The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-03-10
(By BION II.

fnerCe gave aaDdnquet the Otner DAY, |
mt which one OF the speakers was Maj.
IL. w. Sickle. who is in charge of
the United States River and Harbor
work in the Wilmington territory. In
an address before the gathering Major
Sickle outlined the progress and the
prospect OF the improvement work on
the cape Fear river.
Two dams will be sufficient to give
Fayetteville slack water at all seasons
OF the year, with a minimum Of eight
feet at low water seasons.
This will be equal to the draft of
water in the inland waterway from
Wilmington to Norfolk, which is to
be increased from six feet to eight
fet by the government. When that is
done. and the Improvement completed
OF the river Fayetteville will have
eight feet of water at all seasons clear
around to Baltimore, Washington, and
by the canals from the Delaware to
the Chesapeake Bay and to the Rari-
tan river, Philadelphia and New York
will be accessible by the vessels that
will navigate the inland waterways of
North Carolina.
The first dam on the river is now
In process OF construction at Kings
Bluff, thirty-nine miles from Viii
mington. 1t will have a breast sUff-
cient to raise the water eight feet. The
operation on this dam ia progressing
nicely. The general plan il crib work
unninC across the stream The cribs
are fifty feet from upper to lower side.
The cribs are made OF ten inch square
long leaf pine timberS, built up after
the fashion of log houses. The space
inside is filled with rocks. The timbers
serve as a wall to hold the rocks il
place. Above the crib work is a-close
wall OF piles driven deep down below
the bed of the river, and against the
wall, facing up into the river, is a
thick wall Of clay.
At one end of the dam will be the
lock. 1t is to be OF concrete, large
enough to pass a vessel forty feet wide
and two hundre feet long, and draw
ing about eight feet of water. The lock
construction will be heavy and accu-
rate. The gates will be of steel, Of the
same general style and quality as those
at Panama, although Of course a great
deal smaller.
Work First Class.
The work on the Cape Fear will be
strictly first-class. 1t is under the di-
rect supervision Of Capt. G. S. Ridley,
of the United States Army Engineering
Department, q capable trained expert
Forty-three miles below Fayette-
Vile at Browns Landing will be the
second dam. 1t will be much after
the plan of the lower one, except FOL
a little greater height. These two
will raise the water at Fayetteville
just n few inches. but sufficient, as
Fayetteville at low water season has
more depths thar most of the places
farther down.
The banks of the river are SO high
that there is not much Overlooking
The dams will make long. narrow
ponds. for the lower dam ponds thu
water to the second DAM. which in it,
turn creates a lake that extends II
some distance above Fayetteville.
Major Sickle said he could not tel
how soon the dams will be completed
as the Cap Fear river is an uncertain
factor. Work cannot be carried OF
except when the water is low enough
TO be kept out of Golfer dams, an,
Hoods always hold back operation.
But the time of Flushing is a sec
ondary matter. In a brief period rive
navigation will be possible, and tina
fact is the main thing.
Interesting Comparison.
AS we sat there in the armOry build
ing listening to Major Sickle unfold
ing the promise that is ahead for tn
river "A comparison arose that was in
teresting. The armory is the home @
a military organization that wa
formed soon after the close Of tn
Revolutionary war. an institution tina
shares with the Masonic lodge of Fay
etteville the claim of two of the oldes
institutions OF the State. Fayettevill
was settled a little more than a Ger
tuly ahu 81 iidii dSo. lHIee veal
prior to the founding of the tow
which su bsequently tool the name {
Fayetteville the British commence
the construction of a fort in III fork
of the Ohio in the colony OF Nirgini;
which they called Fort Pitt. Fol
Pitt in time came to be called Pitt.
burg. and by the beginning of tt
following century it had become z
important a place as Fayetteville.
Today Allegheny county, in whic
Pittsburg is situated, and which
practically Pittsburg. has more tha
a million people. OF nearly half
many as all of North Carolina.
Sometimes it looks as though tt
much opportunity is the undoing
the human family. When it com
To advantages it would seem as thoue
Fayetteville had Pittsburg distanced
the race for supremacy. In many r
speCts the two towns were similar