Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-02-08
Total, S595.OOO

! Total, S595OOO
For 1t will be observed that the State doc.
incur any additional responsibility by her nnrob no!
| at $500, 900. As to the interest | snnnoro % t
State has paid the most of it thopph 7 49, me
the company paid some of it. 'lat
In regard to the bad plans and worse ovo,n..
OF this work for the first five or six Years hv L!i
so much money has been wasted, shall not nt'n
trouble yoa. Suffice it to saw that if w,s ~ ~"
| mainly to the improper plans of the abutnnant.
the Cams, to the inadequate dimensions of tho IoI
"aS, ana 10 the errors IN the foundation and stro
ture OF the three dams next above the Favotto,S
/ dam The bed Of this portion of the riyo me
ding the four lower dams is of soft sandstonu
| whlie all the other portion of the river under tb
Charter, has hard and solid rock for tS bo,. -'
but the same plans for the foundations and strrn
lures OF the dams were used on both portions. al
the result is, that while not a single dam on Ta
| upper portion OF the river has ever welded a. OIL
the action OF the water, two of the three rafrI
to on the lower portion have been broken and tbo
other may be IN preCariouS state The nrora
plan Tor the foundation and structure of thosr dr
| however, Is we'll known, and has been adonted and
well tested by the dam at Fayetteville The errnrs
too IN regard to the plans of the abutments and tho
| lock sateS, ana the dimension of the lock.waIs
nave all been detected and the proper nIane r,oJ
and thoroughly tested. In fact thew were Iroprn
all the time to the practical sensible men ~, tb
river, IN reference to the abutments and the fnn-
cartons ana structures of the lower dams b,,. hair
suggestions and protestatiens were uot neadeG
Nothing, therefore, is now wanting to make th,s
navigation certain and safe in all it. parts eycert
faithful work, by honest pains-taking men, with
substantial materials, and upon simple well under
stood and well tried plans.
And what will be the result if the State NOW
abandonS this work? Why, the $595 600 and the
interest paid it will be a clear loss: But that is
not all: The locks and dams now in the river will
| be an insuperable obstruction to large and impor
tant intereSt-the timber intereSt-which formerly
used the upper Cape Fear River for rafting purpo
ses 1t is an gorgeous error too, 20 suppose that
! the whole of the money spent on this work has
| been misapplied. For every sensible man, who is
at all conversant with these works well knows that
large portion of the work now done land especial.
~ that done in the last four five years. is upon
right plans is well executed and NAV be made fully
available for good navigation provided the defective
portions be properly repaired and rebuilt And |
feel assured, that would be on the safe side Of the
line, to state that this good and useful portion of
the work is well worth $780, eco or $500 600 But
hear it said by many that the Convention ought
not to touch measures like this; for that its only
mission to take the State out of the Union by
secession ordinance, to attach it to the Confederate
States, and to modify the Constitution only so far
as to adapt it TO this governmental status
Well confess this looks TO me like sticking in the
bark-like catching at the shadow and letting go
the substance. Why have not a right TO expect
that those v no place the people in this new rea-
tioa Viii see TO it, that all proper and requisite
steps -, measures shall be afforded, to enable them
10 bold TO this relation, to move on in it &C
corning 10 the progress Of events and finally to stay
in it III spite of enemies and invaders? All along
the upper Cape Fear and Deep Rivers and near to
them fine forests of pines and a large quantity
of fine oak. And this kind Of timber | understand
is in great demand at the machine shops in Fayette-
vii Nnyv /
the river were navig gable, the demand could be
amply supplied, to the great advantage Of the own
ers and hundreds of per cent below present prices.
In the upper end OF Harnett county and below
Buckhorn Falls there lies, according to DR.. Emmens
and Capt Wilkes, the richest and largest deposit of
iron ore yet found in this section of the State 1t
is right on the river bank--is entirely shut out
from all the railroads built, or in contemplation;
and is only about forty miles from Fayetteville by
the river Is it not military necessity then, that
these forests and this iron should have
ton with the machine shops? More than this
DR.. Emmons and Capt Wilkes unite in saying that
it is al important to connect this BuCkhOrn Deposit
with the CoalfieldS. The former makes hard iron,
the latter soft one, and by mixing them all the in
termediate grades can be had. But the river is the
only feasible of connection. l understand
that Col Morris has recently examined this portion
of the river, and that he says the navigation of it
can be rendered easy and safe for So 900. | am in
innate is large enough, whether Col. Morris has
made it or not. --
And now, will this Convention adjourn without
doing something for this work. when so much hangs
upon it for the veal of the State and the Southern
cause-and that, too, when good opportunity is
offered to secure its certain completion at very
moderate cost? At price, indeed, which is under
stood to be only one-half of the estimate made by
Col Morris. | allude to the proposition made by
sundry gentlemen on the river, by and in the name
of DIR. r. X. Smith. Those gentlemen arenot spec
uatorS. They are not foreigners, or Yankees, try
ing to get the largest prices possible tor the least
work they may d. within the letter of the contract
On the contrary, they are gentlemen TO the manor
born-men of intelligence pecuniary means, and
OF hig moral worth and positions and they are am
bilious to have opportunity to VindIcatc the
character of this work. and their opinions III refer
ence to it. by making it great and useful facility
for themselves their neighoors, and the great min
| eral interests which border it.. They have been
| large stockholders, and some of them have been
contractors at different times and places and their
Jobs haze nerer failed They know that they must
incur some large risks, but they are willing to meet
them, and if the $4,000 will not these risks
they know that they have a reserved fund Of their
| own which will cover them At al events, they
determined not to bring detrlment to the State
in the matter, and they are, therefore, willing to
execute penal bonds to any reasonable amount to
secure the State against harm. But some mistrust
their good faith good sense because they propose
to take this work at price so far short of the es
mates of Engineers. But there is reason for this.
They can get most of the materials off of their own
lands, and do most of the work with their own
hands. And they get laborers, and buy mate
rails, provisions, &C., from other persons along the
line at least % per cent cheaper than could an En-
gineer or contractor from distance. By accepting
their proposition then, the State will put out this
work on exceedingly moderate termS-the contract
ors will probably get fair average pay for their
services and the completion OF this work will be Sc
cured almost beyond contingency-aDd if it be
not, the State will have remedy. 1t is presumed
that the Convention will be informed from proper
source, of the condition of this work, in detail and
of what repairs and rebuildings may be required.
Twill merely state therefore, generally, that 1t IS
believed that the dam at Fayetteville ought to 90
| fully packed with hard rock, which will have 10
be carried some 90 miles The next dam above H.