The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-13
Growth Of G commerce
Has ACCompanie Work
oflmproving Channel
LARGE sum TO
BE EXPENDED
Report Of Chief Of Engineers
Calls Attention to the Advant-
ages Growing Out Of Pro-
posed Changes-Th
History Of the
Work.

tFrem Our Regular correspondent)
q Is NVlASHINGrON.E D. c., November Ia. ~
Tho annual report Of the chief OF en- s.
gineers Of the army. B.igadier-G eneraY
a. Nc kcnzie, advanced sheets Of which Is
have been obtained. contains muchS In. r.
eteresting matter regarding the status ana Y
! the plans for the Improvement OF the 8
James at and below Richmond. The re-
port also presents figures to show the !.
growth OF the water trade OF Richmond
since the Inaugural ton of the work OF
Improving the channel presented as al
argument for the prosecution Of the u
work. S5
Begun in 1870. t5.3
The Improvement OF the Jane was not
undertaken until 1870. At that time be- e
tween the mouth of the Appomattox and
Richmond. a distance thei, Of thrtS-fiv
miles instead OF tllirty-six as at pres
ent. the Dutch Gap canal not being \
nayigable, the ruling depth at mean
low tide was seven feet, that depth obs
tanning on Rockets reef Mt Richmond.
and on Richmond bar, two miles below
The report says the channel was ell se 4
and Indirect at some points. and was Y.
obstructed at Trent reach. in the bend
Just above Dutch Gap, seventeen and \
9one-halt miles below the city by a. shoal 4
on which only eight feet could be carried. $SS
The channel was also INSTRUCTED WA BY
wrecks at Graveyard Reach and Cha fins
Bluff, respectively, ten and eight rnilcn Il
below tho city. 4 IL Is n VI
The channel at Drewry's Bluff and &
Warwick bar, situated about seven and
four and one half miles below the-city.,
was almost i,npa ssable on account OF OBJ
structions placed during the war cons.
.sisting q t each point Of: the remains sof
a military bridge, lines OF stone cribs and
sunken vessels. The ruling a epth 8be.s5
tween the mouth 4 Of the James !: ana the E
a distance of 694 miles WIS
fifteen feet on.s Harrison a II bar. about
thlrty-ei niles. bel ow5 Rich nlorld; and
%on Goose Fill FLATS. II seventysone miles
below. n ~
Original Project.
n The original project was to give eigt-
teen feet depth at full tide Ito Rich
mond; with a channel width OF $50 feet
from Harrison's bar to the city docks,
the excavation III rock to- be to III d epth Il
of $50 feet.t The avera &c rise OF tide 1siSl
80 feet. Work under his project had
been we'll advanced when ongress, al IN
act OF July ISL. "a opted another to at
ford a depth OF twenty-five feet Mt mean
low tide from r edmond. VI the y head OF
navigation, to the mouth the wild ths s,
to be givcn the improved channels to Ebe Il
400 feet from the mouth to City Point.
800 feet thence to Drewry's Bluff and
200 feet thence to Richmond The conse-
5qucnt estimated cost Of the Improvement
was 81, 500 900. A large part Of the exca-gt5
walton has been and will be through solid II
rock, the cost necessarily being heavy.
Operations consist In bred ging rock AK M
,cayation,8 and regulation of the waterway
by means OF bikes and jetting. The mean
rise OF tide at Richmond Is three feet.
The work has been done first n In d the %
shoalest places III the channel with @ 4
view to beIlefl t OF commerce. The a ppro-i#
pr!atlon of s3GO.c01 made by the act Of
June, 10, 1902, was applied mainly to con-
tinulng the improvenientifrom the lower
city line down stream, to include WAR;
wick reach, about five miles below the IA
city to enlarging the low water section "
OF Dutch Gap canal, and to channel IN, -
below the lower city line and
at the hnrlor Of Richmond, The section
OF Dutch Gap canal had been much en-
croacted upon by u landslide In May,
1902: Work upon the canal however, was III
held In allegiance, awaiting the action OF S
the city of Richmond upon the question s8
OF the ownership Of the area from which t6
the slide had occurred, and Of cnoug y #
land to BILE the United States to eSe-{
cute the necessary work for channel im-
provemcnt and protection The land, or
at least the greater part sof 1T had been 81
supposed to have been decided TO the United &
States by the city Of Richmond In or III
about 1870, for the purpose of river Inn
1t Is on record to that el-
feet, There now appears to have been III
some oversight IN the records II the
projected Improvement cannot be pushed u
MS 1t should be- and as I Is tho wish 5ss
OF tho government TO have 1t done. tho Ss
report says that the commercial interests /;
which depend upon the continuity anfi Z
=, u ia. l., I.ftt ~
James may suffer. sSs N
Commerce and Improvement.
The extension of the Improvement from Ej
the lower city line TO the docks WINS pro-
yided for in the river and harbor act
Of June 10, 1902, 1t was provided that no t$$
part OF the appropriation should be ex- 8
pended for turning basins or areas men M
toned In survey submitted to the Fifty. II
sixth Congress. The cost Of this eXten-
sion Is estimated at 7249i3.1b. v s
,rhe sum expended TO June 80, 1871 WAS
81 o7S, $40 49, The result was channel 3
depths OF 171s to IS feet, by widths OF %
Ia 100 feet, excepting near the lower city u
line. where the maximum depth IS 1913 x
feet. The ruling depth IN the hnrbor, ap- d
preaching tho whaiYes Is about ~ feet. g
Above the wharyes the depth increases
; or feet at the ship lock The cum
,slted for the fiscal year ending June so,
I9cs, is to be applied to work under tho
approved plan, s
The value to commerce OF the improve.
mont OF the river Is shown In the follow.
Ing table OF river tonnage for thirteen
1870 74s,l2s tons; 1901 80, sos tong; 1872.
sls, 7hs tons. 1884. 80 torsi 1925 10, 6sa
IONS; 1896. $50. ass tons; 1897, 800 tonss
1895. 473,77S tons; 1929, 57l,so2 tons; 1ss.
100. III tons; 1901, 652.45i tons lsS. t4s, Sle
1903, B0S, 50 Ions. J, 3 ;S
The following figures are given rsgara-
ing tho amount OF money available uader
former appropriations, end tha ataal'ns
needed for the completion o. tho work:
July 4, 1901, balance available. $sst2. 46S nj
July ], 1904. amount covered BY uneon-