Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-02-16

T. S.-We may stay to the Inauguration
Ball. Col. +. tells us that great deal ofgood
may be accomplished By our doing so, and he
promises that the band shall be instructed to
play every other time, There's good time
coming" Tickets will be sent to every body
without distinction Of color) in Virginia. Per-
haps you could induce the editor Of the O6serv-
would do great deal of goo9s Good bye!
|
From the Enquirer and Examiner
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF VIRGINIA.
The Water Courses and Water Power Of
Augusta County.
Water is one of the principal elements in the
lite OF plants and animals, and its quantity and
distribution determine the relative importance
and value of every portion Of the earth's sur
face for the abode of man rivers have great
er influence on the location and fortunes OF the
human race than almost any other physical
cause; hence it follows that knowledge of
the number, length (both direct and dereloped)
OF the tall, volume, &c., of the water courses
of particular region is Of the first importance
IN order to thorough comprehension Of its
| physical lite"
America has been called 'sthe land Of water,
and no portion OF it can claim larger supply
OF this important element, in shape for utili-
zatlon, in proportion to area, than Virginia; /;
and in this favored Commonwealth no county
is more thoroughly permeated by streams
adapted In every particular to the wants of hu
manlty, than Augusta, the crown of the Shen~
andoah.
Water Ia liquid) is always seeking the level
OF the great reservoir from which the winds
have borne it, and no sooner does it escape the
embrace of these seriel carriers than it hurrles
off, by every available route, to the sea, and,
though thoroughly sensitive to every influence
With which 1t comes In contact, and yielding
readily to its dictates, it never ceases to thread
its course towards its final destination.
| The direction of the water courses of re-
gion is dependant upon It's geographical conhg
uration. The trend Of the mountains deter-
mines the direction Of the great valleys, and,
as consequence, the general direction of the
main waterhoW; the courses OF the tributary
streams are determined by the secondary ele-
vations and slopes and the typographical de-
tails Of the couutry-the outward expressions
Of its geological formations. The Valley of
! Virginia Is but one OF the steps III the great
Appalachian geologic stairway that ascends to
the northwest the Blue Ridge is but riser,
passing above the level of the edge Of the sue
ceeding steps," the Valley. This step i'll
clines forward to the southeast, and is followed
| by another riser, the North Mountain /;
another valley steps beyond, and SO through
throughout the whole Valley of Virginia in
fuencing the direction of its waters. La the
Shenandoah Valley (embracing Augusta coun~
ty) the direction Of the Valley, conforming to
that Of the mountains, the strike" Of the
rocks, is N. E. and S. W., descending from an
elevation of 1000 feet on the divide" of the
James and Shenandoah, near the S. w. line Of
Augusta, to 242 at Harpers Ferry-l,75S feet
Of fall in l20 miles represents one force" ac-
ting upon the waters of this valley, or about
1000 feet in 81 miles in the county of Angus
ia the other slope, from the n. w. to the 5.
e. conforming to the dip Of the rocks, has
an elevation of about 1000 feet from the sum
init of the North Mountain to near the western
foot of the Blue Ridge 900 feet in 80 miles
represents the other force )" therefore the wa
ters of Augusta, acted upon by two forces, one
of which would carry them along the axis of
the Valley, and the other at right angles to
that axis, they obey the we'll known philosophi
cal law of compound forces, and the 'resul-
tant' is, general flow OF waters dlagonally
across the Valley, nearly to the east throwing
them into a trough at the very foot OF the Blue
Ridge, and soon uniting all the streams into
one. The grand economic result is an unusual
development of the length of the water courses,
adding immeasurably to their Importance as ir-
rigants or motors, to say nothing of the addi-
tional charms they impart to the landscape.
The waters If Augusta belong to two sys
TENS, or river basins, the watershed OF the
James and Shenandoah lying within her bor-
ders-273 square miles of its area, about one,
quarter being drained by the waters that run
into the North river Of the James, and 747
square miles by those tributary to the Shenan-
doah, tor as 1t is sometimes called, the south
| 4o,,l- II tbmo
line of Augusta was located at nearly right
angles to the general direction Of the Valley,
so as to include all the "head springs" of the
Shenandoah (those gems of waters that sparkle
on the encircng mountains, and suggested to
that child of nature, the Indian, the name he
gave to their collected waters The Beautiful
Daughter of the Stars The surveyor s
line, Z" straight and unyleldlng, running north
west and southeast, Of course could not con-
form to Nature wavy watershed line OF dlvls
ion between the river basins, which runs in a
''line of beauty little to the west Of north
and south of east in its general direction the
art line to take all the Shenandoah waters
had to cut off the head streams OF those of the
James
An the waters of the county that seek the
Shenandoah rua first into either the North, the
Middle or the South river streams that drain,
respectively, the northern, the middle and the
southern portions OF the county, and that form,
by their iunction,.near its northeast corner, the
Shenandoah itself; North and Middle rivers
joining on the county line of Augusta and Rock
ingham, and the united streams, still called
Middle river, meeting South river some three
miles within the bounds of Rockingham, at
Port Republic.
In comparing rivers, to estimate their rela
tive importance. IT is necessary to know: lst
The extent of thar basins, the square miles of
country they drain I'd. The direct distance,
the air line, in statute miles, from their source
to their mouths. Sd. The extent of their de-
veopment; that is, the length of their chan
nels, in statute miles, 4th. Their windings
that is. the difference between the direct dis
tance from head to mouth and the length of
the river bed. 9TH. The proportion the winds
ings bear to the direct course; and 9th. The
volume, fall, Sc, of the waters. In reference
to these particulars we will speak OF the water
courses Of Augusta:
Middle river is the largest OF the three last
named receiving its waters from 32S square
miles Of territory; the river itself is 80 miles
#We wish all our readers had before them the
| hydropraphic map of this county, prepared as
one of the series. from actual Surveys to illus
trate the physical geography OF this county soon
| to be issued by the Board OF Survey of Wash
ington College, of which General K. E Lee is
President We have been favored with an in
spection of this photographic map, and were
struck with the wonderful ramifcations of the
| Shenandoah waters of the county, resembling as
a whole gigantic but symmetrical tree,