1S36.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



437 



sideration, we still believe that the time fixed by the 

 former convention for the meeting ol the next, is on 

 the whole the best. 



Exlracl from the minutes of procceaings of the ^Agricul- 

 tural Convention, Jan. 13, 1S3G. 



" Resolved, That it is recommended by this body, 

 that an Afjiicnltural Convention shall ajjain meet in 

 the City of Richmond, on the second Monday in Janu- 

 ary, 1337, to be composed of delegates from ibe seve- 

 ral Agricultural Societies in Virijinia, and from any 

 public meetini^s of members of the ao'riculiural inte- 

 nst, in countiis and towns where no such societies 

 have been organized." 



Communicated for Publication in the Farmers' Register. 



REPORT OF THOMAS BLANCHARD, ESQ. ON 

 THE UPPER ROANOKE NAVIGATION, IN 

 REGARD TO THE USE OF STEAJIBOATS. 



To A. Joyner, Esq. 



Airreeably to your instruction, I iiave examined 

 the Roanoke River ti'om Rock Landiiiir, ar I he en- 

 trance of the canal, to Clarksville, in Viririnia, for 

 the purpose of" ascertainin<f the practicahility of 

 naviirating the said river between those point?;, by 

 Eteaniboats, and beg leave to submit the ibilow- 

 in<f remarks. 



The present sluices, or most of them, are alto- 

 ^iher inadeqir.ite !!)r steamboat navigation ; and 

 in some places the fall of water is too great, to be 

 overcome without lockinir. I have therelore made 

 such remarks as I thought necessarj", on tlie liills 

 and shoals as I passed along, taking the names of 

 the dili'erent places as given me by the boatmen : 

 but the distances between the obstructions, I 

 could not accurately get, and have omitted them 

 altoijether. 



The first rapid shoal that came under my no- 

 tice, is called the Old House Jjedge. It is a raf.id 

 of about 30 rods long — the fall of water in the dis- 

 tance about two l(3et, and the water in the sluice, 

 about two feet and a half deep. This shoal can 

 be made navigable for steamboats, by deepening 

 the sluice at the head, and giving it a more gru- 

 dijal fall, or inclined plane, 



2nd. Eaton's Y-dWs. The fall at this place is 

 about ten feet, and is overcome by a short canal 

 arid lock. The latter will admit the passage ol 

 boats of only seventy feet long. The entrance to 

 the lock requires straightening, and to be made 

 deeper : the canal will require to be made straight, 

 and some wider. 



3d. Allen's Falls. The first rapid was aliout two 

 feet fall in a short distance — was found to have 

 two and a half feet water in the sluice, and must 

 be improved. The second rapid, in the same falls, 

 is much the same as the first, and can be suffi- 

 ciently improved by sluicing. 



4th. Hamlin's Shoals. The first bar is along 

 side of an island — the rapid is short, and water 

 very strong. The second bar is a ledge of rocks, 

 extending the whole width of the river — the wa- 

 ter in the sluice two fiiet deep, the fall two and a 

 half, in fifteen or twenty rods. The third rapid is 

 in all respects much like the second ; the head of 

 which, is the foot of the fourth sluice, which has 

 a «ione wall, and is shoal and rapid. The fifth 



sluice terminates these rapids. They are about 

 two miles long, and form a continued succession 

 of shoals the whole distance — the bed ol the river 

 being wide, the b'otloni composed of solid rock, 

 and the fall more than sixteen feet. To make 

 these shoals navigable, lijr steamboats, locks are 

 necessary. To improve them by sluicinnr, would 

 require one regular inchned |;lane over the whole 

 of them, making a fall of water of about ten teet 

 to the mile, which is as great a fidi as can be over- 

 come to advantage. 



5ih. Ballard's Shoals. These shoals are thrce- 

 lourths of a mile long, and about lour feet fall in 

 two short rapids — the sluices of which are crook- 

 ed and shoal. They can be improved by extend- 

 ing the sluices with side walls, and using dams 

 and making them deeper. 



6ih. Pugh's Falls are about three-quarters of a 

 mile long, having a fidI of six feet. Here are the 

 ruins of an old lock, which it will be necessary to 

 re-construct, or build a new one. A short distance 

 above this place, on the south side of Cotton 

 Island, is a short rapid of about two feet fall, 

 bre;iking over a ledge of rock, extending from the 

 island to the opposite shore. The water is deep 

 both above and below, and nothing more is want- 

 mg but lo cut a sluice through the ledge. 



7ih. Lizard Creek. There are two rapids at 

 this place, about one-fourth of a mile long. 

 The first has a fidI of about three feet in twenty 

 rods — the second is not so strong, but both will re- 

 quire in)proving by locks or long sluices. 



8th. Collar Bone Falls. At this point the wa- 

 ter fiills about two feet in thirty rods, and can be 

 sufliciently improved by deepening the channel at 

 the head ol the sluice, and making a wall up the 

 side of the north shore, thus forming a long sluice. 



9th. Black Shoals. The fall here is about eigh- 

 teen inches, in two short rapids, and can be easily 

 improved hy cutting sluices. 



lOlh. Horseford Falls. The whole extent of 

 these falls, is nearly .two miles, but the greater 

 part of the fall is in a distance of three-quarters of 

 a mile, having a fall of about six feet, the whole 

 fall being eight-feet. The main fiill is over a stra- 

 tum of rocks the whole width of the river. One 

 lock of about six feet lift would be sufficient for 

 these falls. 



lltli. Short's Falls are one mile long, and can 

 be improved by sluicing. 



12th. Bug's Island Shoals, require to be made 

 deeper and sij'ai^ht. 



ISth. Butcher's Creek Shoals. These falls are 

 too rapid to be overcome without lockage — the 

 most tliificult place is around Eagle Point, where 

 a wall has been constructed. The sluice is crook- 

 ed. A dam of five feet lift would raise the water 

 sufficiently for ll^.e two first rapids; the others can 

 be improved by removing rocks, and making the 

 sluice? straight. 



I'iih. Johnson's Sluice Shoals, arc more than a 

 mile long; the sluices are too narrow and crooked; 

 the turn too sht)rt around the island. The sluices 

 must be made wider and longer. 



1.5ih. Clarksville Falls. At this point there is a 

 ftill of about three feet. The sluice through the 

 milldam is too short and rapid for steamboats. As 

 here is a good mill seat, a dam and lock would be 

 necessary tor steamboats, and supplying water for 

 a mill. 



The examination I have been able to make of 



