The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-07-28
WILL RECLAIM THE
SWAMP LANDS

Continued From First Pa9eJ
year. The lower bottom Is very fat,
the slight slope being DIS often away
from the river as towards 1t. The
land Is occasionally overfiowed and
nearly always in a saturated condi-
ton. From bluff 10 bluff averages
about As OF a mile.
Channel Conditions.
At the head OF the swamp tho
Chic! ahominy river Is twenty-five feet
wide, the bottom five feet below the
general land surface, and the con-
tributing drainage area ffty-eight
square miles At Providence Forge
the width In fifty feet the bottom six
feet below the land surface and the
contributing drainage area $50 square
miles. There Is no perceptibie tidal
influence above Providence Forge. AT
Windsor Shades, 3 Ia miles below, to
which point the river Is nsSigaole
for boats drawing no, over nine feet
of water, the width is about 426
feet and the mean tidal range "a feet.
AT the mouth of the river the width
is about. 1 IL miles, and the mean
tidal range is two feet
The condition OF the channel
through the swamp renders 1t inenec-
tive for land drainage purposes,
much less for caring for even mod
crate food discharges. The many
sharp and irregular turns increase
the nominal length of twenty nine
niles to sos miles. while the depth
s insufficient to afford proper outlet
for lateral streams and bitches, More
over, trees, logs and brush which
have fallen or been thrown into the
- Il tx,.r Il
shoals. seriously obstruct the flow.
the combined influences reducing the
velocity at low water stages to less
than lie foot a second.
1t is locally staten that the chan
nel in former times, when labor was
cheap and plentiful, was kept in
much better condition than today.
and there Is ample evidence TO SUD
stanrlate tho statements that large
areas which have now reverted 10 %
state of nature formerly produced
good crops OF corn and timothy. Sach
deterioration as has occurred. how
ever, must be attributed mainly to
other than natural causes. propap4y
to the depressing effects of the war
and the consequent lack OF interest,"
In maintaining drainage ehanneis- IN
order to compare the conditions as
EXlGtlHE III N.AN 'NS'"
notes Of an old survey and line OF
levels run by one r. NJ I<add. in 1885
were plated and studied with con
siderable care. This old survey COW
cred a stretch of about eight miles
between Brook Run and Pownite
creek. The conclusions reached were
that as regards alignment and width
the channel is In much better condi-
ton today than it wac in 1895. AS
regards depth. slope and distractions
In the channel the conditions are
probably not materially different.
Many small lateral streams are bring
ing sand from the adjacent uplands.
but this Is deposited before reaching
the river and there Is little reason to
believe that deterioration OF the chan
mel has occurred or will occur in the
future from this cause.
Soil and Vegetation.
The subsoil of the Chickahominy
river bottoms il OF alluvial origin. II
is derived from the granite and
gneiss formations or the region, and
consists Of fine sand, silt and clay
which have been transported and laid
down by water.
In the upper bottoms. especially in
the vicinity of the bluffs. both the soil
and subsoii are OF sandy nature and
brownIsh color due to the erosion CT
the sandy loans OF the adjacent up
lands Considerable areas of these