The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-19
WORK AT BOSHER'S DAM
NEEDED REPAIRS BEING MADE UN-
DER MIR. BOLLTXG'S SUPERVISION.
To Keep James River In Its Boundaries
Coffer-Dam Almost Compieted-How
the Damage VIII be Repaired.

Coffer-Dam Almost Compieted-How
the Damage VIII be Repaired.
For some Weeks past force OF men
of Ne Water Department OF the cry OF
Richmond has been busily engaged at
Rosher's Dam, near what Is known as
the old Nine-NIile lock, TO make some
necessary repairs to some of the mason
~ work. Mr.. Charles +. Boiling. the
Superintendent of the City Water-Works,
visits the place at least three or four
times a week, directing the work, ana,
thanks to his prompt. active, and timely
Interference the expenses OF the city
will be reduced to a minimum.
Being DESTROYS OF personally informing
myself of the progress which the work Is
making. | accompanied Mr.. Boiling yes
terday morning in one of his visits to the
inspection to Boshers dam. We left the
city bright and early. and a drive OF
about an hour and a half brought us to
our destination, where we found the men
hard at work. Bosher's dam forms the
headwater for the water supply Of the
city of Richmond. big and massive
stone dam of 800 feet length is at that
point stretched across the James river.
thereby bringing about depth OF twelve
feet in the river. just above the dam.
In order to protect and strengthen this
dam. wing wall. consisting Of huge
stones, has been constructed a each end.
running parallel with the land. All this
stone work was constructed shortly be-
fore the war. about ISIS. but long before
that time, on two different occasions.
dams had been constructed OF timber ana
logs, heavily bolted. apparently for SINH
lar purposes. one OF them as early as
1873
COvLRED BY THE RIVER.
When the stone dam was being con-
structed, ii was carried to greater
height than the two wooden structures,
and the latter, which were left I'm their
places, were soon completely covered by
the liver. The wing wall on the Rich
mond side has the shape of the letter l.,
with the point towards Richmond. and
the shorter end leads to terra firma. Al
the direction Of the late Fish CoNmis-
sioner. Mr. Mcdonald. two locks were
constructed in the shorter end OF this
wing wall. and just below il large fish
traps were placed by the Commissioner
I'm connection with some ingenious de-
vice in the shape OF buckets. by which
1t was thought that fish could be easily
conducted from below the stone dam
into the river above it,
During the construction OF this wing
wall II was not deemed necessary to re-
move that portion OF one of the log dams
which had 10 be covered, but the new
masonry was laid on top Of these logs.
and the big boulders that aided In keep
ing the former In place. Near this wing
wall there was constructed about the
same time a head dam across the old Ka-
nawha canal which was provided with
six locks. and channel leads from this
head dam about quarter OF mile above
into the James river In this manner
and by means of the canal the city Of
Richmond derives the necessary water
power for the driving of its pumping
machinery at the new pump house.
TO PROTECT THE IowLANDs.
In the course OF Cine the river succeed
ed in working its way through the mas
sive wing dam, where it crosses the old
log dam, and. In looking over the STUD
ton some three months ago. Superin-
teadcnt Boiling became convinced that
substantial repairs would have to be made
at once in order to protect the lowlands
on this side of the river just below
Bosher's Dam. rom becoming flooded, il
not completely destroyed. He submitted
the matter TO the Committee on Water
and was authorized to set his hands i'm
mediately to work.
Being unable to ascertain at the be-
ginning the exact spot where the break
age occurred. a dam was stretched frori
the land into the river. just in front OF
the shorter end OF the wing dam, wnicn
contained the two locks put I'm by Com
missioner Mcdonald This work did not
remedy the evil, and Mr. Boiling next
had a coffer-dam constructed from thu
shore in the shape Of a right angle, and
on a line with the long end OF the wing
dam. When this coffer-dam had been
completed, which prevented the river
from touching the outside of the shorter
end OF the wing dam. IL became apparent
that only a few OF the leaky places had
been located. and that the larger portion
Of the water had worked it's way through
the longer end Of the wing dam, presum-
ably at the very point where 1t crosses
the old logs and boulders.
II became. therefore, necessary 10 con-
struct another coffer-dam of larger di-
mensions. which leads from the shore
outside Of the wing-dam, down the river
10 the masonry of Bosher's dam. Ine
construction of this new coffer-dam has
been pushed with great diligence during
the past few weeks. and II will probably
be completed within a few days.
When we reached Boshers dam yester-
day morning the men We're engaged I'm
removing the boulders and logs from the
bottom OF the river within the space TO
be taken up by the coffer-dam.
This dam IL lined on both sides with
two-inch planks. and the space between
them a thickness OF about four feet Is
being filed in with clay in order 10 lay
the wing wall which is in it's entire
length surrounded by the coffer-dam,
dug low to its very foundation. one Of
the men was vested I'm a divers costume,
and descended from time to time 10 the
bottom OF the river 10 lay claim around
boulders or logs. which were at once pulled
to the surface by the means OF a large
derrick.
As soon as Mr.. Boiling reached the spot
he noticed how the structure of the cof-
fer-dam had bulged out towards the ma
sonry Of the wing wall. and he had i'm
mediately some additoual braces put in
TO counterfeit the pressure of the water
from the other side. The coffer-dam has
a length of seventy feet and depth
of twelve feet and. considering that the
pressure of the water is sixty-four feet "
the square foot, the entire pressure OF the
river against the coffer-dam is 53,7t9 feet.
IL could already be seen yesterday
how the river had worked its way through
the longer end of the wing wall and un-
~ in nl3CfS