Smyrna times., 1880-12-29
For the Smyrna Times.
ship Building and the Channel
of smyrna Creek.


include Smyrna creek, in the list Of Tide
water streams that are entitled to regular
appropriations for the improvement OF It's
channel.
Three conditions are however necessarily |
to be complied with to furnish data Tor that
committee to act on 80 as to secure favor
able report to Congress for whatever
amount may be asked for.
The first of these may be stated as direct |
commerce and its yearly amount.
The second, the number of vessels seek
ing shelter from storms at the mouth, |
which may be cOllated from the light keep |
ers report to the light house board, which |
report being forwarded monthly will show
cOnclusively what the committee and con-
gress would desire to know.
Thrd.-Ship Building, the amount Of
tonnage, value and draught of water, etc.
Those possibly being the arguments upon
which a favorable notice will he taken they
of course must be certified to with full and
complete statistics, showing what has been
done in each OF those departments TO Justify
any hopes of securing futher appropriations.
The two first can he readily obtained and
of the latter | propose to outline what has
been done in that department together
with what observations that fell under my
notice concerning the channel Of the creek
while engaged in that pursuit.
There was in period Of nine years,
dating from 1866. built at Smyrna Landing,
nineteen vessels Of all sizes. the estimated
value of which was $35e,000. the building
price of those vessels ranging with the ton.
mage, varied from $1,000 to $4,000 and
| giving an average $4,000 70: each vessel
/ we then have for the nine years an aggre
gate Of 100000 accrung to Smyrna from
this industry, the product however depend
! ing on the channel of Smyrna creek to get
to market, or hr delivered.
1t NAV tie answere to this that if in nine
wears this am un of vessel property could
be constructed and floated TO IN Irket, why
not in like succeeding period construct
the same amount and float to market with
the creek in its present condition?
This LOOKS the reasonable view and would
if the conlitIons were the same he the true
one, but they are not. The class of vessels
that carrie the coastwise commerce of the
United States in 1870 are not the vessels
tina. are wanted to carry the same com.
m"rct in 1880.
In the former years orders were for yes.
sells carrying rarely over GOO tons, this Of
course was 10 meet the navigation of inter.
iOr rivers along the seabOard. This necPs-
STATED peculiar style Of vessel or as the
term has it &" fiat and fui'' to carry those
cirgoes were needed in shallow rivers. But
then this design Of " fat aud full was not
the best shape for vessels that were reouir-
ed to navigate at all seasons, the most
dangerous coast on the globe, as the wrecks
that strew the bottom from Cape Cod to
Cape Carnaveral too well testify; hence
their gradual abandonment and the substi.
tuition of larger class of vessels, carrying
1000 tons and upwards, with the advan.
;age of being better sea- boats, having from
their great length easier longitudinal and
vertical lines of fotation, dispensing in
most cases with tho false principle Of a
centre lee board. Then again it was found
that the railroad system of the country was
such that cargoes could be transported TO
the interior river towns, cheaper than
those vessels subject as they were to the
delays incident to shallow navigation. Then
it was noticed that the marine capital of
the country sought investment in vessels Of
large tonnage for direct trade with the
seaport towns OF the coast, And here let us
glance back one moment over the road we
have traversed. Wesaw in 1870 the demand
for vessels such as we have built here. We
find in 1880 capital investing in vessels oil
900 tons, but no sensible man would
undertake that size vessel here, with the
mean OF the shoals 81 feet of water, and
the vessel probably drawing s feet. This
shows that practically We are out Of the
race, for the channeLof the creek is alto
gether, in its present condition inadequate
to float out vessels Of that size only at ruin.
, Gus expense, and for this reason there is
! now on stocks, building at Alexandra, Va,
within sound almost of the capitol, that
would have been built on the line OF this cree
had there been water enough to get her out.
A 900 ton vessel, this is data Of the most
convincing kind.
Then again the problem Of a free uniform
depth of channel ia one that is far from
finding n solution in the attempts hereto.
fere made by whatever system practised
And on the threshold of this inquiry let it
+ be granted, that well known law of nature
, be allowed that Bulk moving against
, bulk economists an expenditure Of Power,
; equal to that Power" And we have in
, this law the proper solution of free uni
/ form depth of channel md maintained SO
by the forces and economy of nature.
, But how is this To he done? Not solely
, by expenditure Of force with the steam
. dredge, for this is mechanical and at times
Intellectual.
The engineer as he Goats along the stream
projects the topography and locates thereon
the soundings, here feet maintaining this
, for some distance, then suddenly shelving
down to 10 feet, then along and shoaling
I again to perhaps 5 teet, and so on the
whole length of the stream. Making an
inconsistency appear that is not natural foI
IL to exist, for what causes the water 10 be
a feet in one place and then suddenly reach
, to depth Of 10 feet, why not that same
I law if it is natural, assert its power and
cause it to be one uniform depth the entire
4 distance, or why not trace ont the cause
. that keeps the 10 feet stops scooped ou
, and apply it to more shallow ones.
/ The answer is in that simple law Of
Q nature " Bulk moving against bulk" find.
r its explanation here. In applying the force
:. of the current acting against the particles
1 of matter held in solution which csrrying
\ them aleng aud thereby overcoming theiI
;. gravity until they are beyond the influence
a of the current. hence II is we find that the
/ specific gravity of sand being not only
e heavier than water but with the added
4 weight to overcome the force ofthe current
sinks aud lies inert, forming That is called
sand bars or shoals. But when James B
IS Eads, amid the SCOTS and doubts Of the
engineering world, constructed his narrow
/. parallel walls at the mouth Of the Missis
y sippi, he did but use the naighty current o
a the river to carry far out into the depths o.
y the Gulf the tiny grains Of sand that atom
upon atom and in time layer after layer o.
z sand that formed those formidable bar
If that held the products Of the fruitful
|. Mississippi valley from the commerce O
t, the world. He did but use bulk agains
rs bulk, he did but maintain q ceaseless ex
penditure of'pOwer only and at the cost o.
.. that power or in palmer language he econo
IF missed the forces that he found free il
/. So like the delta of the Missiasinni IN,