Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1849-01-12

with Deep River, is the town of Haywood,
finely situate upon an elevated second bot
tom, which is destined to become Il place Of
considerable trade when this Improvement
shall be opened. 1t has rich back country
in the Counties Of Chatham, Randolph and
neighboring Counties, and will be the point
where all the surplus production of these
Counties will concentrate, 10 be borne upon
the navigation to the markets of Fayetteville
and Wilmington,
At Buckhorn, the river falls is feet in Ii
miles, where it becomes necessary for the
third time to leave the bed Of the river. Here
nature has again stepped in to smooth the
way for u.s. andwe find natural canal or sloo,
which leaves the river Just above the falls and
running round the north side for l IA miles,
again enters the river. This sloo has at
this time a depth Of from IL to Is inches in
it, and is 60 to 70 feet wide.
1t is proposed to erect a dam across the
river at the head ofthe falls feet high, and
72O feet long which will afford ample depth in
in the soo and back the water over the shoals
so as to give at all times not less than 3 feet
water upon them. The sIoo will be followed
l mile at which point there will be Il dam
erected over it. This dam will be 9 feet high
and $50 feet long, and in continuation Of the
same dam to the bank below the old canal,
a dam Of 1913 feet long and feet high: also
430 feet of damning 5 l-2 feet high, TO con-
meet some islands above.
q From the sIoo through a guard lock- the
boats will pass into the old canal which
must be widened and cleared out for that
purpose. as far down as the locks to be ere
ted to lower them into the river.
There are the remains OF several dams,
two sets Of locks, some half mile apart and
the old canal alluded to; showing the efforts
! do ENr ha
The general outline upon which these improv-
ements were last projected was in the main
current but the details were so wretchedly
carried out as to render worse than useless
all the money expended upon them. The
canal was in the first place cut l mile in
length from Buckhorn sIoo, and locks erected
, to lower the boats into Parker's Creek, which
it was intended they should follow TO the
river. about one-fouth Of a mile. This creek
is an inconsiderable stream of about 10 feet
width and inches depth, which would
have been always filling up with the sedi-
mcnt brought down by it to the obstruction OF
the navigation; even though tie water OF the
river had have been backed into it by a
dam from below.
1t was afterwards concluded to throw away
these locks together with half mile Of the
canal, and returning back upon 1t, lock into
the river half mile above. This was accor-
dinghy carried out and the locksput up, which
would have answered the purpose very well,
if they had have been properly constructed,
but the simplest laws of hydraulic pressure
were totally disregarded The sides of the
locks were merely upright post braced at
g each alternate post, with a single lining Of
one inch plank and with no other support
whatever. As might have been egpected,
they were forced open soon after being
subjected to the head necessary to pass
boat through them. They were miserable
attempts at lock building; and it would have
been far better had the money have been
thrown into the river; as the effect of their
failure, although some twenty years have
past, is still found in the minds Of many
enterprising and intelligent gent emen, who
look upon any further attempt at improving
this noble river, as utopian, merely because
they failed at that time: without knowing or
rejecting upon the cause: which was an
utter want Of skill in carrying out the i'm
provement.
A spirit is now aroused however, which if
properly directed and judicously managed.
will render the navigation of the Cape Fear
and Deep Rivers, one of primary importance
to the State at large, as we'll as to the Coun-
ties within lis influence.
FROM the outlet lock in this canal. boat
will float into a pool miles in length and Of
sufficient depth to Douglass Falls, half
mile below Norrington's Ferry. This pool
will be formed by a dam feet high, and $50
long, to be raised upon the ledge of rock at
that place, Here it is proposed to take out a
short canal for 44O yards on the north side,
through level bottom Of easy excavation,
and by a lock drop into the river below.
The next pool will be 8 miles long and will
extend one mile below McAllster ferry,
where a dam will be built feet high, and
527 feet long.
A lock in this dam will pass boat into the
next pool below, which will carry it four miles
to the next dam, which is to be placed upon
the first ledge in Smiley's Falls. AS these
falls are we'll known to be the greatest obsta-
Gle to the opening of the Navigation of the
Cape Fear River above Fayetteville, l will
: give their physical character. These Falls
extend for about five miles over succession
Of rocky lodges with no great fall at any one
Of them, leaving invariably between them,
r still pools Of water, varying in depth from
three to seven feet and in length from to 600
yards The banks of the River at the head
Of the Fails, are sixteen to eighteen feet high,
l but increase in height to thirty feet as we APP
J proach the foot of the Falls 1t will be seen
from this brief notice Of their Characterization
the height of the banks and the admirable
2 foundation offered for the dams and locks, as
we'll as the existence ofpools of still and deep
water Of considerable extent, that nature has
: marked out for us the plan of improvement to
r effect the navigation through this part Of the
+ river. In fact, there are natural excavations
t and benches formed in these lodges of rock.
! upon which dams can be erected to withstand
e any freshes that may arise. as is abundantly
e shown by the imperfectly constructed fish
i dams upon them, which have withstood all
n the freshets in the Cape Fear until the actu-
: al decay of the timbers in them and yet the
t stones remain upon the foundation as they
p were originally placed.
The dam at this first ledge will be eight
t feet, nine inches high ard 445 feet long. in
1 which lock will be placed of the same lift
/, to lower the boats into the pool below, which
: will extend for IA miles and OF sufficient
depth to the head Of Big Island.
: The site for this dam is remarkable-th
r fall at the ledge is only eighteen inches, but
e there is rampant of rock running across the
t river seven feet above the surface of the wa
/ ter, except at three openings where the river
has worn channel through it. Upon this