Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-22
SH0CK0E AND JAMES
A LIVE QUESTION CONCERNING
THESE TWO STREAMS.
How 10 Prevent Their Flooding n Section
of the City-Wbat the Engineers
Will Recommend.

| When Richmond was yet small place
and the business was ell done east Of what
is now known as Eighteenth street the
place where the market-house and its sur
roundings stand was but marsh filed
| with whortleberry- bushes.
! Those of the last generation who re-
membered it in their early days speak of
! il as "a marsb.n The road leading across
from the west was poIed. corduroy style,
! and a rude kind of drawbr1dge spanned the
/ stream known now as ShOckoe creek. One
who knew tho city in the first decade OF
| the present century SAYS he has often seen
| oyster-slOops unloading IN the creek oppo-
! site 20 what is now known as " the fish
| market" SO that this stream must have
| filed up very greatly since that time. and
! the change has been as great on the sur
! face.
In place Of the whortleberry- bushes now
! stand large business-hOuses. and where the
| frogs made the night vocal with ther
| crOaking tradesmen are now selling ther
wares. The old Bell Tavern" well known
| TO many now living, stood on the most
| eastern portion OF the elevated ground, and
| between it and the creek there was steep
I descent TO the lOwgrOunds. Beyond TINS
/ depression the incline was more gradual.
| The recent cleaning out of the channel
OF this stream suggests this scrap OF MS
/ tory. 1t may be that this work when com.
/ pleted will greatly facilitate the flow OF
water during heavy storms, such as that OF
| Wednesday, and thereby save much an
| noyance and loss 10 merchants doing busi-
ness IN that section of the city. There was
no damage on Wednesday, but much dread
among persons doing business IN that DIS
trict.
ALIVE TOPIC.
The persons who live or carry on busi-
| ness in the fat district of the Shockoo
valley have ON many occasions had ther
propertv seriously damaged bv the waters
Of the creek overlooking the banks. How
I TO prevent this IL a subject often discussed,
and the more It is handled the further
/ from solution the problem seems.
There are two causes for the overflow OF
/ the waters in the creek. One Is the fresh
| cts in the river, and the other - due 10
| local foods. The latter is more dreaded
| bv the persons who have experienced both.
When the James begins to dash and foam
I the inhabitants of the district subject TO
inundation become uneasy, and If advlces
I from the upper country are such as 10
cause further alarm the merchants and
residents have from past experience learned
/ that the best thing 10 do is 10 remove
/ goods from Easements and first hoors 10
| the upper rooms, where they escape
watery grave.
The LOCAL FLOODS.
OF course the removal of goods IN such
| haste often damages them very much ana
| there IL lots of work IN cleaning out cellars
/ and putting store floors in order after the
waters have receded, but such floods are
not so much to be dreaded as when they
/ come without an hours warning and rush
/ IN upon merchants while they are selling
| goods to customers.
In the early part of June of last year the
| Shuckoe district WAS inundated IRON the
| freshot in the river, and about two months
later the same section was Hooded from
| local rains. it was late IN the evening
when the dark clouds came over the city
and water fell III great torrents. From
every hillside and many sewers rapidly
flowing currents poured into the creek
In less time than an hour the str am over
flowed its banks. The waters filled hun
dreds of cellars and rolled up several feet
in the lower floors Of the houses. lhere
was no time TO remove anything, and the
damage to property was considerable.
COMMISSION OF ENGINEERS.
About that time the City Council pro
yided for a Committee on Shockoe Creek.
At their first meeting Mr.. Higgins was
chosen chairman and a commission OF
engineers consisting of Colonel W. +. Cut
shaw. Majors +. I'D. Myers and II. -.
Whitcomb, and Mr.. Reuben Shirreils was
appointed to report some plan whereby
the creek may be prevented from over
flowing its banks.
These gentlemen have made careiul
study of the subject. and when tine new
committee recently met and selected Mr..
Rowden chairman Colonel Cutshaw was
present and stated that the engineers re-
port would soon be ready to submit.
At that meeting the committee made an
Appropriation to clean out the stream IN
several places where the work was badly
needed and this has already been done.
PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS.
The engineers will recommend in their
report that the arches under Main and
Franklin streets and at the dock be
widoned. This viii afford the water bet
ter access TO the river and viii prevent the
overflow of the banks during local Hoods
unless they are greater than any we have
vet experienced, but will aAord no relief
| from river freshets.
The engineers came to the conclusion
| that the only way 10 prevent lnundatlon
| from freshets in the James ls TO raise the
streets in that section.
OF course this would necessitate raising
the houses. and II is not likely the proper
| ty-holders will agree TO the change very
soon. But Colonel Cutshaw Is understood
/ to he Of opinion that this work must event
ually be done. The people, he thinks,
will have to be educated to the change
! even If it takes twenty-five years 10 teach
| them that this il the only sure relief.
THE LATE FLOOD.
On Wednesday evening when the RAIN
poured down for nearly an hour the creek
rose rapidly and the inhabitants OF that
section were much alarmed. In some
places the stream came within six inches
of overlooking its banks. but the rains
stopped and the waters receded without
damage TO property.
The question OF preventing property
| from beng damaged by floods from the
upper country and from local rams Is now
a very live topic, and will doubtless, en-
| cage the attention of the City Council Tor
many years 10 come.