
James M. Harris assistant engineers; bGl ceias
compelled TO adjourn on tina, day, they conn 'ed
the arrangement OF de,ails 10 The executive COM
mit,ee consisting OF the president and Inc TWO
Richmond difectors,) on consultation win me
chief engineer. =
II was believed, that with The advantage OF
having the survey between Lynchbus and Norm
river carried on under principal ASSISTANT enS'-
neer OF such tried skill and min. acquaintance
with the ground the services oi The chisi engineer
could for portion oil the time, he devoted Il lie
anryey of The tide et connec ion, so that 10"
rwo could be progressing allhe same lime. This
Arrangement, how. yer, was lrus'ra ed BY The IRE
ference of Mr. Gill 10 retain his present situation
rather than accept the appointment which had
been rendered to him. The nsces lily OF disgen-
sing with the services 0. that msti oyious ensl-
neer was an occasion OF sincere regret win Tue
Board OF Directors, while The privaion al such
a time gave great embarrassment u The commit
tee. The idea OF the lower surve: was, III con-
sequence, necessarily abandoned Tor The lime
being, exccP: that party OF !aoorerS, unoer
competent agenl, was ordered 10 be employed in
boring. az short distances apart, In The channel
below The Quite, lock Of The Richmond dock, un-
aer soecifc instructions from the chief eng ineer,
in order 10 ascertain al what depth Solid rock
foundation for The new and enlarged lock aoou,
10 be bu,i,, can BE- obtained The Office Of pin
cipal assi, ant engineer was also temporarily
dispensed wlh--,hc Chief engineer. win tie az
~ n, assistant, WHO shorli occasionally ACT Is
acai,maa undertaking 10 conanci he snFYey
above Iynchhufe, in person. Aceo'J'iisiy
Charles Z. shaw was aided 10 re Sumbcf o.
assistant engineers already appointed, ihe
three assistants, with suitable rtdmen and chain
men, commenced field operations a, various
times, IRON the 18Th OF May 10 The Is h 81 June
The heaviest jobs upon The n miles OF unhn-
ished work above Lvnchburg, according 10 The
former plan of WORKS, consise': in The dams
with their river locks, OF which there are seven
required, namely, Judith dam, Ball Eagle DAM
Pedlar dam, Coleman Falls dam, Big Island
dam. Cushaw dam and Blue Ridge dam. The
dimensions and o,her particulars OF these dams,
as we'll as oi The locks on that division oil The
lise will ~ s IN from tabular statement, App.
Ii herewith communicated. The i've dams
6rst named we're 10 be new structures OF Stone;
the other ,y(,, Which are existing structures, were
10 be retained bJl rendered permanent u walls
OF hydraulic masonry built across the river
short distance below, with couaieitorIs b@'w' e.
them and the dams, the in,ess;!css 10 b. n ie.t
with concrete OF rock and cement In oder
10 secure the completion OF the whole wo'k dd-
ring the year 1919, il WAS deemed necessary mat
The five stone dams with their river locks should
be pu, under contract in time % allow them to be
fouaded and raised as high as The surface OF the
river during the present season; and 10 This end
the effo Is of the engineers were 10 be directed.
In the mean ,ia,e ihe committee turned their
attention to the important subject Of providing
for a supply of hydraulic cement, an lndispcn-
sable ipsfedisni in the masonry al the structures
about 10 be commenced. Il,dranlie linl s. 80
is known to exist in abundance III ise ~ Icy He-
yond the Blue Ridge. The exploration oiiufsr
Kinsey in 1885,, disclosed several quar- 'es ifvh
which the company formerly obtained partial
but Inadequate supplies, manufactured first by
Messrs Edmundson and Graham, anil after
wards by Mr.. Nelson Tinsley; bu, The localities
OF the quarr,es were Objectionable ON account O
the cost OF transportation 10 which they subjected
.he company Subsequent examination by the
present chief engineer having led 10 belief IL
Inc existence OF quarres much nearer al hand
the committee resolved on another exploration
and on The recommendation of that officer, EN-
n,oyed Mr.. Alexander B. McFarlan as a perscr
fliv competent first to search for additional
ouarries of hydraulic limestone; secondly, 10 su
perintend tho necessary arrangements for The
manufacture OF an adequate supply OF cement
either by contractors or by agents OF the compa
ny; ani thirdly, in case he could be spared 10
that purpose, to act as principal supefln'enden
of masonry, when the dams ami Jocks should bt