The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-11-20
rx,rncss from colonel Cr@fshi'is
Report.
,,,n.ovsvxyr OF the JAMES RIVER.

r~,rac.s from Co.oneE Cretghi'is
Rerort.
,,,s,ovsvxSr OF THE JAMES RIVER.
u,,,o onera,,ous Of the year have been OF
az san,e character as Of the previous year.
sa s5 ,nav NO described in general by the IAN
I,,aao used in the last annual Teport-sE.
Ren,oying rocks frcsR the channei near
,ae ritv Of Richmond, especially at the DOE ci.
stts rsef. dredging on the bars, ana aeposn
So tha material behind .dises construc:eo
ivy Car iha, nurrose aud partly to rect,Iy
49, nSs and contract the waterway ID Sone
xdaces where rleeoeo. ,;,,o,,, rrfortu.
The work has been .csceedipSiy un'oi,u
!, sos;np. by death, Mr.. w. u. Iurp,n,
Tho was the assistant engineer on tne fni.
or the United States and the engineer lol !ne
citv In the Joint operations for the imptove,
'ment of the river. he was pros.iseu a ny
tynboid.fe4er In October, 1919, anu any,
sosseS away quite suddenly in June, 1874.
have felt this s,rdse severely, as my relations
with Mr.. Turpsn, both official and personal,
,rrere of the most agreeable character. de
,vas an upright jealous, and efficient oncer;
In addition to this loss the work su1ered
]. another in the death Of Mr.. n. B. Randolph,
cierE and general assistant, who died IN
s February, ISs.. :, s,,na
1es feet wide. and with depth Of l59 feet
a, high water, through the Rockets. reel,
which has seen always the most serious ana
dreaded obstruction in reaching the wharves
of the city. Other dangerous masses OF foch
have also been taken out near that channei
and in other parts Of the river In the Vicih-
ity. The means used in this work are the
a. hor nil
the explosive, simple hoistiug.apparatus
fnr,ifrine the large masses, the assistance OF
divers being necessary. Much rock IL SO
shattered by the explosions as to be reduced
TO a At state for taking out by the buckets OF
the lredges. The following are reported as
the quantities removed on the reef ana
near-YiZ.:
"Nine hundred and ffty-eight cubic yards
of rock in masses. ,63l- yards in Sun all pieces,
lifted by the dredges, and $50 yards OF sand
and gravel. One pound of nitro.glycerine
has been used 10 each 2 10 cubic yards OF
rock. The nitro elyccripe is made and used
nv Mr.. c. L. Kambach, Ninety five holes
have been drilled, in length asgreSatinS sl9
feet"
The sickness and death of Dir. Turpin and
Mr.. Randolph have left the statistics OF the
wear in somewhat unsatisfactory condl-
ton. From he 1st of October, 1873, TO
June 80, 1874, about $4,000 cubic yards OF
sand and river sediment have been taken out
from The bars near the city. The principal
dixie built has bee n near Richmond bar, near
the left bank Of the river, of which Isis
feet have been completed up to June so,
1874. 1t was begun in February, 1874 A
portion of the dixie on the right bank, which
was built several years ago by Captain Mi
nor for the city, nearly opposite this new
dixie, has been taken up, as it was lmpro-
perry located, and 10 position to do injury
to the river.
a careful survey of the river, extending
from the shp-lock ut the city to Trents
reach, and including the Dutch Gap cut.off,
was commenced in November, 1873, and
completed in March, 1874, by Mr. William
Popp. Its object was to note the changes
made BY nature and art since the last maps
and the partial examinations of 1870, and
TO give the basis for careful revision OF the
estimate for the continued improvement OF
the river. Two estimates are givcn--one
for a channel $50 feet wide and ID feet deep
at high water, the other $50 feet wide and
Is feet deep at high water. 1t is only ne
cessary st present to consider the smaller
depth. The greater depth can be given
when the trade on the river requires, which
@
of the year ending June 80, 1876, will have
for their object the attainment of depth of
Is feet at high water as high as Richmond,
and of as great width AS the funds will
admit.
The appropriations by Congress have been
$4,000 July IL, 1870; 900 March 8, 1871 !;
$4,000 June 10, 1872; $4,000 March 8,
1878; $50. 600 June 90, 1874. Total, $275, 600
of which there is now available, III money
:. and property, $4,000.
The estimate OF 1870 for dredging, dikins,
and rock. excavation, for channel $50 by 10
feet at high water, was $120,OO0. Up to that
time no work had been done on the James
river by The United States. The prices in
that estimate were taken from information
obtained in Richmond, and supposed to be re-
liable. Actual experience shows them to
have been too low. Besides the work
done in dredging, dikiug, and rock.eXcaya-
ton, which were included in the estimate,
S35, 900 of the above sum were spent in re-
moving wrecks, which greatly obstructed the
channel. and So, 600 in deepening portion
of Dutch Gap cutoff to IS feet, which was
found necessary. In the report of 1870 it
was stated that, in freshet-rirer like this,
S15, 1000 would be annually required to keep
: the channel open when made. This expense
has fallen, and will fall, on the annual appro.
& priations from 1870 to 1874, inclusive. tits
: now estimated, after the experience of these
years, that the sum Of Sl17, 600 will be needed
to open channel $50 feet wide By Is feet
deep at high-water, to which add for annual
repairs after freshets, to include June 30,
1876, $4,000, and deduct 10000, the sum
now available, and We have SS7 900 rs the
sum asked for the year ending June 80,
1876.
LITTER FROM DR. MILLS.
CUSTOM HOUSE, RICHMOND, VA.,1
COLLECTORS OFFICE, August Il, 1874.
Sr.-Yeur letter to me, dated 18th utimo,
would have been answered before this, but
i desired TO procure information not then in
my possession, and which l hoped might
add weight to the rather slender data FUR
nished by the records of this office.
In reply to your FIRST inquiry-What
amount Of cust9ms-repenRe was collected at
this port during the fiscal year ending June
80, 1871 refer You to the following liz.
ures-viz: 1s71-'72, $l04G45.S3; 2s72-'73,
$72,750,G2; lS73-'74, S34,l35.29; which
show rather discouragingiy. even when it is
borne in mind that the duty on salt was re-
duced In 1879 from "A cents per LOG pounds
TO u cents per 100 pounds, and that the I'M
portation OF iron from foreign countries to
Richmond was first clrtailed by the great
advance caused by strikes in England and
next, ana as at present. kept down by the
= ELECTS OF the panic OF 1879. The amount of
merchant tonnage, on the contrary, shows
an increasing tendency. During 1873 tie
foreign commerce tonnage noted on records
OF this Office stood:
tsossign vessels l s, eatered;...2l 5-937