The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-08-02
MONEY SPENT ON
VIRGINIA Waters 4. 4:
Government Has Appropriated
Over $7,5oo,ooo for Improve
,ne,,t of Rivers and Harbors.
NEARLY ALL USED IN EAST IS
Other Half Of State Got Got: B Bel en ltslI't
From Only About
5000, 900.
rom Our Regular Correspondent

sM (FrOm Our Regular SoIIcoPoHucn.'|
WASHINGTON, D. 4 c.. August 1.-The
United states Government has spent over
six million dollars from It's treasury N |
improving the rivers and harbors OF the
STATE Of Virginia, exclusive Of what has i
been spent on the Potomac. This latter
stream, whose facilities belong jointly TO
three million dollars spent on It.
5.i5 1t will be seen from this. that counting
one half OF that expenditure as coming TO
virginia and Maryland, has had over
seven and a. half million dollars IN the
Improvement OF the waterways OF me
State. rrhcsc figures do not include
about million and half dollars spent
en- the Chesapeake and Ohio canal and
her projects, such rs the New River,
Ian River, etc., which are partly IN
Virginia and partly In other States.
with the exception Of a very small part
az this-probab bly, 200, GOETHE entire amount
has been expended In the eastern hair
OF the State, the other part getting no
direct benefit from It, In some or MS
srecches In behalf of his candidacy 1or
the governorship Representative Swan
+. son has stated that ,he Is staunch hd-
svocate Of Government aid In road puma
Ing, and that one OF his reason for belns
80 Is that the people Of the western por-
ton of the State will then set something
To counterbalance the vast sums that
have been going to the Improvement OF
the waterways OF tho eastern portion Of
the state. He announces that he Is
hearty advocate Of every bit Of legislation
which will improve the Virginia water
ways but that he thinks that the roads
G: the western part Of the State are
Just as important to the residents thereof
as the waters are to tho,resdents of the
eastern part
improvements On the James.
Up.to 1902 there had been s2,o45.oUo spent
by the government in the Improvement
OF the James River as a highway OF
commerce. Since then several appropr-
stions have been made, so that tho total
is not far removed from the three million
mark now. The first report was made
| in 1897, and the work has been going on
| with but few nterlnjssions ever since
| The amount believed to be necessary for
| Tho final completion OF all tho projects Is
| slightly over six million dollars. It's
! scope is to give tho James a channel q
| feet deep at mean low tide. and with
| widths OF 400 feet from Its mouth to City
FONT, 800 rect TO 9DrcWryS butt, ZUU Iecl
from that point to the Richmond docks,
and the construction of a turning basin at
Richmond. the latter project being one
/ tor which Senator Martin secured an APP
| preparation at the last session Of Con-
| gress 1t Is estimated that 1t will be
more than ten years yet before the en-
4 tire project will be completed The aim
! under present appropriations Is to remove
the main barriers to navigation first.
Norfolk Harbor Appropriations.
/ Tho next largest slice OF the Virginia
appropriations has gone to the improve
ment OF Norfolk harbor Up to and in
Guiding 1902 there had been expended
over million and a half dollars on that
i project. The appropriations since that
time will increase 1t to the neighborhood
OF two million dollars. The first appro-
priatIon OF s435 900 was made In 1876.
and since that time appropriations rang
Ing from 100000 to 100000 have boon
made with each recurring session OF
Congress when there has been river
4 and harbor bill. &