The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-06-04
completion Of Union-Hil avenue.

The Committee on Health to buy mule, te
be paid for ont OF the fund received from
the sale Of ashes. Agreed 10. .
by DIR. Taylor: A resolution to pave anC
grade alley between Sixth an d Seventh ant
Main and Cary streets. Referred.
| by Mr.. Pollock: a resolution to pave
gutter on Charity street between First ant
St. james. Referred.
| by same: A resolution 20 pave guttei
on east side OF st. Peter street from Jack
son so as 10 abate nuisance, &c. Referred
| BY DIR. Rankin: An ordinance to pro
| vide that hereafter articles OF mcTchan1is.
shall be sold by weight. Referred.
| THE-IEcHMoNp AND ALLEGsANy RAILROAD.
DIR. Straus read the following:
OFFICE RICHMOND AND ALLEGHANY3
tasss RAILROAD COMPANY, ~
| RICHMOND, June 2, 1879.
Messrs. Sfraus, Higgins, and Cannon:
at the recent meeting OF the creditors OF
the James River and Kanawba Company j,
was suggested that the corporations should
! be LETT out Of the terms OF any general set.
Element, at least until the effort to settle
! with the individual creditors had so far adj
vanccd as to establish a basis. The effort
| has met witksome success, and rs soon as
it may be clear that we can agree we shall
want an early conference with the city.
AIN not informed how often the boards
meet, and would ask il it be proper that
some persons be authorized TO consult with
our company upon this subject, or some
other provision be made to secure an early
conference. Our time for negotiation is
| limited. but we have Telt that we ought to
be reasonably certain Of reaching the ordi-
nary creditors before we extended the ne
EQUATION. VERY reSnectfulty .' .
Fl. G. PARSONS, Vice-president.
Mr. Straus offered the following: ..
Re$0tred Qhe Board OF Aldermen con-
cnrringl, That the Committees on Finance
and Water be, and ere hereby. authorized
TO confer with the representatives Of the
Richmond and Allegheny Railroad Com
pany with reference to the bonds OF the
james River and Kanawha Company held
by the city, and the first level OF the canal;
but nothing contained in this resolution
shall give lhe said committees any authority
to make any contract with said company
unless approved by the Council.
Agreed to.
REDUCTION IN PRICE OF GAS.
Nr. Curtis. from the joint Committees on
Light and Finance, presented the follow
ing:
ReSolued, That it is inexpedient at this
reducing the price OF gas for the present
fiscal year, the appropriations baving been
made: and there being resolution now be-
fore the Committee on Light looking to the
reduction OF the price of gas for the next
fiscal year. the joint committee deems it
proper 10 await the action OF that commit
tee on the subject, and leave the matter to
the Council when that report comes IN.
Laid on the table, on motion Of Mr.. Hig-
gins.
PLEA FOR JAMES RIVER.
Mr.. Curtis presented the following from
the Committee on James-RiYer Improve
meni. which was read:
OFFICE JAMES. RIVER IMPROVEMENT,
RICHMOND, VA, May %, 1879.
To the Honorable Aldermen and Common
Council Of The City Of Richmond:
At meeting OF the James-Riyer I'm
provcment Committee held last evening the
undersigned were instructed to memorial
ize your honorable body on the Importance
OF carrying on the work OF Improvement
on james riy er, and to ask for an appropri-
alton for that purpose.
The appropriation made by the Council
in Marca is insufficient to protect and main-
tain the machinery when out OF use. and
only from $4,000 TO $4,000 OF it will remain
unexpended by June 10Th.
The appropriations by Congress now
available are nearly exhausted, as the S15,-
600 appropriated by the last Congress is
withheld, and may be for several months
| longer. All work oil the river will cease
the last OF this week, and no work, except
al Dutch Gap Cut-Ot, has been done since
| last December.
1t will require about 1850 month, ex-
| elusive OF repairs, to protect the machinery
until il will again be needed by the Gov
| ernmcnt. twill require $500 month to
work two dreGGes, tug, and pie-dry
or, leaving out the pile-driver, S2,l0O. 1t
will be seen, therefore, that we could work
with the above force for one month, and
then project the machinery for about three
months longer, il the appropriation on the
part Of the United States is not available
sooner. But nothing more than running
repairs could be made, and we should be
under the necessity OF applying to the
| Council 1T that time for means 10 merely
protect the machinery.
: The condition OF the channel near Rich
mond in March was as follows, and we have
no reason to think there has been any ma
terul change for better or worse since then /:
| In the channel over Rockets reef, ut high
tide. for q minimum width OF sixty feet,
! l5I feet; on Richmond bar, 1G feet; ut the
| beud OF Randolph's flats, 500 feet length,
| Il feet: elsewhere there were 16s feet, or
over, ut high tide.
The removal OF perhaps 90 cubic yards OF
rock on Rockets reef would give clear
channel 60 feet wide and 1G4 feet deep !;
and ninety days work OF two dredgcs on
the other shoals would give ut least this
dertb for i2O feet in width; we should, III
fact. make the channel much deeper than
this.
TO show how much the river has been
improved since 1870 1t is only necessary to
refer YOU to the report OF committee OF
1873, where the evidence is given to show
that after the food OF 1870 only 103 feet
draught could be brought to the city at
| high tide, and for several months the larger
| New York steamers ceased to run TO the
city. Previous to that food the greatest
depth which could bo brought to the city
was 11t feet, and besides this, "the river
was nretty full OF rocks and distractions"
And we are informed that foreign vessels
even now come to this port with printed in
structions that only IL feet can be carried
TO the city.
The flood OF 1877, which rose eighteen
inches higher than that OF 1870, actually
benetjted the channel near Richmond, ow-
inc. we think, to the effects OF the wing
dams and dikes. The shoal in klnglands
Reach, ten miles below the city, was in
creased and was dredged out, but there was
no detention to anv vessel except one Whlch
struck on the shoai, drawing hiteen Ieet:
The vessel was taken to the Chesapeake ana
IL. FILL nn-San