Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-09-11
THE UPPER JAMES
Plans to Inaugurate Navigation
on James River


have to thank friend for recent
y sending us marked copy oil
p MoOdy's Magazine for August
: containing an extremely interest.
> > ing article by Franklin Wood, on
ECONOMY of Water Transports.
q tion."
5 The article is of peculiar inter.
est to us at this time. Our people
are becoming aroused to immense
Importance OF the subject, and are
making organized efforts not only
to secure deeper water from Rich
mOnd TO Hampton Roads, so that
the largest Ocean-going craft may
visit our port, but also to open
navigation by system CT locks
and dams from Richmond to
Lynchburg, and ultimately still
further west.
TO secure for the Valley and the
people this priceless boon of water
navigation was the cardinal pur-
pose for which the league Of the
Upper James River Valley was
organized.
Two years ago, when we first
proposed and advocated this
scheme of navigation, it was re.
garded as little more than
beautiful dream" Now it is
recognized by intelligent and il
formed people as entirely practi.
cable, and this powerful crge MIA.
ton. rapidly growing In nun bers
and influence, hes been formed &c
secure the preliminary surveys
and estimates, and enlist the gen.
eral Government in the prosecu-
ton of the work. Its feasibility
is no longer a matter Of specula-
ton. Numberless examples of
similar orks constructed ard in
course of construction have de-
mOnstrated that it is eminently
practicable. What has been done
and is being done in so many
rivers of the country can, Of
course, lie done here; and in view
of the volume of our river and the
character-Of the geological form
atlon (chieily grarite) over which
1T flows, there cannot be doubt
that the work will present far less
formidable engineering difficulties,
involve much less cost, and yield
far superior transportation faciH-
ties than many Of the works that 4
the Government has coT pleted OF ,
is now constructing. In this con- j
nection We should correct a misap-
prehension which has gotten
abroad as to the scope and charac. !
ter of the proposed navigation. We
have seen it referred to as "bat.
.eau navigation" which would
nply u navigation confined practi- 4
'ally to fiat boats, requiring no
more than two or three feet of Ii
water. This is a mistake. If q,
his was all that was contemplate 5
ID, all that would be necessary {,
would be device for getting over G
II around two or three dams near Il
Batteau navigation n
Vas carried on between Richmond o
nd points far beyond Lyncaburg Il
efore the old canal was built.
This is not what the Valley >
'ants; and what the League pro- ~
oses to get, what ls desired, and -,
hat all who are familiar with the n
IVet knows is entirely PRACTICAL BILE, 4,
minimum depth secured by a q,
stem of locks and dams, Of not 20
SIS than from five to seven feet of ~
alter between Richmond and ~ ~
ynchburg. With this depth of w
a:er, boPts and barges of i'm ~ ~
ense burden could bring down r
leir cargoes in perfect safety from
ynchburg and intervening points, pa
id either dispose of them in OF OF
edmond or tranship them here w
going veseels. pa
No deepening of the channel will VI
necessary except tit at resulting u
ON ten or fifteen foot dams,
Ough it may be found exTedieit oa'
blow out with dynamite few Vi
cks at various points. DeepeL- no'
g the CT annel in the sense Of Ten
edging or excavating will in ~ 'h'
se be necessary. The League adi
Ii dout tless be gratilied at the LEI
er of aid and cooperation I
Ide by the Chamber of Com ma
rec, the James River improve. one
mt Committee, and Mr.. Morton, hi
70. president of the National live
vers and Harbor Congress, who sec
We long been greatly interested ore
securing water deep enough TO has
nit to this port ocean-going yes VIII
5 far larger than those new Ply Gee
|, here. This would necessarily goo
ult in gFeatly reducing the pres app
freight charges. fer
Thanks to the expenditure of recC
OOG, eco IN deeLening the har for
of Boston so that much larger u
ps can now enter, grain is com
pped to Liverpool at from two of j
hree cent? per bushel instead Len
eight to ten charged Ey tie Free
'ller craft before the improve Vau
its were made. self
he deepening Of our tidewater pyft
nal h.