The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-02-17
Deepening James River.

The Richmond City Council have with
commcndahlc public spirit directed their
attention to the subject of deepening the
channel of James river, and have taken
steps to bring it before Congress by an ap-
peal for an appropriation from the Federal
Treasury Cor that purpose. \ committee
has been appointed to present this petition
nf.cTsun. The gum asked for is 5000. 600,
which, according to an interesting report
laa.le 10 The Council bva special committee,
viii deepen the channel so as % secure
Gear dcpth of eighteen feet upon all the
bars in the river. This report will he
found in this mornings Dispatch. We
commend it to the perusal of our citizens.
The report gives the history of the sur
ycys and the efforts ut the improvement Of
the channel OF the river. The sum votes
to the work by Congress has been most con-
trmytibly small compared with what has
been voted to works having no greater claim
upon the Federal Treasury. See. for in
stance, the money voted to the improvement
% the hudson river to Albany, which can
not fall under a million Of dollars we are
sure. Upon the " overslaugh' alone there
must lave been exhausted at least $500, 600.
That is Il point where, from the peculiar
turn III the current and the nature OF the
shore, there was constant tendency to
":toaling, which the improvements pro-
lcCtcd there were intended to obyiate.
jones river is about as long from Hampton
Roads to Richmond az is the Hudson from.
New York to Albany. Virginia gave seve,
Gal empires to the United States New York
rave nothing. New York is and has beer
wealthy; Virginia is not and has not beer
:, !noncy-lcnler. The Hudson river has a
least its million ont of the National Trea
sury; James river has received only $22,
500! What can be added to give furthe
emphasis to the parallel!
It seems to us that this is a case so clear
10 just, that its bare statement is so en-
platte thut argument added to it would h
ridiculous.
m This is an Improvement in which all til,
James river towns are interested-and no
cnlv interested, but see that thew are
Thank God! for they don't always sec thei,
interests. There is much of apathy and
Iaucy amongst some of them: an apathy
winch is genial, and Il fancy which consoles
the apathy. Greatness is to come without
effort. 1T Is sure when railroad runs
through them. \ railroad, which is to the
strong help, but to the weak only az is
sword run through mans body.
But it is the interest Of Lynchburr, of
Richmond. of Petersburg, and of Norfolk,
that the tidal part of james river shall be
deepened, and they hno,c Il. So let them
Nil join together and "put it through"
And pertinent to the subject of this arti-
Gle is that great work the james River
end Kunawha canal. That is the work for
Eirgiuia-for all of her towns-and espe-
cially for Norfolk, to which that prosperity
aud greatness may come, is our ardent wish.
Build the canal, and the vessels which
ply upon it will 80 down the river with
their frcishts to the point where it may
hest meet the sea:-going ships. The princi-
pie here is somewhat altered from that
SEATED by us yesterday concerning the
foreign incoming shipments, seeking the
highest accessible point on tidal stream,
and the local Or domestic produce concen-
t'a.ing upon the nearest point at which it
would strike the tide. The canal is water
conduit on which the freights naturally