Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-01

| operators have acquired additlonA eW-
cheney by experiences with the large beard
put in year ago; aud II Ia believed that In
the amount OF work done, the number OF
calls answered, and the promptness with
which subscribers are served, Ricbnond has
q telephone service that Is not surpassed any
| where.
Some interference has been noticed vita
| the working Of the telephone wires yhie u
run In close proximity to the wires OF ms
electric.lioht system. The management -
both the Electric Light and Telephone cote
panies have given much attention 10 plar
for obviating the trouble from this "indae.
tion," and have partially succeeded. ~ VIII
be found that practice renders subscribers,
10 q great extent, independent OF the noise
produced by the electric-light currents; Dut
we are assured tat every effort Will con-
tinue 10 be made to reduce IL 10 a minimum.
A greater increase than In the year Just
closed, IN the number OF subscribers, APP
pears to be probable during the year 1883.
IMPROVEMENT OF JAMES RIVER.
The funds for the improvement OF the
James river are furnished partly by the
United States Government aud partly by the
city OF Richmond, Colonel William z. Craig
hill, corps OF engineers United states army,
having charge. Mr.. G.. z. 4. Burgwyn Is
the assistant engineer in local charge OF the
Government works. Captain Thomas Cum
ningham. ST., IS the superintendent Of the
city work. The aim OF the United states
engineers is TO obtain a depth OF twenty-five
feet at low tide from Richmond to the sea.
Owing 10 the failure OF the last river and
harbOr bill to become a law. the work car
ried on during the past year was done with
the money that had been saved up in the
previous year, and consequently operations
were necessarily restricted. Much, how
ever, was accomplished with the little that
was available. The work was concentrated
near Richmond, snd consisted In extending
the present ietties further on. into the river
and in building new ietlies and connecting the
ends OF the letties by means OF brush dyke;
in dredging in between the ietties in order
10 accelerate the natural scOur, and at Kings
land Reach In order TO remove bar tenn
pOrarily obstructng the channel; also, in
blasting and removing rock from the chan
mel at Goodies rock, commencing on the
Henrico side OF the river at Randolph flats
and running down the channel, series OF
iettics were built, which in connection with
those built on the opposite side made unl-
form alignment OF the artificial bank, and
now consists OF a series OF perfect curves.
The width Of the river is thus regulated to
the exact requirement that long and careful
study shows to be necessary in order to MAN.
tain the depth IN the construction Of this
work there were built about 1000 linear
feet OF new ietties and about 10000 linear
feet OF brush dyke. A total extension OF
about 1000 feet was also made in certain Of
the old ietties.
At Kingsland Reach operations consisted
in dredging. -Four cuts were made through
the ShOa TO sixteen feet at low walLr. There
were removed 3f,jl0 cubic yards OF sand
and gravel. 246 powders, fity-nine logs. and
much wreckage, being the greater part OF two
vessels sunk here during the war. The
channel is made over 100 feet i'm width. The |
main cuts were 2,4l3 feet long, the side cuts
being shorter.
At Randolph flats the dredging was made !
to - feet at low water; 1850 cubic yards |
sand were eXcayated and deposited behind /
the ietties. rhe distances gone over in the |
cuts were: First cut, 3,j25 feet; second cut, |
3,I4j feet; third cut 1907 feet; fourth cut, |
900 feet; width OF the four cuts about $50 |
feet.
At Searn's dyke the dredging was carried |
to IS feet low water. The material moved |
utlt " a. Vi u vel Hhlu NudidtltI, ptlhG Ci-
lirely composed OF original b0ttOm--i. e., no |
sand. This material was utilized iorriyetlng |
the jetties and dyke work. and this work |
served the double purpose OF deepening the |
channel and preventing the dykes from wash |
ing out. The distance gone over was 900 |
feet in one cut p feet wide. The material |
eXcayated was gravel and decomposed rock, |
and amounted TO S,46J cubic yards gravel, |
1910 cubic yards rock, and 1865 powders.
In addition to the above dredging a pOr. |
ton OF the channel was put through Goodies |
rock. The material eXcayated here was solid |
rock, requiring drilling and blasting. Two |
hundred and ninety holes were drilled, az |
gregating 2,j9G feet in depth. The distance /
gone over was one cut 80 feet WIDE, 24j feet |
long, and the material was taken out 10 a !
depth OF - feet at low water. The number |
Of cubic wards removed was ESQ. All OF |
this heavy material was utilized IN weight /
ing down the dykes and ietties.
In addition 10 the aforementioned works, /
careful surveys were made Of the area OF the |
river undergoing improvement so as to see
what were the results Of the work.
1t was rather surprising to find that be-
tween Dire gry's Bluff and Dutch Gap, when
q comparison was made by supervising the
deep line OF 1887 upon the deep line OF 1874,
that comparison showed there had been no
deterioration in the lines, and so far from the
iettes above having washed all the material
into this space the contrary was the case, for
the material secured out bad not lodged
here. On the other hand, the comparison Of
the physical conditions in 1887 and 1874
showed that vast deposit had taken place in
The bend arouna Dutch.Gap cutoff. Asthis
ls entirely removed from nayig CATION the great
Dutch-Gap bend may be regarded rs the
safety valve for the deposit OF the upper
river. The quantity OF material deposited
In there during this interval has been esti-
mated to be over 100000 cubic yards.
As a depth is not available for navigable
purposes until it has been made over the en-
ire distance it is only possible to report the
,ame nayIgsble depth as last year-vIz.,
I6 feet at high tide, although the work done
Is large, ana will help most materially an-
other year.