Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1859-05-06
NO. 36.
From the Raleigh Standard.

this channel of communication cannot be oVerstated
1t will furnish means of inland navigation for over
thousand miles, and must bear away from the State
large amount of produce and return to remunerating
prices in the shape of money merchandise, and Whaey
er IS desirable for convenience comfort and the mechan
ic arts.
Gov. Ellis has returned from his tour OF Investigation
much pleased with the work md its management and
strongly impressed with its usefulness and Importance
The Norfolk Herald Of the 23d says
The formal union OF the waters OF the Currtuck
Sound with our own magnificent harbor hes been duly
celebrated by tOnr OF examination, &c, bv Governor
Ellis, OF North Carolina, accompanied by Messrs r. P
Burgwin, and J. F. Simmons, (editor O. the Patriot)
Tic trip was made on the steam packet Calypso be-
longing to Marshall Parks, Esq, President of the Abe
marie and Chesapeake Canal Company who represented
! his company, together with \. NJ. Burt Esq, Secre,
| tary, John Lathrop, Esq, Chief Engineer, and n.
Courtwright. Esq, the head Of the firm OF COurtwrght
Barton and Company the contractors Of the entire
nal The party left here on Tuesday morning last, and
went through the whole work. stopping at the different
villages, landings &c. to receive the congratulations of
/ the delighted people.
The Calypso returning left Currituck Court House
yesterday morning. arrived here to dinner-the first time
such feat accomplished. In passing the U.
S. ship Pennsylvania the Calypso rounded to for
the Governor 10 visit tie ship. They very cour-
to0usIy received by Commodore Chatard and upon eav
ing the ship, thirteen guns fired in honor of the dis
tinguished guest. We Understand that Gov. E. de-
lighted with the canal and is sanguine Of its happy in
0uences On the good old \ orth State.
! Thus happily this work-which is destined to ac-
eompi8l grand results for North Carolina and may we
not hope for our own city also ?-was naugurated -
Success 10 IT, lis prof ctors, its intrepid praseworthy
contractors and those friends Of the enlightened poll
cy whch aids5l its completion by legislative aid, and
whu, from first 10 last, have been its firm untuchng
friends
We invite attention to the communication Of J. F.
s, which follows:
ALBEMARLE AND CHESAPEAKE CANAL.
MESSRS | SS hrinf
can, to do the subject anything like justice an ac-
count of recent trip from the Chesapeake Bay the
Abemarle Sound, ula and through the Al02mare and
Chesapeake Canal | have no doubt the PAPER how
ever eebly written will prove interesting to large
number OF your readers for scarcely one in hundred
OF them have any correct idea of the real state of this
great work. and it is emphGtcaNy great goTk and one
too. of uery great importance more States than one
Without further preliminary let me proceed.
On Tuesday morning last, the 18th iss;ulIf, about
nine o'clock, went on board the neat little steamer
Calypso at Bain's Wharf, Portsmouth, and in few
minutes were ekimming the soft smooth bosom of
Elizabeth River ln o SOutheaserly direction,
The party consisted OF His ExceIency Gov Ellis
Col I. Pollok Burgwyn and my humble self from North
Carolina, aud Capt. Marshall Parks President of the
Albemarle d Chesapeake Canal Co.. A NJ Burt, Esq.
Treasurer, james 'iordon, Esq, Director and John
Lathrop Chief Engineer very pleasant party of gen
temeu, who las we'll with those who subsequently, Joined
u.s. enivened the time throughout the entire trip with
pleasant and interesting conversation. At the Lock-
sixteen miles from Portsmouth, we were Joined by Dr.
Thomas Z. Webb another Director.
It is almost useless to speak of Elizabeth River. 1t
is very pretty stream, afordng a sufficient depth Of
water all the way to the Lock admit the ea8y pos-
sage OF vessels OF eight to ten feet draught.
The Lock (which is the only one the whole work.
Is massive structure Of stone two hundred and twenty
feet long, and forty feet wide Tie walls are seventeen
feet high and eight feet thick. 1t has double sott Of
gates to take the advantage Of high tide on tue
one side or OF higher water on the other side, when the
tide is low III Elizabeth river, These gates arc made OF
wood but stronly b0ltcd and banded with iron as
to be almost strong iron itself They are easily
worked and may well here add that on our return
the tide being up found the upper gate closed and were
detaind little over minute in closing the lower open
ing the upper and thus getting through.
We tarried at the Lock hall an hour or more to ey-
anime it, and then passed through and about couple
OF hundred yards below arrived at Great Bridge noted
in history as Revolutionary battle ground. The Canal
cut directly through the old British fortifcaon and
within thirty forty yards Of the central part of
the battle field where Fordyce, the Commander of the
British forces, fell. His grave is near the spot.
From Elizabeth river at the Lock to the South end
OF the Canal where it enters NortLandng river, the
distance Is nine miles anu il the people of the entire
State OF North Carolina could assemble on the banks of
the Canal and see the vastneas of the difficulties that
have been surmounted and the work that hos been
already accomplished through the entire distance am
sure they would be astOuheo at the difficulties and OBJ
staclcs which bad been encountered and BY science To-
and gratfed at the consummation OF what might have
been regarded the utopan scheme of uniting the
waters of AIbemare Sound and Chesapeake Bay.
The Canal traverses an immense forest of gum and
cypress and the bare labor of clearing must have been
immense and only be fully appreciated by viewing
the forest itse in It's original growth. The clearing le
numerous large stumps which could only be got rid o.
by blowing up. he process Of doing this is as follows
holes about three inches in diameter bored down in
TO the stump and penetrate from four to fifteen feet be
the OF the earth and generally
r. ten These holes are filled with powder and plugged
up and slow matches applied and in few moments a1
explosion follows which scatters the giant into thou
= sand fragments from the very bottom 0l the root up
re Some half dozen large gum and cyprcs, etunps wer
blown up IL presence. The snlael stumns toeeth
er with the roots drawn up by the immense dre1g
n5 machines, 0i which there are nine Oh tbs work
These machines all operated by steam. The engine
II are twenty horse power, and so geered 10 ncreas
q that power tkrtyfve fold. The dppets draw up to
n Of matter at every Dip and worked with considerable
rapdty and suggested by Governor Ellis it is sur
prsing that they not used in making excavations TO
railroads The average depth Of water 10 the Canal vii
% be, when completed eight feet and the average wid
sXtyye. Nc where in the rivers sounds did We fin
in less than eight feet of water and Oener fifteen than 9th
erwse, that vessels OF eight feet draf will find saf
passage through these waters when the work is compile
" ted.
The land GU either side 0! tie Canal il rich and des
te tined to be exceedingly valuable. The company owl
about six thousand of it which is now covered
dense forest of gum cypress and pine. The soil con
sists chiefly Of rich vegetable matter resting Oh subso
of clay and sand thus indicating its superior advantage
ID for agricultural purposes The Canal itself With the ak
s. of bitches here and there will drain every acre
this land and thus render it all perfectly available. TIL
in great dbun lance of shells iii the ncgbborh0od will aorC
re very cheap rates supplies lime and do not hesitat
in to predict that every of this swamp will in
E. few years be brought into successful cultivation ana vii
* be as valuable farming lands portion of Virginia