The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-08-19
The River and the Wharves.

In pcrusing the interesting letter iron
Glasgow, Scotland, published by lis yes
terday, the reader must have been 'truch
with the very large amount Of annlla
receipts from dockagc and Wharfage
by the city. For the past year il
was ElG4 .033; or, in dollars, about
S20, 40 !; sufficient to pay the cost of keep,
ing the channel open and the interest ON
the debt incurred in improving the river
and then leaving balance of $50 9S1 to be
appropriated to the enlargement of the
qlays and other improvements which the
city proposes at once to carry out.
This brings out the profitable character
ofwharf property at port where there Is
Il brisk commerce and of course large
number ofyessels. With this prolific source
of revenue Glasgow MAY 20 on improving
her port at infmtum. For eighteen and
u half miles she already has grand canal
with rock-waIlcd sides, magnificent qlays,
and Il dock with gates, OF course, i'll which
is retained the water ut high-wuter mark,
where vessels drawing more water than
they would have outside the dock lie at
case. 1t is probable that Glasgow Will soon
bring her improvements of river and port
TO such completeness that she will have
nothing more TO do than to keep her works
in order. This cannot consume the large
revenue she must derive from quays, &c
She will then be enabled either to reduce
her charges upon vessels to Il nominal rate
or diminish the taxes upon the citizens, for
she will evidently have Il large sum TO be
disposed of in some way.
Richmond does not own the wharveS, nor
does she own shares where WhalvCs may
be built. Nor is she likely ever to own them.
She cannot have SO favorable an opportu
nifty to acquire such rights us Glasgow had
The CT! de was OF such inconsideratle mag
nitude that wharf property there was Of no
value whatever, and the improvement of it
rendered necessary the seizure Of the shores,
because the river had to be widened as well
as deepened. James river unimproved had
water enough for II considerable maritime
commerce, and wharves were built by pri
vate citizens, and wharf property is now
too valuable to be bought by the city, thus
to become the source of the means to go Oh
with the Improvement Of the river, without
taxing the people, as is the case with Glas
Cow.
But the example is one which should moi
be lost upon the Chesapeake and Ohio
Railway Company. 1t has the opportunity
of becoming the proprietor of 1000 feet o
water frontage, which could be converted
into gold-mine for the rich yield it would
certainly give. Compared with it, nothing
the company can ever accomplish ut York
town or Newport News, or anywhere els'
on the salt water, will rise above the stag,
Of insignifcance. The vast business of tha
company added to the bulk Of the trade o
Richmond from other quarters, would II
the course of few years till the whole line
OF 1000 feet with vessels, the charges OF
which would pour Il steady stream of golf
into the treasury of the company. Sucl
u fleet can never be accumulated where
there is no comfort, no fresh water, littl
health, and numerous annoyances, such Il
mosquitoes, intermttents, ntolerable heat
and, worse than all, no town-certainly IL,
city.
There is u great deal in this letter from
Glasgow to be studied. Each paragraph il
teXt--a text for sermon to Richmond oil
to the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Com
pany. Who will dare to say, after reading
what Glasgow has done, that Richmond
cannot get twenty feet ut low tide upon the
few bars that are found in the James river
Who can for moment doubt that we with
such river may have large ships from all
parts of the world lying at our wharves,
when such are found at Glasgow?
We commend the Glasgow letter to the
reperusal OF our citizens. 1t is an instruc-
tive document of inestima5ie value to us
just ut this time.