1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



411 



It is obvious ihat such a line of improvement, 

 especially when considered with ret'erence to iis 

 direct connexion with some of the best haibors on 

 the coast, is of jreneral interest, beinjx equally ad- 

 vantafTeous to the commerce and delence of the 

 conntry. 



or the surveys made under the autliority of the 

 act of Conirress of the 3d of March, 1837. there 

 remain to be described those only wliich he to the 

 westward uf Cape Fear river, between the Green 

 swamp and the ocean. The surveys which I had 

 formerly made near Waccamaw lake and the 

 Green swamp, led to tiie o()mion that if a naviga- 

 ble communication between the Cape Fear and 

 Waccamaw rivers were at all practicable upon 

 any line remote from the narrow sounds which 

 border upon the sea, it must be traced between 

 the ocean and the Green swamp, and Ihat in all 

 likelihood it should rely upon the water yielded by 

 that sn'fimp, and upon such as might be collected 

 nearer the sea for the supply of the summit-level 

 and lockage of the canal. With this view ol" the 

 subject, and to test its correctness, the party of en- 

 gineers which had been employed during the ear- 

 ly pan of the summer upon Core sound was, at 

 the proper season, directed to make upon the 

 ground I have just described, such surveys and 

 observations as time and the means at our dis- 

 posal would permit. Accordingly that party ran 

 a guide-line ol levels and a line with the compass 

 from the Red bluff on Waccamaw river to Bruns- 

 wick on the Cape Fear, 16 n)iles below Wilming- 

 ton, and e.xtended its observations into the swamps 

 as fiiras the inundations would permit — lor at that 

 time the rains had set in. 



The distance from the Red blufi' to Brunswick, 

 and conseiiuently the length of canal, if it were 

 constructed upon that line, would be about 56^ 

 miles. The examinations which the party was 

 able to make with reference to the means of sup- 

 pjying the summit-level with water were necessa- 

 rily very limited; nevertheless, such as they were, 

 they were far from discouraging the expectations 

 ol success which had been created by the sur- 

 veys formerly made farther inland. Whenever 

 the necessary appropriations are made to enable 

 us to resume the surveys, a close and extensive 

 survey and examination of the Green swamp, 

 and of the country lying between it and the sea, 

 will be undertaken. When these will have been 

 completed, and not till then, can we be authorized 

 to form any decisive opinion upon the question, not 

 of the sufficiency of the quantity of water yield- 

 ed by the neighboring swamps and lakes, but of 

 the practicability of conducting it to the summit- 

 level of a canal to unite the Cape Fear with 

 the Waccamaw. In the mean time, the proba- 

 bility that it IS practicable is so strong, in my opi- 

 nion, as to justily the department in prosecuting 

 the inquiry. 



Near Red bluff there is a shoal in Waccamaw 

 river, at the head of tide; it is about 200 yards 

 over, with a depth of but 1^ foot at the lowest 

 stages of the water. The canal would debouche 

 below this; hence to Winyaw bay and out to sea, 

 the only obstruction to the navigation of the river 

 by steamboats lies five miles below Conwaysbo- 

 rough, at Cox's shoal, where, at the lowest water, 

 there is a depth of six feet; the lenffih of the ob- 

 struction does not exceed 150 yards. With this 

 exception, there is in the Waccamaw river, be- 



low the proposed termination of the canal, at all 

 times a de|)th of not less than eight ihei of water, 

 with a bold navigation, the river making good 

 reaches, except at the " Wild Horse,"' about se- 

 ven miles below the Red blull', where lor a mile 

 and a half it is \ery rapid and crooked; and again 

 about a nnle below Conwaysborouirh, where the 

 river, lor about 200 yards, is also rapid and crook- 

 ed, although deep. 



Between VVinyavv bay and Charleston we have 

 done nothing, except to reconnoitre the country, 

 lijr the f)urpose of becoming ac(|uainted with the 

 general character of the ground, and with the 

 routes which may require to be surveyed. 



From Winyaw Bay there is a passage to sea, 

 over Georgetown bar, with a depth of 7-| feet at 

 low water. This bar lies far out at sea, the chan- 

 nel is very crooked and difficult of navigation, and 

 the depth of water is represented to be decreasing. 

 A project to connect \Vinyaw bay with North 

 Pedee, by a canal, has been undertaken and partly 

 executed. It is probable that tlie steamboat line 

 might follow this route to the Pedee, thence to 

 Charleston. Two lines at least ought to be sur- 

 veyed; the one lying near the seaboard would 

 avail itself of the chain of natural navigation 

 now used occasionally by the smaller craft pro- 

 ceeding to and li^om Charleston, wherever such 

 natural navigation might be found advantageous- 

 ly in the line of improvement; the other route, ly- 

 ing farther inland, might depart from Pedee, and 

 following the best ground, which will probably be 

 found upon a very direct course, to deep water on 

 Wando river, a branch of Cooper river, on 

 which is Charleston. The length of canal from 

 Winyaw bay to Charleston would not probably 

 exceed 45 miles. The ground it would occupy is 

 but a lew leet above the tide, and it would not, it 

 is believed, require in any place a greater depth of 

 cutting to tide-waler than eight feet. It would 

 therefore be a thorough cut, and would require 

 none other than guard and regular locks. 



I annex a schedule of maps, charts, and pro- 

 files of the surveys already executed under your 

 orders of the 28lh March, 1837. I purpose mak- 

 ing a general map also to exhibit at one view the 

 surveys which have been done by the department 

 near tlie coast of North and South Carolina. The 

 details of the plans for improving the sounds so 

 far as we have the materials lor so doing, as well 

 as thecalculations of the costof the improvements, 

 will be undertaken now, or at the conclusion ol' 

 all the surveys, to accompany the final report, as 

 may be required by your orders. 



Very respectfully, I have the honor to be, sir, 

 your obedient servant. 



James Kearney, 

 Lieut. CoL Topographical Engineers. 

 Lt. Col. J. J. Abert, 



Com. Top. Eags. U. S. Army. 

 Schedule. 

 Chart oP Pasquotank river, 5 sheet*. 



Croaian sound, 1 



Core sound, 2 



Details on the bars, 8 



Bogue sound, 1 



Reconnoissance west of Bogue, 

 made Ibrmerly for defence of 

 seaboard, I 



Map and profiles of country between 

 Neuse and Cape Fear rivers, S- 



