The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-08-05
WORK ON RIVER
IS SATISFACTORY

AT a Meeting or the James lsiNsr
Improvement Committee. composed of
members of the City Council, Board
of Aldermen and Chamber of Com
merce. most interesting report was
read and filed by the City Engineer.
This report shows that the commit
tee has done valuable work in the Inn
provcment OF the channel of the river,
aided In large degree by the United
States government, supervised by COL
onel s. II. Yongc. OF such great I'M
nortance lis this work to the bust
ness interest OF the city. that the full
report Of City Engineer Boiling, in the
form of a letter addressed to the COM
mittee, is printed below:
'In obedience to your resolution
passed at your last meeting. beg
TO submit the following report, which
not only includes the amount of ma.
terlal which has been pumped out VI
i 1905. but further information in
regard to the present condition II
the channel inside the corporate linz
it's:
First. AS stated in the other re-
port. the total quantity Of material
pumped out of the harbor from Jan
uary LIST to July !. 1908, is lS.oH
cubic yards. During the month OIL fep-
ruarv. no material was pumped from
weather which forbade the working OIL
the dredge, and also the use OF the
tug in breaking up ice foes.
ISecond From soundings taken
along the channel on August 3, 1908,
it will be seen that we have from the
Cedar Works up to Gillies Greek
depth of channel varying from 10 L.
feet to ga feet. From Gillies Creek
to near the east end of the city wharf,
we have depth varying from II to
2O1-2 feet From short distance
from this point to short distance
west of the eastern end of the Old Do
minion wharf, the depth runs from
Ia to II feet, and from that point
westward, along and opposite the Old
Dominion wharf from 1912 to 10
feet 1t will be seen from this that
there has been a marked Improvement
in the depth of the channel within the
corporate limits of the city of Rich
| rnond.
I'm letter of August /, 1908, United
States Assistant Engineer Mr.. S. II.
Yonge states that the United States
| government, under acts of Congress,
has been steadily at work constructing
a channel 1875 feet wide from the city
| line to the lower end of the Virginia
Navigation Company's wharf, and also
In the excavation or dredging for "a
turning puSln oUU a1eeL by 4UU IeeL ana
l,22 feet deep, with the purpose of OBJ
| tanning channel IS feet at low water.
1t will be seen, therefore, that the
work done by the city and the govern
ment Is beginning to show considerable
Improvement In the depth of the chan
| mel.
II trust that this work may proceed.
and that the time Is not far distant
when the city shall have acquired the
property on both sides of Lester Street
and along the river front, in order that
we may have sufficient area and space
for taking the material out of the river
and improving the land at the same
time. regret exceedingly that this
land was not acquired some years ago,
so that the Improvement of the land
would have followed with tho improve
ment of the river, and the city derive
the full benefit of the expenditure OF
the money on the James River i'm
provement. AS 1t Is now, having filled
the basin rented from Mr., sBurgwyn,
we are now dumping from the river
Into what is known as the Gas House
Basin, through a long pipe line, and
lat considerable elevation, necessarily
increasing the cost, 1 attach to this
report table showing the soundinss
as taken in the main channel (nor giy-
ing the width Of channel) as q record
j for future comparison"