The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-03

Making The net cXpcrsc FOR
thirteen months. s!7.sa. 50
For information of the committee the En-.
ginccr adds, i'll detail. the expense Of each
machine and other clements OF cost.
WORK DONE.
In detail, the machines have worked as
| follows:
Drcd.c No. l, "Admiml Newport"
drcd"cd 20G days. Time lost on account of
frcSheis, snow. ice, and holidays, 3S days !;
time lost in making repairs to maohiuery and
hull. 20 days; amount Of time lost, 81 per
cent. Drcdgc No. l drcdged during the
time 24,204 cubic yards.
Dredge Ne. =, Greenwich" dredgcd 227
days. Lost. on account Of frcShets. ice, snow.
and holidays, 80 days; lost for repairs, 81
days; time lost. 27I per cent
No. , drcdgcd during the time 29,9f6 GU
bic yards.
Drcdge No. 8, "City of Richmond"
commenced work September 1st, 1872.
Drcd@cd - days. Lost on account of SHOW,
ice, and holidays Is days. Lost to repair
broken slud l day. Time lost. 1i5 per
cent. Total working time, 50 days. Dredged
during the time 9,i23 cubic yards.
The hoiSting-machine worked 264 days.
Time LOST, 20 days: time lost for repairs, 81
days. Time lost, 1G rer cent. Total work
ing time, 3l4 days. Total material thrown
behind dykes, 3G,5l9 yards.
Steamer Frank Summers, towing lighters,
RATS. etc, 292 days. Time lost by ice and
holidays, . days. Repairing machinery and
hull. II days. Time lost, per cent. Total
working time, 9l4 days.
The force employed on the pile-driver
worked on tho dykes, as we'll us ut moving
| the material Behind dykes. As piles could
only hc driven on ilood-tidc, at no time,
therefore, was full days work made. The
engineer says he is therefore uEabc to item
ize this account. Since the work was placed
under charge Of the joint committee SI2,-
u4A..9 has been expended in the purchase
and construction of machines aud other ap-
panccS Indispensable TO the conduct of the
| work. The value of machinery on hand
| turned over to the present organization was
| on July /, 1871, SIT T,S94.11, making the cost
of the machinery now on hand SS9,945,4G.
THE REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS
that have been made to the various machines
should, taken in connection with the cn-
Mlnced cost Of the machinery of all kinds,
show that the above amount does not repre-
| sent the full value. One hundred thousand
dollars would not now provide as complete
and sufficient an outfit. The machinery is
all in No. working order.
You will observe" says Major Turpin,
that the total amount OF material handled
by the drcdscs is 1919 cubic yards, making
the cost per cubic yard, including all cX-
penses, S73 cents.
"Of the above amount of dredging, 1906
clbic wards have been removed for private
parties in improvements made III the harDor.
Seventeen thousand six hundred and seventy
seven wards Of the aggregate were placed be-
hind the dykes by the dredging-machines.
The remainder Q3,23l cubic YARDS was cX-
c,yated from tie main channel, which has
been opened from the lower end of the
Rockets reef to the brick-yard Wbarf-1,9C0
feet distant. This channel is 90 feet wide,
and mt mean high tide affords not less than
lG feet water. Much Of the distance affords
l,ll IS feet, Heretofore this was the shoalest
reach in the river, altording not more than
feet wafer, and at mean high tide not more
than 10 feet s inches.
"The general character of the nature Of
the material through which this channel has
been drcdged, consists of ledgeS Of
bEcAYED GRANITE
intersperscd with them strata of solid
rock-tncse ledges crossing the river ut
distances varying from fifty to seventy.tive
feet apart. Between these ledges large
masses of granite, bouldes, and gravel We're
packed so closely as almost to equal solid
rock in the difficulty attending their reno
val. Two hundred and twenty-one pieces
of rock varying from half to five cubic yards
were removed that required the services OF
divers to sling" them, SO that they could
be carried ashore. This caused the loss of
much time aud added materially to the cost
of the work. Through the reach no dredg-
ing had ever been done, and until January
last, when its hard character was developed,
it was supposed to be s.md-grayei and Or
binary river g silt" 1t proved, however,
hard work, and tedious Of execution.
"The United States engineer officer in
charge Of the department decided TO apply
portion of the appropriation in hand to
dredging. This reach was selected Us being
the most difficult OF execution. Bids were
extensively advertised for; the lowest bid
Der cubic yard was 81 80 the city to furnish
dykes for the disposition OF material. The
other proposals were to furnish specified
amounts Of machinery at prices rsr day that
would make the price fully as high as tfls