Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-06
q
RIVER IN A BAD WAY,
ONLY ELEVEN FEET DEEP FROM
WHARF TO sHIP-LoCKs.
MUST HAVE THAT DR RE
James River Improvement Commit
tee Appoints a subcommittee 10
Urge $4,000 Appropriation with
out De1ay-oapt. Lamb Goes Down
the River with Councl1men.
MUST HAVE THAT DREDGE,
James River Improvement Commit

The Council Committee on the Improve
ment of the James River yesterday af-
ternoon decided that something should
be done at once for the relief Of the ship
ping interests Of the city. and COM
mittee, consisting Of Messrs. Curtis.
Crenshaw. sEllyson. Ferguson. and Myers,
was appointed to appear before the FL
nance Committee in the interest Of the
needs of the department
The subcommittee will recommend that
the committee be authorized to contract
for an eitirely new dre-ging outfit, not
to exceed in cost 100000, for use in the
harbor. A request will also go to the
chairman of the Finance Committee 20
call meeting of that committee at a
date as early as possible, to give the
| subcommittee a hearing.
| The committee met aboard the city tug
and went down the river below Drewry's
Bluff and looked over the improvements
along the river. Congressman John Lamb
| was along. He said he was pleased at
| the action Of the committee IN taking
steps for the relief of the harbor- He told
| the committee the fact that the city has
| not kept the harbor dredged was Sc
| rious drawback in dealing with the gov
eminent. He declared if the city did not
keep the harbor free from accumulation
it might keep the government from con-
tinuing the appropriation for the work
WATER ONLY II FEET.
The report of Captain Cunningham, Of
the city tug, showed that the last freshet
in the river had filed the harbor badly,
and that now, at high tide, the greatest
depth at any place between the WharVes
and the ship-locks was only II feet. he
showed that it should be at least Is, and
!, = Jato Nd
it's work the channel would be % feet.
Mr.. Crenshaw moved that the City At
torney be instructed to prepare a reso-
luton to be presented to the next meet
ng of the Council. to authorize the trans
fer of some land at Dutch Gap that be-
longs to the city. 1t is claimed that this
property should be under the direction OF
| the government along with what it has
there The motion was agreed to.
The discussion on the trip as to the
condition of the harbor took wide range,
and everything pertaining to the river.
and many propositions for the relief Of
the existing condition, were talked over
at length. II the committee cannot Sc
cure authority IN a short time from the
city to purchase dredging plant, there
is no telling what serious conditions are
in the near future for the shipping in
terest of the city.
CAN'T EXTEND HARBOR LINE.
The opinion OF City Attorney Pollard.
as to the right of the city to extend the
harbor lines and compel wharf-owners to
build out to it, which was printed eXclu-
siveIy in the Dispatch some weeks ago.
was brought to the attention of the COM
mittee. The opinion. it will be remer-
bered, was that the harbor lines had
been outlined by the Federal Government,
and the city could do nothing in the
premises without the consent Of the
United States.
The resolution calling for the opinion
was offered at the October meeting of
the committee by Mr.. Sol L. BIoomberg.
who was of the opinion that if the city
could extend the wharf lines out to the
channel to be cut by the general gov
eminent, it would be saved the expense
of dredging that portion not in the arti-
fetal channel. This idea will now have
to be abandoned, and if the city does not
secure the plant needed. there seems no
doubt that the work Of improving the
harbor will have to wait.
The Federal authorities will hardly be-
gin the projected work here as long as
there is a possibility of the channel fill
ing from the accumulation OF mud and
sand on the sides of the excavations. and
they can hardly expect anything until
the much-needed dredge is purcha sed.
A NEW DREDGING GROUND.
It came out in the meeting that the
Finance Committee has in hand a propS-
sition to purchase all of the waste land
lying along the river between GilIes
creek and Nicholson street, to be used for
a dumping place for the sand dredged
from the harbor. If this property can
be secured at fair price, 1t will be the
means OF saving many hundreds of dol
lars to the city by making the aauls for
dumping much shorter. AT the time the
dredging discontinue it was ueces-
sary for the scows to be pulled from three
to five miles down the river. and the dirt
dumped behind the eddies.
Some time ago the city authorities were
notified that this must be stopped, and
the trips will have to be still longer to
deposit the sand. when the work Is re-
sumed.
MI. N. W. Bowe has charge Of the pro-
perty, and he Will be ready to-day or to-
morrow to make the Finance Committee
proposition for the sale OF the pro-
perty, and the matter may be brought
10 the attention of the Board of Alder
men on next Tuesday night
The members Of the committee pres
ent on the trip were NIessrs. Curtis CHAIR
NAM, Beck. Crenshaw. Ellyson, Fersu-
son, CARRIER, Gilman, Myers, Pollock.
and Starke