The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-10-22
BY TELEGRAPH
WASHINGTON.
Appropriations for Rivers. &c, Recon-
2 Lit@i ltias mended.

Appropriations for Rivers. dc, Recon-
4 Iit@94ia' Q" mended.
Is WASHINGTON, October 22.- Chief En-
gineer Humphreys report for the year end
ing June Both, 1874, recommends for the
upper Mississippi 900; from the Mis-
souri, to the Ohio 100000; Mississippi,
Missouri, Arkansas and White rivers $372, :
| 600; Louisville and Portland canal $780,
| 600; Tennessee and Cumberland rivers
SS40, 600; mouth of the Mississippi $780,
900; renewing raft in Red river $50, 900 !;
improvement of Mobile haIbor $145, 900 !;
ship channel in Charleston, s. G. harbor
SIS 600; Savannah harbor and river,
Sl0O 900; mouth of st. Johns river, Fla.
$40, 900. ~ iHd lafi la''-,
FOR VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA.
{! Improvement of '0ccoquan creek, Vir-
glnla, $4,000; Rappahannock river below
Fredericksburg, $500; Acquia creek,
$l4 300; mouth of Nomini creek, $l2 900;
Improvement of James river, Virginia
the operations of the year have been of
the same character as of the previous year
removing rocks from the channel near
the city of Richmond, especially at the
Rockets rec, etc. The committee
on the part Of the city have energeti-
cally and cordially co-operated with the
United States engineers in improving the
river, and much work has been accom-
plished with useful results. 1t is proposed
to make this channel 125 feet in width.
Many thousand cubic yards of material have
been excavated from bars and placed be-
hind the. dkes. Steamers can now reach
the wharves drawing two feet more water
than was possible eighteen months ago.
Their time is also shortened by the use ofthe
Dutch Gap Cutoff, which sives more than
FIVE miles of distance each way. The ope-
rations Of the next year should be similar
to those Of the last. IF fhe many acres of
land bordering the river, now overtiowed,
could be diked in as they were before the
late war, which might be done at a CON-
paratively small expense, notable inn
provement in the depth Of water in the
channel might be expected. The amount
required for the next fiscal year is S75,-
600. Improvement of Appomattox river,
below Petersburg, $4,000; south branch
Of Elizabeth river, Virginia, s1O,O 600;
Nansemond liver, Virginia, $4,000;
Roanoke river, below Weldon, $1,000;
Cape Fear river, below Wilmington, North
Carolina, $l50,0O0 The freshets Of the
spring of 1873 having caused considerable
| uCpOoit III IuC SilAlluCio iSdQlliS " w d5u-
ington and Georgetown, an examination of
them became necessary in order to ascer-
tain the extent of the changes reported.
This examination was made by Lieutenant
Thomas futile, corps Of engineers, as
soon as practicable after the subsidence
of the freshet. A project of expenditure
was submitted, the main idea Of which
was to SO expend the appropriation as to
,n1,n To- Il, al
wants of commerce while conforming to
the plan of Improvement recommended by
the board of survey already referred to.
1t was decided by the chief of engineers.
in carrying out that idea, to devote S35, 900
to dredging in the Virginia channel (Which
is proposed ultimately to be the only chan
nel) to depth at low water of fourteen
feet, and to expend the remaining $4,000
| in dredging along the present Washington
| front to depth of twelve feet at low water.
Proposals for this work have been invited,
| and it is hoped to execute it before the end
of 1878. bail .
The board of survey state that if it shall
be decided by Congress to proceed with the
execution of their plan Of improvement,
not less than $2,000,000 should be appro-
priated for the first year. In any event
not less than $4,000 should be provided
for the year ending June 80, 1875, to pay
for necessary dredging to keep the channel
open, and to remove certain dangerous
rocks in the harbor of Georgetown.
Appropriated March 3. 1873.....$50, 900 90
Expended in year ending Juno
| ~, 1873. 3.."........................ $50 70
Available for lS74...... .......... As, 1853 Il
Required for the year ending
1 an M m