Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-07


Richmond may be judged by the results
that in Baltimore Immediately followed
the deepening Of the channel Of the Pa.
tspsco.
Thereport OF her liarbor Board, made
in the year 1881, shows that in seven
JcarE-lrQm 1872 to lS19-the I'M
po'tmvnt Of her chaouel showed a
growth Of foreign mot coastwise) ton
mage Of zoo per cent.
The cost Of sixteen miles of Patapsco
Improvement has been say $4,000, 600.
Inc cost Of the twenty-five miles OF
JameS.IiyCr improvement is estimated
at say S4,O00000. This gives for
deepening the Pataps 0 $4,000 per
mile for the James river, a depth of
only twenty-five feet, SlSS goo per
mile. But the deepening of the Clyde
from Glasgow to Greenock-segentcen
feet Cor nineteen miles--Cost s2,5lS,lj
per mile. and the Tyne, from New Cas-
tie to the Sea--Sixtecn feet for nine
teen miles-s909,472 per mile. And
this has proved in both cases to be
money well spent.
But the Clyde. with it's upper valley
hcmmed in by mountains, is only
seventy-fyc miles long, and drains not
more than Q4j square miles; whereas
James river drains district Of rather
more than 10000 sqGsre miles Of its
aillucnts, and may become the strong
competing outlet for not less than
100000 square miles of the great
West. Of the capacity Of this dis
trict TO utilize its own productions
and the foreign material that may
be brought TO it, tits suilicicnttO say that
the water-power of James river at
Richmond is calculated to be equal e
a minimum horsepower OF 2l,040 ~.
all seasons, and that above the city the
James proper for 23l miles, the Ri
wanna, the North river, and other prin-
cipal ahIuents, have not less than
/ seventy five substantial dams. Granted
a sufficient outlet. and this whole dis
uict will become a vast and varied fac
tory and workshop.
The power Of given Improvements to
create production is well known, as Is
the reactiyc demand of production for
improved outlets. The improvement
Of the harbors Of New York, Philadel-
phia. and Baltimore prove this and
Baltimore, finding her PatapScO channel
| insufficient for her needs, and the nayi-
cation Of the Chesapeake bay too dill
cult in winter and too circuitous at all
times. is willing to abandon 1t; and has
for several Years sought to substitute
it with a ship canal across the Delaware
peninsula, estimated to cost 5lj,Ouo,-
600.
In the same way New York, confess
ing that her haybor cannot accommo-
date her commerce, is now an applicant
for a large appropriation to increase
her capacity. And though she has
already received $j,t32,4NS. she is now
applyir, for not less than $1,000, 600
more.
There can be no reason why the
James river should not have a fair pro-
portion Of the money asked for these
Improvements.
As some may think that the attempt
20 establish a harbor at Viewpoints
News Will supersede the necessity Of
deepening the river, it is proper to sub
mlt the following figures, being the re-
suit Of a calculation by an expert:
Assuming the distance at - miles
and the amount Of frcigh, TO be trans
ported TO be 5000 tons. then at /
mills per mile the cost would be
Ouc tr. CEN take do~u e.sutvcs.
sells of i GOO tons tac. for say --5 90
Difference i1 favor Of tug. ......s GI5 90
There is one view Of the matter
which should interest the Federal Gov
eminent. Among its other capacities
cor manufacturing, the head Of tide on
James river offers superior advantages
Tor the building Of ships Of war and
the manufacture Of arms of every de-
scription, and especially Of heavy ord
nance. The quality Of Virginia iron
for such purposes has been well
known TO the War and Navy
Departments from 1913 up to the time
when the war broke out. The records
show that within that time the guns
made at the Trcdegar Works Of Vir-
cinia iron from the county Of Botetourt
were the only guns that stood the pow
der test, one of that make having been
fired eighteen or nineteen hundred
times without breaking. That gun is
believed to be still at the navy-yard.
In letter written on the lSt Of De-
cember last by Mr.. Samuel j. Til
den to Mr.. Carlisle, Speaker Of the
House Of Representatives, atten-
ton is earnestly called to the defence
less condition of the Atlantic coast and
the importance Of providing means for
defence by engaging the services Of pri-
vate establishments or by the establish
ment of works for the manufacture of
whatever might be necessary " to meet
this public want"
Some fears have been expressed that
the floods in James river might be fatal
to ship-bmlding from the overflow Of
the banks. FreSheS do not often Oc-
cur-seldom oftener than twice year
and then they very rarely reach a
height OF more than six feet above the
lowest deprcsSions in the alluyial ba-
sins and six inches above the most ele-
waited spots-say twelve feet above
high tide, which here rises three and
one half feet. Twice within the last
hundred years-to wit, in 1870 and
lN77-the Hood rose, in one case II and
in the other % feet above mean high
tide. But twice daily the Clyde rises
lol feet, the Tyne l. feet, the Thames
at Sherness lG feet, at London Bridge
p feet : seven inches, and the Mersey
at Liverpool rises 81 feet, or several
feet more twice daily than the James
does twice year. And though the
spring tides of the Mersey rise ordi-
narily to % feet, and at the Equi-
nox to 81 feet, or six feet higher
thanour rareSt freshes have ever risen,
and on the Thames nearly as high, yet
London has grown to be the largest
city in the world, and Liverpool to be
tbo f;rct ~, cOmuarcial innortaDca IN