The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-15
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. May 10, 1873.

GREAT WESTERN ARTERY AND The VIRGINIA
TIDE.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. May III, 1915.
AFR. Editor, Senators Bayard and CaSselly.
with Major Charles 5. Darlington, president
of the canal; L. @. Washington, Washington
correspopdent OF the Louisville Courier
Journal, and other gentlemen, reached TINS
famous wrtcring-placc OH "Wednesday last.
where there was an interview with MAJOR
Hutton and MIR. Harrs-the former all ac-
complished engineer i'll the service ol inc
United States and the latter in that ol the
canal.
Scuator Casscrly is one Of the special COM
mittcc raised in the Senate of the United
States last winter which Is charged with the
general. investigation and report OF all the
water lines of transportation of the country.
Prominently among these is the james RlVcr
and Kanawila canal.
Major Carrinylon having shown these sem
ators the canal above Richmond and lis dock
connection with the tides at the same, to *
them to this place to give them personal
INSPECTION OF the famous sum!nlt-level "lth
its canal tunnel Of $40 Ola mile under the
Allegheny range, and in conjunction with
Major Hutton presented clearly to the minds
Of all present the feasibility of this tunnel, It's
probable cost, the sources of its water sup
DIV on this mountain level, how the "Lor-
rline" tunnel would save $40 feet of lockaSe
lift. A locks. and its probable completion i'll
four wears after the passage Of this bill by
Congress, i'm consequence of It's SIX shait>,
which would give fourteen faces 10 WORK
from, these shaft, varying from 4oO 10 ooo
feet in depth. 1t further appeared that the
practicability of passing this great range OF
mountains at this point by means OF lun-
mel with ample water at all seasons OF the
YEAR had been II favorlic idea in Virginia
from very early period OF her history
that her practical statesmen bad emhraccu
the idea, implicitly reposlng in 1t as result
of scientific investigation, in the feasibility OF
which there was an unbroken testimonial Of
civil engineering without a diSscnticnt voice
from 1923 down to the late untlmeIy death
of Edward Lorraine, with whose name inns
grand work is so intimately associated is the
best expression of his engineering SKIN.
This Lorraine tunnel, piercing the Alie-
ghany at q much lower level than the Oh one
off, 4-10 miles. enables the GrrrlihrIer river,
in addition TO the reservoir OF Anthony
creek containing 3,50O.UOo,O0O cubit feet
Of waterl, TO be thrown OIL the slmmlt-Ie'tl.
nlaciun II continuous water supply beyond
further question; in fact, but small part OF
the reservoir water would he required 10
supplement the necessary quantity, WElcD
would hr derived from the Greenhrlcr llvcr,
leaving the larger portion OF the supply 10
be thrown on the Kanawha. which. with
the larger reservoir on Mcadcr river lcon-
tanning 1u,7tI 900, 900 cubit iret ol water,
would pour il, contents bE the GauicF INTO
that river, supplcmcnin| lis flow during
the dry season with - 100000 OF cuhit feet
from the former and 81, 900 from the lat
ter per day for this sr;l>tll Tor the PERIOD OF
I2G days, con>titllIin" depth OF water III
this great watcr-inc Of six feet, at least.
during til" cntlrc year.
Mr.. CaSscry here painted out dlnculty
which presented itself TO his minG-tliat OF
Keeping up the ohio river ion"erauu more
,4lstcio,is channel during this dry season.
With Il like depth Uf water. say SlA tcrt 50 IT.
to bring the Mississippi tonnage up to Point
Pleasant, the mou h of the Virginia water
line.
Major Hutton suggested that Il combine
ton of Mr.. Fisk's plan of conserving the
Ohio waters by oren dams with Mr.. EtiottS
mouuta;n-rcscr. DIR System would meet Inc
requirements Of this river during this pc
ROD. This same difficulty presented Itself
10 Sir. ShrlabarScr last winter, when the
subject WAS Ec:orc the House Committee on
Commerce, and will doubtless he the ronc!ll-
siou which will be arrived ut by the United
States engineers having the same in charge
the coming summer; the feasibility, how
ever, of the GIL miles of this Water-llnc lying
within the two Eirginias being clearly tie
monstrated
The White Sulphur Conference then adj
journed, and the next morning. wi'ha bright
day over head, the whole party, under the
auspices Of that accomplished engineer o:
the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad Mr..
Whtcomb, started for Charleston, Kalmwha.
II is difficult 10 determine whether his skill
displayed itself more conSpicuouSly in over
coming the heavy features Of this great
liue of railroad between MILFORD and til"
White Sulphur. under the regime of Colonel
Fontaine, or more in the manner by which
he in Il great measure avoided them Except
the Big Bend tllnneD on the rest of the line
westward under the new company, securing
at the same time for this road Il maximum
grade OF only 294 feet 10 the mile against the
vast trade coming east, and constituting it
for distance Of two hundred and twenty
miles 10 Clifton Forge the greatest freight.
road between the Mississippiand the Atlantic.
Passing down the valley of Towards
creek, we soon como to that most beautiful
Of mountain rivers the Grecnbrier, flowing
westwardly, aud exhibiting from its size
the capacity 10 furnish from i : surplus wa
tiers most ample supplies for the summit
level, and AT the same time to bear on its ho-
som that vast tonnage which is destined to
move over it from the eleven empire
States bordering on the banks OF the Ohio,
Mississippi, aud upper Missouri. About ~
O'Clock Of this beautiful morning we passed
from the valley Of the GreeDbricr into that
of the New river, in Il northwe>terly course,
and then broke on our vision in the canon
of this river in rapid succession for sixty
miles mountain SUBMITS rising perpendlcu-
larry from the banks Of the river until we
reached the famous Hawks Nest, SO grandiy
described by Mr.. Jefferson. The mind was
almost surcted with these sublime sights,
which passed in rapid review before it in the
pa> sage down this wonderful river, which
has no parallel on this continent except tie
RAPIDS Of the 81. Lawrence. The railroad
bed is for most Of the distance Immediately
on the river bank, uid for Il considerable dis.
lance ctr,ed out the rocky sides of the noun
tains. The rapids of this river, and espe-
cially in the ua,rows ioaming and roaring
over the rocks, added another el, mcnt to the
power and subIimlly of the scene.
This river, being IN important segment of
the central water-line, is to have Its rapid
flow overcome by series OF locks and dams,
which will furnish easy passage up and over
the same for the fleets of barges, drawn by
steam.lugs, bearing TO the Atlantic ocean the
heavy products OF the forests, the mines, and
the golden cereal fields of the West and
Northwest.