The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-06-21
BUILDING TRACKS
OVER THE WATER
Chesapeake and Ohio Covering
Old Basin to Give Greater
Facilities.
ONCE SCENE OF ACTIVITY
High Priced Land Forces Rail-
roads to Build Above
Ground.
ONCE SCENE OF ACTIVITY

Land along the river bottom, in the
I heart of the city, is SO valuable that
in order to provide trackage and
switching facilities the railways are
now building tracks over the water.
1.-THE Chesapeake ana Ohio Railway is
adding about $500 yards of side
tracks to It's facilities in this city by
covering the old basin lying south of
Cary Street, between Eighth and
Twelfth Streets, ana laying rails
thereon. This project will cost the
railroad company about 100000, but
| it will greatly expedite the business
and prove a relief to the shippers by
providing additional trackage there.
The old basin, now fast being COW
cred from view, was once the scene
of great activity in the business life
of the city, and the basin bank was,
twenty-seven years ago, one of the
busiest points in the city. 1t was
there the James River and kanawha
Canal Company's packets and the va
rious freight lines plying up and down
the canal Were wont TO unload their
cargoes and take on others.
Thousands of passengers and tons
of freight were loaded and unloaded
at that point, and the basin, then
deeper than now, was filed with craft
of all kinds. The suleIof the old canal
and the construction of the Richmond
and Allegheny (now the Chesapeake
and Ohio's James River division) made
the old basin useless for it's former
purposes, and much of 1t has long ago
been filled in by the railroad company
(which owned it. The basin cannot be
abandoned, however, since the Gallego
Mills and other important industries
have water power contracts which re-
o,iire its retention. With the cover
ing over of the remnant of that once
hne body of water. the basin will soon
become but q memory.
Had to Drcdse Basin.
A. IN. Walkup is the general con-
tractTs. for the WORK OF covering the
basin and preparing its side.t tracks,
Prior Sto covering The basin, however,
! It wasSnecessary to dredgs 1t out. ana
the contract thereto" was let to w. b.
bradley, of this city. The same firm
has the contuact for driving the piles
needed ASIA -toundation for the floor
over the basin The channel is being
dredged to q depth of ten or twelve
feet, and this portion OF the work Is
nearly completed.
The work of driving the many piles
needed for this Improvement is slow
and tedious one. Already 500 have
been driven, and 500 to 1000 more
must be sunk. These piles are of
crcosoted pine, so to is feet long, and
+, many of them will be sunk to Il depth
I of 80 feet. The contractor is now
fawaiting shipment Of 50-foot piles.
These plies are of pine out near
westham, but before they can be used
they have to be frelghted to Norfolk,
there creosoted and shipped back TIC
4 Richmond for use within q few miles
I of the point where they grew. TINS
is because Richmond has no creosotinG
plant, and this, in turn, for the reason
that there is small demand for piles
or for creosoting here.
I Gives Big TrncKnrc Space.
The completion of this project vii
provide, d trackage space of 1900
square yards. the space being abou
300 feet long and 1875 feet wide 70
greater part OF the distance OF
the north side of the basin heavy iroi
Rirders are being laid upon the pile
and massive wooden sills upon these
The remainder of the foundation 70
the floor consists OF creosoted pine sill
IL by ii inches. Six tracks will b
provided for. and between the track
will be driveways for teams over I'll
iron and heavy wooden sills II too
of three-inch oak lumber is being laic
The earth removed from the cham"
IL carted down 10 the vicinity of tn
Virginia Electrical Railway and DE
yelopment Company's plant, and ther
used TO fill low-lying land and rende
1t more valuable.