Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-14
BEGIN HARB0R WORK
THE APPROPRIATION or $4,000
WILL BE URGED NJ
nEDIArELr.
NEED new DREDGE At ONCE.
Important Meetinr to n.-Arr..s4
rro11ey Car Routes.
TO DISCONTINUE SOME IrsEs
Pa..enxer and Power Company wir.
ASK Leave to Make ch..xe. De-
signed to curtaiI Expen.e.-to E1-
tend wharve. Into River Channel. {
Committee JunKet. Gut out-rrs
Alarm Service.
TO DISCONTINUE SOME Lines
and Power COMPANY wIr.

Z Ius1nCe= Will uoio d JOAue seSSlOu IOI tn0
consideration OF the request of tho
river committee for $4,000 with which t6
purchase dredge and other equipments.
which are sorely needed by the commit-
tee to cope with new conditions in ths
harbor
The desire OF the James River commits
tee is to have the City Council pledge 1t.
self for the payment of the sum of $50.
600 for the dredge, to be provided for in
the budget for the coming year. It has
been ascertained that 1t will require from
four to six months to construct the plant
that the city will need. The COMMITTEES
realized that il it waited for the budget.
and then ordered the plant, it would be-
fully a year before it could be secured.
The proposition that viii be made to the
Finance Committee, If recommended to
the Council. and approved by 1t, will give
the committees the use of the dredga
early in the coming year and still several
months after the money will have been
appropriated.
The conditions in the harbor are such
that there Is nothing for the city to do
but to provide the 100000, and if it is NOT
in hand it will have to be gotten.
The Chamber Of Commerce has taken
cosnizance of the condition OF the har-
bor, and will ask the Council to grant
immediate relief s.
An Important Meeting.
The most important meeting to be held
in the City Hall during the present month
yY~il! hof fI,S.% 50 ~ -
streets. to which all matters In references
to the rearrangement of routes and sche-
dulles of the Virginia Passenger and Pow
er Company are intrusted The date OF
the meeting will be fixed to suit GeneraI
Manager Hull, of the company, who is
working on the changes the company Is
going to ask the committee for when
this is ready and has been printed and
placed in the hands Of the members of
the subcommittee, the meeting will ba
held.
At the first meeting Of the committee
representatives of the company Indicated
that the committee would be asked for
the privilege of discontinuing the cars
known as the Reservoir and Chimborazo
route: the NJ street route; the Oakwood
and Hollywood via Broad street, and one
of the loops in the West End. These
changes. it is said, would save the COM
pany in cost Of operation alone the sum
Of $4,000 per annum.
A number of petitions for and against
some Of the changes are out, and hava
been generally signed by persons tnterest>
ed. and when the matter comes up be-
fore the Street Committee finally thera
will be a fight that will long be remen-
bered by those taking part in it.
Changes In the Harbor.
Some of the members of the City Coun-
Gil are arranging to be ready for radical
changes in the ordinances of the city
regarding the city harbor as soon as the
Federal Government completes the widen<
ing and deepening OF the channel In this
James
1t will be recalled that the Governments
proposes to dredge the river to the depth
required by the shipping interests Of the
city a width of 200 feet. When this shall
have been done the Government will keep
the channel free from filling, and the
city will be expected to keep the other
portion of the harbor free from accumu-
lation in order to prevent the channel
from filing from the sides.
It has been suggested that the city
should establish the water lines as close
to the channel as possible In order to
lessen the area to be cared for by the
city. With that end in view the City
Attorney will be shortly asked for his
opinion as to the right OF the city to res,
quire the wtarf-owners to move their
wharves out In the river at a water line
to be established by the city and II the city
cannot compel the owners to extend their
wharves, whether or not the city posses.
ses the right to do this work itself.
It has been pointed out that the city
will save many thousands OF dollars In
years to come by confininS the river ID
the harbor instead of dredging 1t out yeaA
after year. OF course, the cost OF Io<
eating the wharves further out In the
river means an outlay of a considerable
sum- but it will be infinitely cheapei
than to pay the cost of dredging eacl
year.
No More Free Excursions.
President Sol L. Bloomberg. OF tho
Common Council. has raised the point
that none of the Council Committees hnS
the right to use money appropriated to il
by the City Council for the purpose OF
sending subcommittee out OF town, even
on business pertaining wholly to the city.
Mr.. Bloomberg argues that IL It Is found
necessary to send outside OF the city for
information, that the Council should ha
appealed to for relief. He is positive
that the rules OF the Council are such
that this practice IS wrong.
For years the various committees ap1
pointed by the Council have sent SUBJ
committees and delegations out Of the
question. This has been true especially
of the Committee on the Improvement of
the James River. Only a few days ago.
at the instance Of the committee
delegation Of three went to Baltimore. and
probably several other places. to look
into the question OF hiring dred4e to
clean out the harhor here. When the co1n-
mittee returned and made Its report thA
expenses of the trip were paid vttAoae
question
Ii Is expected that the point raised hH
Mr. Bloomberg will be inquired mte BY
members OF tho Council. and It seems
certain that the City Attorney VIII -
called upon for an opinion touching Il.
The Fire Alarm Service.
Superintendent Thompson, Of ths Fire
Alarm Department Of the city. II puahiuu
the work on plactn1 the cables 60 be used
In the underground district for the hre
alarm and police telegraph etrcuitA hut