The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-01-17
used by vessels Of that draught only with care
and at average high water. For fourteen

| AS vessels drawing fourteen feet now come
| to this port, and as the tides are at uncertain
| intervals lessened by westerly winds, It Is oil
great importance to further widen and
| deepen the channel between Rockets reef
| and the lower end Of Richmond bar as soon as
practicable. This could probably be done, SO
| as to have channel say 100 by 16 feet, by
the last of July If the dredges were not un.
| usually interrupted by freshets. ! regard
THIS WORK.
as of more immediate importance to the city
| than any other on the river. From the ship.
| lock to the Chesapeake and Ohio coal-wbarf
the excavation, except at Rockets reef, is in
| hard clay or mari resembling decomposed
granite. and is certainly not the deposit now
brought down by the river. There is very
little sand or gravel in the channel on this
reach, and there seems to have been no trou-
blesome deposit for several years; on the
| contrary, the channel seems to be slowly
deepening. From this point down the river
| the excavation is in sand, sometimes CONAN
| ing boulders, although at iult deptbs Tue
| hard substance met with above Is sometimes
encountered. The United States force De-
gan the excavation Of the permanent chan,
mel at Goodies rock ia May, and continued
| 1t until November, when the tunds allot'eu
| to that part Of the work were exhausted.
| This shoal, around which there is channel,
but with abrupt curvature, IS composed VI
large
GRANITE B0ULDERS
| imbedded in sand. Examinations maze since
the work was suspended show that there
yet remain several of these boulders, WIN
scant fourteen feet Of water on them. lnis
channel, therefore, cannot be used sa!e!y as
yet by the larger class OF vessels coming 10
this port. These boulders were covered oy
sand until after the rock force was disbanded
and the dredges had been put to work to re-
move the sand remaining. In 1874 the
United States constructed dixie on the
north side OF the river at Richmond bar, IN
tended in part to hold dredged material and
in part TO contract the width at that poirt.
The fresbet of last spring by its effects lndi'
Gated that the river was still too wide, al
though there was an evident Improvement.
In the past year dikes running at right an
giles to and from the opposite shore. nave
been constructed for limited distance to try
the effect OF further contraction. These have
had no marked effect up to this time. Ali
that can be said is that the channel
OVER TIE BAR
has been maintained. The spring freshets
will probably indicate whether this mode Of
Improvement should be continued. AS this
bar is at the point where the current OF HOOD
tide is ordinarily neutraliZed by the river
current proper it is not unlikely that more or
less dredging will be necessary, or at some
point near it, after every considerable freslet;
but this amount may be very small when the
river is regulated to the best practicable
width.
The Dutch Gap canal is used by every
class of vessels coming TO this port except
the Old Dominion Company's steamships.
II was found to be too narrow for portion
of its length 10 be used with entire safety by
these side.Wheel ships. The depth Is ample.
THIS CANAL
was excayated several years since to low
water width Of 120 feet, but slide Wnch
took place afterwards reduced its wid b to 30
feet. and at II feet depth at low water to 10
feet. The work Of enlargement was begun
In July last, and in the present month 1t IS
hoped the work will he completed. The ca
nal will then have width at low water OF at
least $50 feet, and at ID feet depth at low wa
| ter of l5O feet. The width Of the canal will De
practically doubled, ard can then be used
safely by all classes of vessels coming 10 this
port This canal enables vessels to avoid the
sboal ia TIent's reach-the worst now
remaining in the river.
Under the head of Previous Condition OF
| the River the committee give very Srapnlc
account of the miserable state Of the river in
1869 and 1870, after the great flood, when
the work of improvement was begun 10
earnest, and they 20 on to say
THIS MUCH is GAINED.
Vessels drawing fourteen feet can leave the
~ ordinary mon tlCo,
| The channel has been widened and many
DANGEROUS ROCKS removed. The commerce
of the city has been greatly benefited. That
| a further deepening Of the channel will con-
fer still greater benefits no one will deny.
| II is we'll known that the price OF freight
nv water to and from this city has been
largely reduced from that of former years.
This NAV not be due entirely 10 the river I'M
proyement, but it is due 10 it in part. Take
| the item of coal shipped from the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad. When the roao was
opened, and until last summer, vessels couid
ONLY load to twelve feet draught. Vessels
| in this trade ordinarily draw more than this,
| but could not take full load, and conse-
ouently were forced to charge higher rates.
The increased depth of water enables these
vessels to carry 200 tons more than then with
scarcely dollar more expense, except the
increased cost of towing. The price oil
freight has been reduced fifty cents per ton,
| while twenty live cents is fair profit to the
miner. 1t is now possible to compete with
the older miues of Pennsylvania and Mary.
| q d. Richmond is but
TWELVE HOURS FROM HAMPTON ROADS
for vessels drawn by steam-tugs, and the cost
of towing is fifteen cents per ton. Ii rail-
way were built to the same point an ordi-
nary freight train on it would require eight
| hours, aud the cost of carriage, including
one extra handling, would not De less
than one dollar per TN. Ihe cos'
of such q railway with its equipment-say
So, ,000-would give twenty feet depth ol
water from Richmond to the SEQ, and mann
tain it, and, besides, 60 far towards the con
structon of dock which would accommo
date vessels of that draught.
Richmond is fairly entitled to the cheapest
and best mode of transportation for her man.
ufactures and her commerce. The improved
river will furnish 1t at a moderate cost; and
there is no other improvement, 10 my Judg.
ment, in which she is more yiially interested
and in which a more immediate return foI
expenditures can be expected.
WORK FOR THE CURRENT YEAR.
AS the appropriations on the part Of Con
gress are usually made ut the close OF ses
sions, which in this year will probably be In
July, the work Of improvement will be sus'
pended until that time unless carried on
by the city. 1t will be necessary for the
] CITY, in any event, to provide for the
care of the machinery aud its main'
tonanoe in good order for the work