The Hillsborough recorder., 1853-10-12
F,on i's R,'slsh RsgIs'a, =.
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SFkToS GaLEs. Esa-DeaF SIR: /,
rad wirh deep regret. the sixth num-
Der of DIR. Miichsli's articles, IN which /
ne attacks The improvement ~ the Up /,
per Cape Fear. and asserts that IL ma
sigation i impractieable.
The attack having been made, feel
bound 70 notice IL; and nv reasons for
doing - are. the great importanee of
the work, my connection with IL as It's
attorney, and one of its Directors from
the organization of the company TO this
I me. aud. especially, because. during
the last winter, while the bill for fur
ther appropriation vas before the Lee
gislatare. AZ the request Of friend, |
llde public address in the Commons
Hall. Tor the purpose Of establishing. as
far ss I was able. the feasibility Of our
present plan Of improvement, and stat
ed that the scheme RGs practicable. ]
have been told recently By friend,
who was 4 member 0f that Legislature,
that attacks had been made upon HIM,
for having voted for the River bill, On
account Of what DIR. Mitchell had writ
ten.
Under these circumstances, silence
on my part would subjectme. and Just.
ly tao, 10 the eensure Of those "good
men and true" who stood hy this great
work last winter in the hour Of trial.
A sense af duty must, therefore. over
come my unaffected reluctance 20 aP-
pear beinre the pablic, in the columns
of newspaper.
Before proceeding 10 the task before
me, permit me tn remark, that ! am
actin. purely on the defensive. II
eontro, erSs with DR.. Mitchell results
from this, | shall regret il. but shall
nat be deferred fram the discharge ot
wha | regard a. an imperative oblisa-
tion, for that reason.
Indeed, endeavored TO avoid any.
thing of the kind. and. soon after saw
/. IRIS article alluded to, ! address
"a him private letter. aud undertook
10 convince him from tucts. ] stated
~. II. was in error. and most respect
fully .rquestcd him TO retract what te
had written.
lla,ing been pramised a further no
tic uf the River from the Doctor,
wsit.l with much soiicituie for III
a,pea ancc, and regret that, now tina
n mas come, II is 50 very unsatisiacto
r.. and that, while his former remark
are much qualified, il is but too appa
rent that he means still to convey hi
d,lbt &C the whole mstter. This b.
has right to do, but he will allow m
hexerciss similar pryilegeoi reply
maintain, then, that the Cape Fea
land Deep River, ton, is susceptible Q
beinsreniereda good nayigahle stream
To prove this, | rely Upon two pos
tians: ist. That the present plan I
improvement will afford good nasigi
ton in the lowest water during n
severest drought; and, 2d. That u
locks and dams, properly CONSTRUCTED
will Withstand unscathed the heaNie
and most violent freshets ever know
in that stream. In undertaking to G
tablish these two positions. shall-re
upon facts, indispu'dbief facts.
First, then. state, that when o.
works are completed, there will be q
wavs constant navigation and IN
susnly Of water. My reasons are, tn
the lao, has already been demonstia
ed. as far as the experiment has gon
In the fall of 1851, there was sever
and it is said, the seyerest drong
known in THIS section during the la
hftv wears. Now, it 50 happened, tha
last III Tie mids. Of this severe drougl
few oi our dams were sheeted ove
al, upon putting in the stop pianks
the lock chambers, 10 prevent the {,
cape of the water, the pools betwe'
the dams filled, where they were at a
near to each other, in twelve hours, az
the water flowed over in one solid "a
br ken sheet from one extremity OF Y
dams to the other.
Again: during last June, the Sc
time when DIR. Mitchell says the i.o'
er Cape Fear was unnavigable, the =
rlneer uf our works, Clement Smlt
ESQ. Whose letter | will shortly pu
liSh. in connection with others. had Z
m:ckets of one Of the lecks opened
three. or four consecutive days a
nights, for the purpose Of reducing I
water, and, at the expiration OF II
time. there was no sensible dimlnutlo
il still flowed over the dams.
Now these occurrences both to
mace in lsmai9s FaNs, which are co
sidered by Dr. Mitchell sthe most il
,aiels.bsg distractions" MIR. Smith az
the further fact, which. IS perfectly CO
ceusive, and one which. entireM rebl
tn idea suggested by DIR. Mitchell,
W.T.: that in dry weather there Will |
n1s water enough TO fill ln I
y vic kets ...a Opa1 10