The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-07-11
MATTERS.
THE JAMES RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
Richmond Bar---Drewry's BiuH--Chapin's
Bluff---A Clear Channel of Fifteen Feet
our Trip ON the Frank Somers---
What We Saw.

It is impossible to over-estimate the inn
portance of securing a sufficient depth of
water in James river, to permit vessels OF
heavy tonnage to pass i'll and out of our
port with safety and dispatch. The inn
portance of this enterprise has been appre-
ciated by liberal appropriations of money
bv our city, but until recently, this work
had failed in progress far enough to be of
substantial benefit to vessels drawing more
than twelve feet of water.
The contract for removing the obstruc-
tons at Drewry's Bluff having been SO far
fulfilled as to open channel OF two hum
dred and fifty feet in width, with depth of
eighteen feet at low water, number Of
gentlemen, in various ways connected with
vessels plying our waters, were invited
by the contractor to visit the Bluff and
make soundings of the new channel. We
are indebted to one of the party for an iil-
vitation to accompany the excursion, which
we cheerfully accepted, and pr pose laying
before our readers some facts we gathered
At halfpast IL O'clock, yesterday morn
i,p. we boarded the tug boat Frank Somers
and found ON board of her Capt. Bourpe
of the Old Dominion steamer Wyanoke,
Capt. Hanson, pilot; Mr.. Null, of the
Virginia Steam Packet Company's steamer
Upton. pilot; Capt. Lawrence, of the
steamer Agnes Prof. Maillefert; MIR.
Curtis. ship agent; Col. /. III. Shields;
Capt. Minor, chief engineer of the James
river improvement, and the polite and at
tentiye commander of the Frank Somers.
The first point Of interest we reached
was Rockets reef, short distance below
the city, There are about G,000 cubic
wards. of stone to be excayated from the
river at this point. The contract for doing
this work has been awarded Messrs. Kahn
bach and Barton, who are sbusily engaged
preparing to commence work. The char
acter of stone will require the use Of
nitro-glycerine to remove it. About u
miles below the city, we reached Rich
mond bar, SO long the terror of vessels
arriving here. Although we have claimed
there was fifteen feet of water at this point,
vessels drawing only liz feet were Obliged
to tighten before they could pass.
The two dredging machines and pile
driver are busily at work cleaning out the
sand and mud. Already the channel has
been deepened from nine and one half to
fourteen and fifteen feet deep, with width
of from twenty-five to thirty feet. When
completed the width of the channel is to be
one hundred feet. At this point there are
several considerable indentations in the riv-'
er banks, along which extend for some.
distance, a row Of heavy piles-within this
enclosure is conveyed all the sand and mud
gathered from the bar-which will be so
| confined as to prevent it from washing
back into the channel. Without heavy
flood, this plan win be d success. 1t Is
impossible, without an enormous expend-
iture, to provide against the great power OF
| floods.
Farther down. we reached Warwick bar,
from which Prof. Maillefert' has removed
| five schooners of various tonnage and
| one crib which contained three hundred
cubic wards of stone; there are still re-
manning in the river at this point, close TO
the Chesterfield side, other distinctions,
but they do not Interfere with navigation.
Z just below this point we were shown
marks of cannon balls left upon the river
bank, the results of an experiment, insist
ed upon by some Of the admirers of King
/ Cotton during the war. While the Confed-
crate government was engaged in building
| iron clads some gentlemen from the South
/ insisted that they should first be clad with
/ cotton then with coat of iron. So well
! satisfied were they with the happy results
of its use by Old Hickory at New Orleans,
4 that they agreed if the government would
make the experiment they would furnish
the bales of cotton for the, purpose. Off
/ GERS were selected for the purpose, the cot
ton placed on the bank of the river five
bales deep, and sixty-four pound gun
brought into action. A heavy bulk head
of oak was placed in rear of the cotton and
4 against the bank. At the first fire solid shot
from the sixty-lour FOUNDER passed entirely
through the cotton and bulk head, buryine
itself IN the bank some distance beyont
reach. The experiment was repeated witt
shell with the same results, until one ex
ploded in the cotton which burned it up
This experiment satisfied not only the gov
ernment, but so far affected the gentlemen
from the land of cotton as to make then
wonder what change had come over tn
plant since the days Of jackson. They for
got the improvement in munitions OF war
AT Drewery's Bluff, we ascertained tina
work had been commenced by Professo
Maillefert, on the Doth Of November, sine
, which time he has removed twenty-thre
cribs filled with stone, containing in the ag
gregate, 1900 cubic yards, wrecks OF tn
; steamers Northampton, Curtis Peck
Jamestown, part of the Beaufort, part Of tn
Brig Marcus, a Pilot-boat, four barges, ant
scows loaded with stone, besides enormou
lquantitics of trees, logs &C., which had &C
formulated in the last few years by freshets
. An hour or more was employed by tn
party in making soundings of the new char
mel. which was ascertained to be $50 fec
wide, with adepth of Is feet at low water
!. Vessels passing this point, will be orderc
in few days to change their course frol
the channel used since the war, into tn
a new one. We were interested in watchin
: the operations of the "Divcr" engaged b
= Professor Maillefert, who remained sui
merged for fifteen minutes. He is supple
with air, while under water, by means ofa
It lingeniously contrived air-pump. On comm
to the surface, the only thing he complaine
: of. was the heat caused by the close an
d heavy uniform he wore. ~
At Chapin's Bluff, Messrs. Aperson
: Co. are engaged in removing the wreck
n the Confederate iron-clad Richmond. A
2 old whaling ship, which has doubtle
f crossed and recrossed the Pacific time al
Il again, and which, from its appearance, w
Q built in the days Of Noah, is employs
If in this service. The job is serious on
1t as many of the irons have to be remove
3 piece by piece. The powder tanks ha
= been removed from the magazine OF Il
Richmond, and the powder taken fro
them. 1t was found to be dry and in go,