It would, indeed, be most desirable, if practica ble, to find a situation admitting a good harbour, if only of 15 or 20 feet depth, between Charleston harbour and the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; but leaving the hypothesis where it was left by the United States engineers, we proceed to investigate what has been performed and planned to improve the inland navigable channels in the North Caro lina basin.
About North Lat. 50', at a place called Nag's Head, 45 or 46 miles along the reef to the north ward from Cape Hatteras, it appears there formerly existed an inlet with 10 feet water, which has long been closed by oceanic deposit. This, when open, was called Roanoke Inlet, and was directly outside of Roanoke Island and the two straits uniting Pam tico to Albemarle Sound. The same powerful agent which closed Roanoke Inlet opened New Inlet, op posite the north-east part of Pamtico Sound, and 50 miles northwardly from Cape Hatteras.
Conflicting plans have been proposed to melior ate the navigable facilities of this coast. One was, that under the influence of which the Act of Congress of the 20th May 1826 was ,passed, and which has been already, together with its object, stated under this head. To carry such a project into effect, the engineer recommended to cut off all connexion between Albemarle and Pamtico Sounds by mole or embankments across Croatan and Roanoke Sounds or straits, and to make a new pas sage or inlet by dredging. The engineer then sub mitted two plans of execution: Estimate fir stone embankments, S2,363,483 do. of timber and earth do. 1,206,297.
The engineer in closing his report throws doubts on the practicable execution and preservation t of such works, exposed to the winds and waves o he Atlantic Ocean, and farther, " not still perceiving a great probability that the country could, in con sequence, be benefited in its intercourse, and home and foreign trade, to an extent that would counter balance the heavy expense involved in erecting and maintaining the needful works: but especially du bious as to the possibility of guarcling the proposed usefulness of them against future encroachments or accidents of impediment, induced by an unsettled ocean." To this we may acid, that if the proposed inlet was successfully completed, and its eventual de terioration by the action of the Atlantic Ocean guarded against to full security, the embankment over the two straits on each side of Roanoke island would put a total stoppage to water inter communication between the two extremes of the North Carolina basin, by its two principal Sounds, and render more necessary the existence of a coun ter canal across the general course of the rivers, and to the interior of the Sounds. The state engi
neer himself doubting, however, either the easy ex ecution and preservation of such a work on the ocean border, or its extensive benefits if in exist ence, presents another plan in the following terms: The general features of the plan now present ed for consideration are, the excavation of a chan nel through the shoal ground in the sound, cutting across the sands between it and the sea, and, by the intervention of a tide lock, secure to the trade an outward navigation at all times, between half tide and high water. In submitting this plan, we must regret the entire impracticability-of giving to the import trade the benefits of the same channel. This will be evident at once in the smallness of the sea mouth of the cut, thereby causing great risk in attempting its entrance, with a lee shore, as it must always prove—and in the immediate vicinity of a cape, the most dangerous, with one exception, of our extended coast, without the protection of a breakwater, in case of unfavourable weather. The hopelessness of combining such an auxiliary, how ever, is most conclusive, when we reflect upon the unremitting tendency of the currents of the ocean on the southern coast, and the abundance of the elements which go into the formation of the shoals, and which, in this instance, would endanger the safety, if not, indeed, the very existence of the proposed inlet." The defects of this plan are candidly stated, but the engineer proceeds to dwell upon the greater cheapness of execution and security for the works when completed. He gives the aggregate of S327,734 10, as the necessary expenditure.
The Roanoke Inlet Company was created by Act of Assembly of North Carolina, 1821.