The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-12-25
WIN COST sI.OOO. ana.
The improvement of the Dismal swamT
Canal.

]
Canal.
At the Office Of the Lake Drummond
Water Company, in Baltimore, Nj, to-
day bids for ~ work Of improving the
Dismal Swamp canal. between the Pas
quotank and Elizabeth rivers. and OF Lake
DrummOnd. will be opened. The cstimat-
90 cost iOr completing tins work is about
81 10000.
rho opening Of this canal IN accordance
with the plans OF the company Is mat
ter Of the greatest importance 10 Norfolk
as well as North Carolina, for when 10 la
carr led out vnst area Of hitherto unused
country IN the Pasquotank section Will
be made more valuable, by reason of the
excel mt advantages thus anording for
good drainage. IL also means that am
other profitable feeder 10 Norfolk's COM
merce will be established
10 will be remembered that Congress
has appropriated the sum OF 5000 FOR me
purpose of surveying this work, aud this
survey has been going on for some time.
engineers being now engaged IN pushing
the matter through. These engineers Will.
it is asserted, complete their work about
the end Of the present week.
The company owning the property Us
hopeful of getting the United States Gov
eminent to make an appropriation for the
canal in those portions Of b. known a.
Turner's cut. which is probably six miles
in length from the Pasquotank river 10
South Mills dam. and from Deep Creek
down TO the Elizabeth river, distance OF
four miles, more or less.
At present the canal IS operated by
means Of q series Of locks, and IL Is pro-
posed TO drodge and widen IL so as 70
make il a waterway Of uniform depth
and breadth from the Pasquoiank 10 the
Elizabeth rivers The main object Is TO
abolish the Culpeper and Wallace locks,
and 20 renew and enlarge the SOuth Mlls
lock and Deep Greek DAM
This will give a depth of ten feet OF
water all through the canal, and at no
point along the water course will the
breadth Of The bottom be less than sixty
feet.
The onormity Of the work is plainly evil
denced when the fact Us taken into con
sideration that the amount Of excavation
to De made will be about four or I'VE mill
lion square yards. Five powerful steam
dredges. costing $1,000 each, will be en-
plovcd i'm the work Four Of these viii
have a capacity Of 1900 square yards per
day each one Of these dredges, the
buckets of which are Of special pattern,
owing 10 the roots, &c, which viii be
encountered. will be put 10 work improv-
ing the feeder 20 the canal which has us
beginning i'm Lake Drummond. This feed
or is three and one-half miles In length
and twenty feet wide. and viii Doe eXca.
waited so as to give 10 depth OF about
ten feet. The lake will be- dredged 10 this
depth.
II is thought that the company win ul-
timately augment Norfolk's water supply.
as water OF splendid quality IT. contained
I'm the Lake of the Dismal Swamp"
The above information was obtained hy
a Landmark reporter yesterday from Mt
John " Adams. p civil engineer OF wide
experience, and who has recently taken
up his residence in Norfolk Mr. Adams
was seen in his Office, in Water street
yesterday and talked freely on the sub
ioct. IL was De who went over the ground
and estimated the cost of the proposed
work detailed above. Mr.. Adams is
native of Scotland. and was FOR seven
years resident engineer Of the Manchcs-
ter England water works. which Is said
TO be one Of the finest establishments oi
it's kind I'm the world lie was also enein-
cor In charge Of the construction Of tho
Manchester ship canal which rs consider
ed hy experts enc Of the Hnf4t pieces pi
modern civil engineering in existence. MY.
Adams e. also extensively enfaHed 10 va
rious mining operations In Virginia and
ponnsvlvania. and is thoroughly CONVEX
SAINT with matters pertaining 10 the dis
coverv. opening and operation Of mines
He is also an acknowledged authority on
scientific matters connected with his pro-
fesslon. and has contributed able articles
on numerous subjects 10 the leading scien-
ufc journals.
Mr.. Adams saws that from his expercn- |
COS in other enterprises OF Ike charac-
ter. he H. convinced that II the Dismal |
Swamp canal IL successfully put in opera
ton according TO the above plan, IL means |
a great and permanent good 20 this sec
ton OF Virginia.-Norfolk Landmark.