The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-13
TIE ASHLEY RIHER.
Proposed Development Of Its Resources
-Au Important Projcct-Its Influence
on Commerce, the City and Harbor.

One of the most promising schemes for the
development of a new source Of wealth, projected
since the close Of the war, Is now under conside-
ration BY "a number Of the leadlng citizens OF
Charleston. so important is slr. indeed, that,
should it prove successful millions OF dollars will
be added 20 the capital Of the city, and new and
numerous branches Of Industry will be estao-
lished. Several years ago system of drainage
Of the marsh and swamp lands, particularly near
the city and along the river courses was suggest
ed by engineers; and more recently, in his valua-
BILE work entitled, 'sThe Resources Of Southern
Fields and Forests, na revised edition Of which
was published last year, DR.. F. p. Porcher en-
larged upon the theme. He there states that
"Along our coasts, at distance OF forty miles
from the sea. therets rise Of twenty feet above
the general tideieveh giving aall Of half foot
to the mile which is sutticient sfor general puS-
poSes.8 Enterprises OF similar nature hareheen
successfully prosecuted IN Holland and IN Bel
gium. The Haraem Nicer, drained 10 1889, was
thirteen feet. The whole bed Of the lake has been
brought into successful cultivation, andEhe gov
ernment has been repaid by the sale of fhe land,
Large bogs in Ireland. and lens and mofasses In
Yorkshire and other counties In England, have
been transformed from barrenness to fertility.
The French in Algiers have succeeded In dralu-
tire plain Of the Alemtijo,. which was before an
unhealthy region, and ntw produce aoun-
dainty, all the tropical fruits, grams, &C.,
to supply the demands OF the mother
country The Writer mas 81, seen naana ae IL isV
smiling in peace and plenty, strewn with villas
anciarm:h and intersected by the besteon.
strncted roads, always so indicative Of wealth and
abundance; yet Shis beautiful valley, which now
supplies oil tuscany with corn, wine and OIL was
once pestilenttal and almost des erted region,
and noted in the earliest times for It's iIsauDrlty
as evidenced by. the striking auslon maze 10 IL
by Dante In the Inferno" Dr. .Porcher continues:
sThe simplest plans for draining the secondary or
inland swamps is Co run straight central canal,
which removes the obstruciions caused by logs
and mud fats, and takes on the main body OF tne
to receive the water coming in from the surround
ing high lands. The cutting down OF the trees,
and exposing the surface to the almost nstanI
actionAof tile sun, viii subject 1t to theinportant
agency or evaporation 1.-THE removal or the causes
OF malaria will be the result. and II the complete
exemption OF the sickly portlol OF the State
from Its banefEl Influences aud from perioul-
cal feyers. by which white labor Is made
possible, Is not secured, the .-hygienlc CEN
dition Of the whole country wall at least be
improved, sand the wealth and. happiness OF
our citizens generally enormously increased.
By draining our swamps we secure sou ior corn corll'
cane, etc.. enrlcned Dy the vegetable matter accu-
mulated for centuries, and the higher lands are
released for cotton and other crops. The lands,
for example, embraced between the Cooper and
Ashley, can be drained and made rich and habi
table, even, In the warm months They will then
be occupied by garden farms, which Will supply,
not only the cities contiguous 10 them, but I'LL
our ships going 10 the north with fruits, vegeta-
bles anu PRODUCER DR.. Porcher closes Ills article
By suggesting the organization OF joint stock
association, which will make the tnanc al scheme
feasible aud successful, and furclbly adds: "When
thetime arrives for its execution, the wisdom and
policy Sae step being apparent, 1t will establish
the eGsk4etion Of any administration which un-
dertakes It. or the fame or any statesman who
shall have the witto use his influence successfully
TO achieve II"
That tn Sc thoughts have not fallen sttll.born
is attested by the fact that maps and figures are
now In Course Of preparation to demonstrate
with what comparative ease the head waters OF
tHesAshley River, and eventually their connec'
tion .by,a canal with the Edisto River, may he
come the source OF mine of wealth to the city,
and possibly solve the riddle how to deepen the
channels at the entrance Of. our.hnrbor. The
head waters referred to consist Of small lakes
located about i've miles from Summervl!le In
southwesterly direction, and are In the heart as
it were, OF. vast timber swamp in which
abound the most valuable trees known
in commerce, and yet now valueless to
the State because OF their inaccesslbility. or the
cypress alone the supply Is almost ineShaustible
while the trees are Of an immense size, frequently
yielding from twenty to twenty-five thousand
shingles each. To convey this timber first to the
railroad and thence to Charleston is expensive,
Improbable aud impracticable. In fact their
transportation has never been Systematically at.
tempted. There also abound in these swanps
and along the Ashley two qualities OF maple five
qualities Of oak. hickory tupeo, gum, ash, cedar
and black walnut, all useful for shiphuiiding,
trestles, cross ties, Furniture carrages household
and plantation utensils. and the arts generally.
1t has been estimated that these trees can be laid
down In Charleston for about one dollar each. but
there is only one mode OF doing SO, to.wit by way
Of the Ashley River.
The plan proposed Is simply to ssraighten the
river by canals or cut-oGs wherever it is ex.
tremely tortuouS, and, by the construc lon OF Il
tidal gate or lock at SLAMS Bridge, secure suf
ncent depth and fall OF water 10 1oat the neces-
sary hats from the lake to river navigation. IL is
also required that the bed Of the river shall be
dredged, from the bridge to The lakes, and that
aboutfo1r thousand cubic yards Of sand be re-
moved, together with the trees and roots that
now obstruct the bed OF the river. The force OF
the current will eventually do the rest-makIng
twenty-five miles Of direct and uninterrupted
navigation, only small portion OF 1t being arti-
fciai. The main cost Of the undertaking will con.