The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-10-05
THE CHAMBER OF COM HERCE.
IMPORTANT MEETING OF THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Centennial Movement amaugurated-
Rtchm onts's HasSer-what Colonel
Whatcomb Thtnks ef Ht-PrOs.
pect OF Connections With
the West.

"hatcOnD RANKS 81 aG-Fros.
Dect OF Connections with
the West.
meeting of the Board CT Directors Of
the Chamber of Commerce was held yester-
day cvcning-Gcperal Joseph K. Anderson
(the prcSideutI in the chair. General Ander-
son called attention to the importance OF Vir.
ginia having her productions property repre-.
seutcd at the Philadelphia Centennial, aud
urged that the Beard taie some action 10
further that desirable end.
General Logan offered the following pre-
amblc aud resolutions:
Where's this Board has observed with sat-
istaction the plan proposed 6y trolessor
Mallet, of the University of Virginia, and
published in the Richmond Dispatch, for ex.
hib,ing at the centennial in Philadelphia ali
productions Of Virginia
Rcsolred, That this Board earnestly re-
quest his Excaency Governor Kemper to
appoint at once board o! commissioners,
with Professor MalIet at their head, and as.
sign to them the execution of the plan.
Resolced. That in the opinion of this
Board the people of the State will fully ap'
prove the act of our Governor in taking this
responsibility, and that the Legislature will
no doubt promptly appropriate the mode
rate amount which will be needed for de-
fraying the expenses of such commission.
Resotoed. That it is hereby recommended
to the people Of Richmond to contribute Tor
the use Of the commissioners an amount sui
ticient to enable them TO begin the work at
once: and that Colonel Albert Ocdway,
-, and -- are hereby appointed
committee TO take the necessary stops in con-
junction with similar committees that may
be appointed by the Corn and Tobacco EX-
changes for soliciting contributions from our
citizens for cooperating with the special com-
mission in so far as may be found eXpedient.
The blanks were filled with the names OF
General T. NJ. Logan and Mr.. K. 4 Blank
ipshp, and the preamble and resolutions
were unanimously adopted.
RICHMoND's HARBoR.
General Anderson called Mr.. <. 0. Nolt-
ing 10 the chair, and, referring to bis recent
trip 10 kentucky in the interest OF the west
ern connection Of the Chesapeake and ONO
railroad, read the following letter from Colo
mel WbitcomO, which had been furnished
him Just as he was about to leave the city
and had been OF the greatest value 10 MN
in his undertaking.:
RICHMOND, Va, September IS, 1875.
General j. Il. anderson
Dear Sir,-I send you profile of the pre-
sent channel of James river between the
Richmond dock and City Point, distance OF
about thirty.three miles. There are three
shoals below City Point, with, however,
eighteen feet on them at mean high tide. You
will see Il portion of the profile below War
wick bar colored red. This shows the bot.
tom 70 be removed to get twenty feet at low
and twentv-three ana L half feet at high tide
up TO that point.
We are now, however, working to get
eighteen feet at mean high tide at Richmond ;
not that the river will not bear greater
depth, but because it is more certain that
the means can be had to do it, and further
deepenug can be made whenever onr COM
mcrcc requires it. The mean rise and fall OF
the tide here is three and half feet.
In the past twelve months the available
depth OF water in the river has been IN
creased about three feet. AT the Chesapeake
and ONO coal wharf, II miles belo" the
dock, we now have about 10 feet at hlgh
tide, and vessels drawing over IA feet have
gone TO sea from that point without dlf1l-
Guilty. At Rockets, mile above, we have
IA feet. and at the entrance to the dock about
Is feet. This part Of the river, especially
below Rockets, appears 10 be slowly deepen.
iuv, but we are engaged in cutting a cnannel
$50 feet wide BY IS feet deep, part OF which
is complc'ed BY january next we think
the Od Dominion steamships, vessels OF
1000 tons, can come to their wharf just be-
low the dock entrance, fully loaded, an houf
al least before and after high tide.
The improvement in the river Is so de-
cided that lightering is nearly done away
with, saving considerable expense TO our
shippers. The tonnage OF vessels coming 10
this port has been increased, and is lncreas'
ng.
Ii will require about S35O,OOO to complete
this eighieen-fcet channel to the sea, To-.
cluding, however, the widening OF Dutch
Gap cutoff.
This depth of eighteen feet will be suffi'
cient for vessels in the -four and coal trade,
and for the larger part of other vessels, in'
cludi0g those now engaged IN carrying TO-
bacco TO European markets.
The improvement consists not only in ex-
cava,ng the channel, but in regulating its
width by dikes, aud wherever the river is
contracted to the proper width there is suf.
ficent depth, and that depth is maintained.
Point has several bends which may be cut
of. One has been so cut off at Dutch Gap
with a saving of five and half miles Of navi.
cation. There are two other bends below
this where saving of perhaps ten more
mile may be effected, and at an expense not
more than railroad company would be
willing to pay for a similar saving 10 dis.
tance.
The distance from the dock to the anchor
age in Hampton Roads is about 1O7 statute
mil .s, and to the Capes of Virginia 129
miles. measured by Dutch Gap cutoff.
From the Capes to Baltimore measures in
the map 1Gj miles, and from Hampton Roads,
where vessels from foreign ports often come
for orders and market to Baltimore, is 1T
miles.
The distance from Richmond to Newport
News i l02 miles by river, and by survey
ed railroad route about Is miles. Ii the
river is shortened by ten miles, as suggested,
aud more than this is entirely practicable,
the difference between rail and river, II the
road was built, would be about fourteen
salles.
The river, as improved, will have ca
nacilv for all the tonnage that all the rail-
roudS centreipg here could bring to 1t II
every one had the capacity Of the PennsVl
Vania Railroad.
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
II. y. WHITCohB,
Engineer james River Improvement fol
Richmond.
THE GOVERNMENT PETiTIoEED. .
General Anderson offered the following in
relation TO the Improvement OF James river
l.,sn Lo