The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-10-16

AND A HALF FEET, BY JANUARY lsr-
EFFECT OF THE LATE FREsIET on TIE
CHAENEL-FAcTs AND FIGURES OF IN
TEREsT. -...,,,-.- -.-.-
In the Board OF Aldermen proceedings,
which were published IN this paper yester-
day, mention was made OF. the report OF
Dir. IA. u. ;Whitcomb, engineer OF the
recently made to the committee having
charge Of that Important work. 4, 40.
WHAT THE DREDGEs HAVE DONE. is
fWhtcomb says: '"t'a.:3r: I.
In the last current report. which was
dated July 18th ultimo, l informed your
committee that the United. States had taken
charge of the work and would use most Of
the city machinery in its prosecution. The
three dredges, two steamtugs, pile-drIver,
and nine barges have since been in service,
after some necessary repairs had been made.
Two OF the dredges and the pile-driver
were worked In July, and the three dredges,
pile-driYer, and the United States rock
drilling and removing machinery from
August 1st to the present time -
There have been excavated from Rock
etts reef 34S cubic yards solid rock, and
1,1S0 cubic yards Of detached and soft rock.
The superintendent, Mr. f. G. Hall, re-
ports to-day that down to the Brewery
wharf there is ."~ I'll" .'.f..." .
4 CHANNEL AT LEAST FIFTEEN FEET DEEP
at high tide, and fifty to sixty feet wide.
Below that point for about fifty feet the
channel with this depth is thirty feet wide,
and when one point is removed this part
viii also be fifty feet wide. Thus far this
force has been engaged mainly in removing
lumps in the channel. and wherever any
work has been done the depth has
been made at least 10 feet at low tide or
1Ss feet at high tide. 1t will require bat
little more work to open this narrow chan
mel to 16A feet, and this we expect to do be-
fore January 1st; but the most pressing
work at this point now would seem to be 4
widening rather than deepening Of the
channel. ~.
MATERIAL REMOVED FROM DREWRY's ISLAND
CUT. ....
We have removed from Drewry's island
cut, which is just below the Chesapeake and
Ohio railroad wharves, 23,510 cubic yards
Of mixed material and $50 cubic yards OF
large boulders. The mixed material Is
sand, cobble-stone, small boulders, and de-
composed rock, and most Of the dredging
has been exceedingly hard. The channel
has been further contracted by several new
wing dams and the extension OF old work,
and I,122 feet have been built. / have mea-
sured the channel at seven points since the
freshet OF September 18th, and find chan
mel 1Gt feet at high tide from 120 to 10 feet
wide, and 10 feet at high tide from 200 to
800 feet wide. This channel is being cut
down to 1S9 feet depth; the bottom is very
hard, and may have to be blasted in places.
EXTENSION OF WING-DAMs.
We have extended the wing dams on
Richmond bar also; but only three had been
extended at the time of the freshet. No
excavation has been made. I measured the
channel after the freshet at five points. The
channel has everywhere Is feet at
high tide, its width for this depth
being 10 feet minimum and 40 feet max
imum. There is no good reason to doubt
that this bar will have 163 feet channel after
the next considerable freshet. ..
1t is intended to further contract the wa
ter-way on Randolph's flats, but no work
has been done there as yet. | measured the
channel at what is believed to be the shoal.
est spot after the freshet, and found 4 chan
mel 16s feet for so feet width. The width
at Is feet depth was not measured except
at this point, it is probably not less than 250
feet anywhere on this shoal. a.
sHoAL SPOT.
Between Randolph's flats and Warwick
bar there is shoal spot with 153 feet, only
for short distance. Warwick bar seems
to have improved-i. e., the channel, lC5
feet dcep, has widened since last March.
The shoa in Kingsand's reach has only
155 feet at high tide, and is not improving.
I have orders to construct wino-dams there
as soon rs it can be done in justice to the
work near the city. 1t may be done the
last Of October.
THE WORK OF WIDENING DUTCH GAP.
The work Of widening Dutch Gap cutoff,
above water, has been let to MIR. NJ. &.
Heggarty. The underwater part is not yet
under contract. Mr.. Heggarty has begun
work on his contract.
The statements made in this report war-
rant me in stating that there is now prac-
tcable channel from Richmond to the sea,
with Is feet at high tide, and that below
Rockets reef this channel has width enough
to be used with entire safety with only Or
dinary care.
EXPENDITURES.
In July / reported balance of the ap- ..
preparation by the City Council re.
naming Of ......S2,OoU 81
Bills for repairs have since been pre- ... ...,
sented as follows:
- August lSt. ................S3SU If
September 1St............ 344 - 20
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