Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-01-01
IMPROVEMENT OF JAMES RIVER.
A Gain of Over One Foot in Deptl'-Widen'
Ing the Channel.

The work on the Improvement OF James
river. under appropriations from inc
United States. begins at the lower cry
limits. and Is under the charge OF Coiohei
william Il. Craighill. United States bh-
pineer Corps. and Mr.. Ii. d. WhitcomD'
resident engineer.
In the past year the work has been
prosecuted under a contract with Captain
John A. Curtis, begun December. lo'-' anu
will terminate I'm February, 1879.
The amount of work done In the past
year ending November 30th. was the re-
movol of 81. 4S6 cubic yards or earth ana
cobble. ~. sG4 cubic yards Of soft and soma
rock. and the construction OF 3,loo nhehi
feet NJ wing-dams Nearly IS per cent.
Of the rock removed had required blast
inc There remained December LIST about
900 cubic yards to be removed to COM
nlete the channel S0xlS feet at low tide
from the city line to the lower end Oh
richmond Bar. OF which fully one nan
is above the Richmond Chemicai-" orhs'
NO RISE SINCE MARCH.
From Richmond Bar to City Point there
ar IL feet at low tide, except on two
shoaIs-Varina and Curtis Neck-where as
vet there are but l6 TO ltia rect. Inc wing
dams contracting the waterway on these
shoals were completed In March, ana IL
was expected that the usual fresnets
wou,d produce IS feet on them by this
time bur there has been no rise in the
river since March to produce sufficient
current. The tidal currents have had
some beneficial effect.
The channel in Dutch Gap cut-on is
now fully I40 feet by from Is to Y feet
deep.
The channel through Harrison's Bar
| has been widened 80 feet and made 2VoxiS
| feet. The channel at Goose-Hill Flats
| has been cleaned out 160 feet in width to
| IS feet and over.
MORE THAN A FOOT GAINED.
The results of the years work are an
| increase in available depth for navigation
| 10 the city OF more than foot; the new
| channel at Goodies Rocks, 50 by at least
| IS feet, will be opened to navigation IN
| a few days. and the channel Is wider ano
| otherwise better elsewhere.
The Goodies Rocks cut has been In pro-
| gress since April, 1857, and has required
| the removal of 5000 cubic yards OF rock
| The available depths for navigation al
| low tide are IS feet from the sea to City
| Point. IS feet thence to Richmond Bar
| and IS feet to the city. At high tide there
1 =
| and from 8 to 3ls feet more above City
| Point.
A few ordinary freshets and the removal
| Of the 1000 cubic yards mentioned Will fur
| nish IS feet depth Of water for navigation
| at low tide from the sea to the city line
TO WIDEN THE CHANNEL.
| A contract has been made with MI
| p. Sanford Ross. Of Jersey City. FOL
| widening the so-foot channel from th'
| city line to Richmond Bar to LOO feet
| for the more complete removal OF tht
| military distractions placed at Drewry's
| Bluff in 1851: for widening In the crest Of
| Harrison's Bar to $50 feet and deepening
II to q feet. and for widening the chan
| mel at Goose-Hili Flats 70 200 feet. The
| contract terminates in June. 1886.
/ Slr. Ross intends TO use heavy stee
| chs,els instead Of drilling and blasting
| In breaking up the granite found within
two miles Of Richmond. This msthod hal
been used with success on the Hudson
| river Improvement between New York and
Albany In the past two years. and hal
made rock excavation less troublesome z
navigation than whsss explosives hav'
! bsen used.