The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-09-30
.HARB0R IMPROVEMENT
Something About What Is to Be Done With
the Recent Appropriation.
MORE DREDGING OF The MAIN CHANNEL
A Slice VIII he Taken OF Ports.
mouth Flats and That Shallow Sec
tion Between Primers Point and
tho Naval KospitRl-work Mt Lam.
bert's Point and Eastern Branch.

A visit to the office of the United
States Engineer yesterday resulted in
the obta lining of some interesting infor-
nation concerning the work that will be
the next year or so out OF the recent ap-
preparation OF Congress, amounting to
100000 OF which ss7.500 Will 60 to the
purpose above mentioned.
The dredging will be between Lam
bert's Point and the United States navy
yard on the Southern Branch and the
Norfolk and Western railroad bridge on
the Eastern Branch. A small amount of
dredging will be done at Sewall Point
The dredging Will be to depth of % feet
below mean low water, excepting in the
Eastern Branch, where IL will be to %
feet below mean low water. The mean
range OF the tides is about three feet.
The material to be removed is behaved
to be sand and mud. with sJme oyster
shells. The dredged materials will be
the east ward of Willoughby Spit in
Hampton Roads, or in a properly con-
struoted enclosure on shore.
In 1892 1t will be recalled the channel
from the light ship off Bushs Bluff to a
point about a mile northwest of Sc
wallis Point was dredged to q width OF
500 feet. Later. however. the sides OF
this channel caved in at points. precipi-
tating the sand toward the center in
large quantities. In 1895. this channel
was again dredged to a depth of % feet
and width OF so feet in two cuts OF 40
feet each.
There are still a number Of rough
places In this locality to be dredged or
and considerable work will probably be
done in redredging the 800 foot cut on
either side Of the so foot slice of 1895.
me corner of the shoal Immediately
north OF Lambert's Point pier will be
taken off to depth of 25 feet The
Portsmouth flats. lying between the
Seaboard wharves and the Naval Hos
pital Will be dug out to depth of 25
feet up to the limit line, or within 75
feet of the Port Warden's line The
same will be done for the flats between
Primers Point and the Naval Hospital
AS is we'll known. considerable work
has already been done in this section. q
large portion OF these flats having been
cut away out OF the appropriation of
1892. but there still remains quite an ex-
tensive margin to be disposed Of
Some work will be done in Eastern
Branch of the Elizabeth just below the
Norfolk and Western railway bridge; a
portion of Berkeley flats in that nelghbor-
hood will be shoveled out In recent
years tn" government has almost COM
pletely changed the contour of Berkeley
flats and deep water is much nearer the
shore than formerly.
No work will be done in Southern
Branch out of this appropriation. 1t is
considered that the channel there Is
amply deep for present purposes, though
1t could be deepened at comparatively
little cost and 1t is thought that this will
be done In the near future The shall
lowest portion Of the channel in South
ern Branch is &c feet at mean low tide.
which will enable the largest vessels to
proceed up the river at most any time
certainly at high tid@.