The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-15
PETERSBURG TO
RECEIVE PROFIT
Cockade City Nov Seems Sure of
liarbor Improvement.
THOUSANDS ARE APPRoPRlATE Ed
The City Contributed Largely Toward
securin. a NaviEable Stream,
but Mistakes were Discovered
and tho Work Stopped.

PETERSBURG, VA. April l4-specla1.
II begins 10 seem probable mat lne CITY
10 Petersburg is at last to really receive.
some benefit from her money .''"'
bcan iudiciously and in1ndiclousiy si'''ie
in the Improvement of the APPoii'aA'oA
river, AS Ear back as 1880 a movement
was on foot TO invest some OF inc ''on'te
funds for the Improvement OF naS's'atioi''
,,,,t tho rnaatcr languished and died before
,n,,,, had been accomplished. About
1850 interest In the river revived. anu 'ne
ojty Maid the expense oil extensive extensive 49, -
and photographic work done ny e
United states Coast-SurNcy once. e ,..'ae,
crinc tho APPROPRIATION ana aojacen. -. nc
from the falls ITO CITY ioiiis' ,rb;s is
,.iycr cmpties into the James. his
Ia ~ l,e the only instance OF Guy
,.,i,,,,,,,rsiu1- The General Government 40.
,,,,,i, ,,o,l, The result WAS a rne ioi'o-
rraphical map OF the sectaon o. cou 49,,
nI,a a chart of the river. published apout
49,; The city then commenced oreus!ti,
Tho ha1.bor and making ellor1s 10 eo' MY =.
the flow of the Wsate! o!. tis - e.., - 81 ~,
traininE-walls. Jsnt the war put d s.op
20 tl,a nyor,, before much had been accom-
Wished. After peace had been restored,
pctershu,.r again turned her attenlaon "
her waterway. and appropriated suc'i
money as she could spare for its improve
mont. She sought and secured ald aroiii
the Government, and began 10 oi,c i u
her more or less obstructed challilei-
MORE WAITER NEEDED.
1s,,+ my t.,is time vessels OF deeper
,7,.a,,ref1t were coming dnto genera. use,
I,n6 Inc city found that it was necessary
In sesc,-re a greater depth of water. MOI.
withstandng the opposition OF many "
her citizens, and in spite OF the lee--s CT
many J,e,tersst,lltg asked that com
,,,,ss;on If limited States engineers act
with her engineers In formnlauns F,el
for securing this greater depth. a plan
,yaE agreed upon, and extensive WORK
,vss done To avoid some OF the "of-Sl
shoals. an artificial channel. known as
J,;,ddledocls cut, was made, ana closure
dixie was thrown across the naturai chaii-
mol In defect the current into this cut.
1srlow this point the river had been
6iyidea into several streams by MANI
sinai, islands, and IT was lhoped that bN
concentrating its flow into one ped. II
would rcour its own channel, and so pre-
vent the formation of liars 10 Lals emu
what had been known as the SCUM Chaii-
mel was adopted for navigation, ana olkes
,vcre nut in where it was necessary, 10
make this channel scpar ate, distinct ana
continuous from the wharves of the city
tn Point of Rocks, "a distance OF seven
and a half miles. The prosecution OF
this work was tedious and very cxpen-
sive. owing to the fact that large appro-
nriations We're not aNaaiapie. ana mucii
wor,, partially completed under one appro-
5priation would have to be rebuilt or
greatly repaired before the next positive
stem In the prosecution OF the protected
Dlan could he undertaken. Inc city Ouiit
d-cdges pile drivers and Scows. and spent
freely the money that she knew she
needed for her streets. because she felt
that good faith required that she should
do SO. ii the General Government way
contributing ont of the United States
Treasury 10 secure the desired result
At least after many breaks, washouts
and set-bn clls, the work was about COM
pletea.
MILLION FOR IMPROVEMENT.
The Appomattox river now represented
n Mathematician asset. to which the Cen
erai Government mad contributed 100000,
and the city of Petersburg sGoo0oo. But
the partners soon found ont that there
had been some characterization in regard
to ttihe automatic character of their COM
mercial highway.
Like every stream that drains many
hundreds of miles CT level, agricultural
its flow of water. In summer the springs
chat feed it dry up. and the amount of
water brought down As small. AT other
times 1t is a rushing torrent. which.
obstructed by the jetties and such rene
dial agents for n mcagre flow, rises and
covers the wharves and lower part of the
city. Hence, its securing capacity, based
on volume and I'apiditY of current, can
not he counted on as a factor in keeping
open the channel. And. again, the river.
flowing through agricultural land, where
1he soil is always being turned up by
the plough. brings down after every rain
quantities of sand and silt, which is kept
In motion by the current until 1t strikes
tidewater. Here the water becomes
ftngnant and its burden is deposited.
The harbor of Petersburg is the head of
tidewater. Just above 1t are the falls.
This tha,hor IS the first settling-hasin to
be filled up. What is not left here goes
out with the cbb-t!de and forms bars in
such places in the channel as invite
deposits. Jcttics may conduce to the
scour when the flow Is constant and in
the same direction. but when the water
IS alternately stagnant and flowing in
opposite directions their utility is certainly
doubtful. TO remove the bars formed
by the muddy water costs annually from
$4,000 TO Sl2.H9a, and even then the nav
cation is very unsatisfactory. because a
fixed aspSth cannot he assured.
Is While The expenditure of the million
dollars has not given Petersburg good
navigation. II has accomplished three
things which may be worth the cost:
J. il Is decrcas.rated that the river has
not sufficient volume TO keep itse.f ope1.
?. 1t is shown that the only serious