UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES
 
 20th CoffGHEss, [Doc. No. 254.1 'Ho. OP REPS. 
 
 1st Session. War Dept. 
 
 CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL EXTENSION OF 
 
 THE SECRETARY OF WAR, 
 
 TIIAXSMITTIXG 
 
 A REPORT, MAP, AND ESTIMATE, 
 
 CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL TO ALEXANDRIA, 
 
 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 
 
 APRII 21, 1828. 
 Referred to the Committee on Roads and Canal* 
 
 WASHINGTON t 
 
 BT GILES &f SEATOJ. 
 1828.
 
 [Doc. No. 254.] 
 
 * 
 
 - 
 
 23 
 
 WAR DEPARTMENT, Jipril 18, 182&, 
 
 SIB : I have the honor to transmit, herewith, a letter of the Chief 
 Engineer, of this date, accompanied by a report map, and estimate, 
 of an extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to Alexandria, in 
 the District of Columbia, called for by a resolution of the House of 
 Representatives, of the 9th instant. 
 
 I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 
 
 Sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 JAMES ARBOUR* 
 > Hon. ANDREW STEVENSON, 
 
 Speaker of the House of Representatives- 
 
 
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 [Doc. No. 254.] 
 
 ENGINEER DEPARTMENT, 
 
 Washington, April 18, 188. 
 
 SIR : In pursuance of your orders, I have the honor to transmit, here- 
 with, the report, map, and estimate, of a survey of an extension 
 of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal to Alexandria, in the District 
 of Columbia, which was called for by a resolution of the House 
 of Representativ es, of the 9th instant. 
 
 I have the honor to be very respectfully, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 ALEX MACOMB, 
 Major General,, Vhitf Engineer* 
 Hon. JAMES BARBOTJR. 
 
 Secretary of War.
 
 [Doc. No. 254.] 
 
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 12 [Doc. No. 254.] 
 
 An estimate of the cost of making said canal Jive feet deep, forty feet 
 surface, and twenty-foe feet bottom; slope of the banks, one Joot and 
 a-ltalfbase, to one foot perpendicular. 
 
 One foot in depth, taken from the bottom of the canal of four feet 
 deep, &c. would require the removal of nearly three cubic yards, for 
 each yard in length, in most cases of excavation: but in the embank- 
 ments, a like quantity would be saved. 
 
 The embankments, together, measure 2,000 yards nearly, which, 
 compensating for a like length of excavation, 4,000 yards, is taken 
 from 16,706 yards, (total length) and there remains 12,706 yards x 
 3 cubic yards = 38, 1 18 cubic yards, which, coming from the bottom, 
 may require to be put at 12 \ cents the cubic yard ; this makes the 
 sum of S 4.765, which, being added to the total amount above, pro- 
 duces a total of 8 1 63,438 for said canal, if made five feet deep, &c. 
 
 From measurements and soundings of the Potomac river, made in 
 pursuance of directions of the Corporation of Georgetown, by Mr. 
 George D. A very, the place called the Three Sisters" is shown to 
 be a very unsuitable one, for a bridge of any kind. There is a dis- 
 tance of two hundred and sixty-two feet, which is over twenty feet 
 deep deepest part, seventy-six feet. In this deep water, the bottom 
 is reported < soft," and the depth, to a solid foundation, is unknown. 
 
 By inspection of the cross section of the river, (accompanying this,) 
 at a place just above the ferry, the greatest depth appears to be but 
 fifteen feet at flood-tide, and the width but one hundred and five feet 
 more, than at the Three Sisters. 
 
 The average depth of water above the ferry, may be put, at ebb- 
 tide, eight feet ; distance across, one thousand and forty feet. An, 
 aqueduct located at this place, would strike the west bank below that 
 precipitous rocky shore which has so raised the estimate of the first 
 mile. The sum thus saved on the canal line, would be full twenty 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 Particular examinations of the nature of the bottom would be re- 
 quisite, to enter into any calculation of the cost of an aqueduct over 
 the Potomac at tins place. The cost of the Rochester aqueduct over 
 the Genesee river, exceeded one hundred dollars the foot run ; length 
 eight hundred and two feet ; cost eighty-seven thousand one hundred 
 and twenty-seven dollars. The Rochester aqueduct measures, 
 from the top-water line to the rocky bottom on which it stands, 
 but twenty -four feet. To eight feet, (average depth at low-tide,) add 
 thirty-seven feet, (the height proposed above the ebb-tide) and the 
 top-water line of this aqueduct would be forty-five feet above the 
 averaged bottom over double the height of the Rochester aqueduct. 
 The item of pile-driving, to make sure foundations for piers and abut- 
 ments, would probably be a considerable one. The cost of the whole 
 project, would, likely, fall little short of three hundred thousand dollars. 
 If a canal between Georgetown and Alexandria were made to pur- 
 sue the most economical route, as has been done along the shores of 
 the tide-water between Medibrd and Boston, or between Troy and
 
 [Doc. No. 854.] 13 
 
 Albany, and the idea of supplying water to the higher streets of 
 Alexandria relinquished, a very different plan would present itself. 
 
 Let the river surface, by a dam above the ferry at Georgetown, be 
 raised to a level of eight feet above that of ebb-tide, and a canal con- 
 ducted on said level to Alexandria. 
 
 Such a canal would probably fall short of eight miles in length. 
 Its bank would have "its basis in the edge of the river, the whole dis- 
 tance, except in passing Alexander's island, and some alluvial flats 
 below Four Mile run. 
 
 A conjectural estimate of the cost of such a canal may be made as 
 follows : 
 
 A bank based in the river edge for six miles, at 35,200 
 cubic yards per mile=2ll,200 cubic yards, at 
 10 cents - g21,120 00 
 
 Two dollars the yard run for a paving to protect from 
 
 the abrasion of the waves, (1,760X6X2)= 21,120 00 
 
 Across the bay at the mouth of Four Mile run, may 
 measure 650 yardsXQO cubic yards*=58,500 cu- 
 bic yards at 20 cents - - 11,700 00 
 2,870 yards (that remains of 8 miles) of common exca- 
 vation, along Alexander's island, &c. at 13 cubic 
 yards=37, 310 cubic yards at 8 cents - -. 2,98500 
 A dam across the Potomac, about - - 20,00000 
 Two culverts - 600 00 
 A wastc-wcir at Four Mile run - 400 00 
 Two road bridges and two farm bridges 550 00 
 One eight feet lock - - 6,400 00 
 
 Total, - - 84,875 00 
 
 A towing-path bridge over the Potomac is yet unprovided. A 
 road-bridge at Georgetown has long been contemplated ; and to this 
 might be attached abridge for the towing-horses to pass on, a proper 
 distance above the proposed dam, as has lately been done on the 
 Champlain canal, for passing the Hudson, above the dam at the head 
 of Saratoga Falls, and the Mohawk, above the dam below the 
 Cohoes Falls. 
 
 A towing-path bridge erected with such aid, would cost much less 
 than the value of the water power, created by the erection of the 
 dam. On each shore, hydraulic establishments, of great value in such 
 a situation, might be located. 
 
 As locks from the canal into the river at Georgetown would, in 
 all probability, be constructed, whether a canal was made to Alex- 
 andria or not, the cost of looking twenty-nine feet from the canal 
 surface to the dam surface; is not taken into the estimate of this 
 project. 
 
 * This calculation is for <i mound, acting as a dam, the top wide enough for a tow- 
 ing-path across this bay ; if a ct ;;l carried over on an embankment should be found 
 indispensable, the cost of crossing this bay would be more than doubled. 
 
 i
 
 14 [Doc. No. 254. J 
 
 .5 Wooden Aqueduct, $c. 
 
 An aqueduct has been proposed here, of the description of those on 
 which the Erie canal crosses and recrosses the Mohawk river, to 
 wit : a wooden trunk, resting on stone piers and abutments. 
 
 The averaged cost of these two aqueducts was a little over fifty 
 dollars the foot run ; foundations of both upon a rock bottom, and the 
 water very shallow, affording every facility for a cheap and secure 
 foundation. 
 
 No such work as that here proposed has been erected in our tim- 
 ber country, but calculations for building piers in tide water, between 
 Baltimore and Havre de Grace, are to be found in tin 1 report of 
 Messrs. Bland, Winchester, and Patterson, made to the General As. 
 scmbly of Maryland, 1823. The cost of the foundation of a pier in 
 said report, is put at 93 60. 
 
 The aqueduct here proposed must be 17 feet higher the averaged 
 elevation of the two Mohawk aqueducts; but the above foundations, as 
 they are calculated, bring the work from the bottom to the surface at 
 low tide ; therefore the cost of but nine feet in height, ought to be ad- 
 ded to each pier. 
 
 A calculation of the cost of this aqueduct may stand as follows : 
 Length of the aqueducts 1.040 feetX 850= - - {52,000 00 
 
 Foundations for 26 piers 26X893 60= 2434 00 
 
 Additions to height of 26 piers 60* yardsXg3X26^= 4,680 00 
 
 Whole cost of the aqueduct - - $59, 11400 
 
 From the cost, as estimated, of the canal, (Sl63,438,) 
 .take S20,000 saved, by not crossing at the " Three 
 
 Sisters," and there will be remaining - - g!43,438 00 
 
 To which add the above cost of the aqueduct - - 59, 11 4 00 
 
 And the whole cost of this project is - 202, 55 00 
 From said sum deduct the cost (as above) of the lotv 
 
 level project ... - 84,873 00 
 
 And the remainder is - gl 17, 679 00 
 
 Which expense is to be incurred for watering Alexandria three 
 streets higher up, ahd obtaining abas infor sea vessels ; add further to 
 said expense, that of navigating, forever, a longer canal. 
 
 The survey and levels, map and profile, were made by Captain 
 Hartman Bache, assisted by Lieutenants J. D. Graham, Boyce, and 
 Wragg. 
 
 Very respectfully submitted by your obedient servant. 
 
 JAS. GEDOES, Civil Engineer. 
 
 * The cost of a cubic yard of suck masonry gathered from the opinions of build-' 
 M-S in Georgetown.
 
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 5717
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below 
 
 Form L-9 
 20m-l,' 41(1122) 
 
 1 1
 
 TC 
 625 U.S. War 
 
 1828 
 
 Ohio canal 
 
 Chesa- 
 
 TC 
 
 625 
 
 C4A5 
 
 1828