The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-11-07
THE RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
Effect Of the October Frssshet ON the
s.'. Woraz. .

VI. .Ft.
MONTHLY REPORT OF THE ENGINEER
WORK DONE BY,THE UNITED STATES
ANDETHE CITY-NEEDED APPRoPRIA.
TIoN-THE PROMISED ,sIxTEEN-FooI
| CHANNEL. CoMpLETeED-WHAT is NOW
NEEDED-GOoD RESULTS FROM THE
+ wING-DAMS SC. &c --S7e, sv.
In the Common Council on Monday night
Dir. Hargrove submitted the monthly report
of Major Fl. D. 'Whitcomb, Engineer OF the
James River Improvement, which was re.
committed TO the committee.
During the month the city has kept In
commission steanl-tug, two dredges7 and
seven barges. The United States has Kept
in commissiena steam-tug, one dredse, pile
driver. and two barges-allS except one
barge being the property OF the. city. The
rock-drilIing machinery is still in Peters
burg ut work on the Appomattox. r.,
= The dredses employed by the city nave
completed the 80-ioot channel over Ran
dolph's fat to Is feet depth at high tide,
and have made one cut OF q feet, and TWO
thirds OF second over Richmond bar to
the same depth. The third cut, which ~.ii
| make this channel also 80 feet, should be
4 COIQplGUII Dy tuC tOGu lhStdHts h>1S " 80
then remain slight cut, averaging less
than half a foot for 400 feet in length; on
Warwick bar, to complete the 16-foot chan
mel to Rockets reef. With ordinary work
ing weather this should be done in the pre-
sent month (October). =. ..,,...
WORK DONE BY THE UNITED sTATEs-wIsG-
| DAMS.
The dredge employed by the United
4
States. has worked on Rockets reef, an
has removed some Of the projecting points
which have limited the draught over the
reef to fourteen feet. There is fair pros
pect for removing all these points which
have less than fifteen and half feet at high
tide, and possibly to sixteen feet during
the present month, and if so the new depth
OF channel will be available to the wharyes
at Rockets, and within half foot OF the
available depth over Harrison'S bar. There
may be points too hard for the dredge to re-
move, however, and without another appro-
priation the United States cannot resume
work with the drilling machinery. The
United States has also continued the work
Of building wing-dams, and in short time
will have covered the wide parts OF the
river from the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
road wharves to the crest OF Warwick bar,
although in several places. the widths be-
tween the dams are greater Than they should
be. Iregret, says the Engineer, also that we
will not be able to protect all of these dams
with the material we now have means to
dredge.
The city has dredged and deposited on
these wing dams during the month i.
From Randolph's Flat. l,635 c. J.
From Richmond Bar. ......7,slO c. y.
C. y.
The United States has dredged and raised,
with the aid OF the driver, from Rockets
reef 304 cubic yards OF rock, cobbe-stones,
decomposed rock, &c.
THE s1xTEEN-FooT CHANNEL-APPRoPRIATI
NEEDED. ...-- ....
The amount dredged by the city is but
little over three fourths OF that reported
last month. This is due to the long haul
OF the material, for during the greater part
OF the month there were not barges enough
to supply the dredges. We have remedied
this want in part, but ought to have two
new barges, at least, to carry on the work
with economy. ..-...... - 7
The dredging which the city has been
doing since june on Richmond bar and
Randolph's fiat is the first done there since
July, 1875, iwhep, after the freshet Of that
wear, small amount was done.to reduce the
crest of the e-baf- to about fifteen feet. This
present redging is to carry the depth to six
teen feet, and might haye been unnecessary
if the usual spring freshet had occurred.
The United States carried on the work
in October, but will be obliged to suspend
in November. Those best advised on the
subject do not expect an additional appro-
priatlon on the part Of Congress until near
the close OF the next session. 1t is very
desirable to widen this sixteen-foot channel,
il for no other reason than to complete the
protection of the wing-dams by dump
ing the dredged matter on them. 1t is de-
sirable to keep the machines at work at
least until the weather becomes unsuitable,
or until January. It will require $4,000
ito do this. and at all events it will require
$3.50 to properly watch the machinery after
it is laid up. The sum mentioned would
make the channel $50 feet wide below
Goodies rocks, or would widen the present
channel above the Chesapeake and Ohio
Railroad wharyes, and afford good, hard
material to rivet the wing-dams against the
action of winter freshets. ...
EFFECT OF THE OCTOBER FREsHET.
The Engineer, in supplemental state
ment. saws considerable rise occurred in
the month of October, and the effect on the
channel, so far as he has aScertained, will
be interesting to the committee. We can
give. says the Engineer, The exact rise at
every hour when the tide-register is taken.
October 1st: The highest observed rise at
Rockets was 13 9-10 feet above zero on the
morning Of the 9Th, or 10 40 feet above
ordinary high tide. On yesterday October
11th) low tide was $40 above zero. We
have taken line of soundings in the CEN
ire OF the channel from the ship-locks to
below Warwick bar, and have taken cross
soundings on Richmond bar, Randolph fiat,
and most OF Warwick bar. ~
IobserYed no deposit in the channel until
near the Chesapeake and Ohio coal wharf.
Just above and opposite the wharf there are
but Is feet at high tide for short distance.
The channel opposite Drewry's island, re-
Gently dredged, has nearly everywhere a
depth Of 163 feet. One point only as low as
16 feet at high tide have not examined for
width. The cut at Goodies rocks remains
open to the full depth Ct cut-164 feet.
THE wING-DAMs AND THEIR EFFECT.
On Richmond bar, one cut of say 2S feet
width to 16t feet at high-tlde had been com.
pleted, and a second cut Of same width
lacked only 800. feet Of completion. This
cut has been partially filed, but the whole
bar has been scoured-much less on the
crest than aboveand below Generally, the
channel has moved to the eastward, where
there is now deeper water than in the part
Il Nhn oh foho al Inv,fh rive