Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-12
THE TENNESSEE RIVER.

Needed Improvements and Develop.
| ment.
| We give below the leading parts of an
elaborate Argument recently made before
the Board of Commissioners appointed by
the Governors Of the States interested in
improving the navigation of the Ohio river
and tributaries, by Mr.. 81. N. Snyder, Rep
resentative from Hamilton county:
| This river is 1900 miles In length, and
drains 10000 square miles of territory. 1t
has an average width of 1900 feet. With
the necessary, and at the same lime not very
expensive Improvements, the lower Ten
nessee can be made TO have through the
| year an average minimum low water ma vi
| CATION Of five feet, and the upper Tennessee
| of three feet. The average high water is
| Is feet. The Tennessee proper has
an average descent of less than foot to
! the mile. This river is, In fact, broad,
| placid and beautiful stream, with channel
| unlike that of many rivers, which does not
| change, the bed of the river being generally
| of rock and the banks Of firm soil. With
appropriations far less in amount than have
been made to some unimportant streams in
the country, 1t has been estimated that
| there can be made ia the upper Tennessee
and its tributaries 1900 miles of navigable
water, and al this without any artificial
reservoirs.
In former years attempts to improve the
navigation of the upper Tennessee have
been made; the first By COL Long in 1882,
the second by Col. j. Mcclellan in 1856.
In consequence of these works being long
neglected and originally defective, an exam
ination by the q. S. Engineer Department
In 1871 showed that "but little benefit is
now obtained st the points where work has
been DONE"
In 1871 S35, 600 was set aside by the War
Department for the improvement of the
Tennessee above Chattanooga, and to this
sum $25, 600 was added By appropriation in
1872. Under these appropriations work
has been carried on by the government in
charge Of the Eng:n Department at nine
different points with marked success, and
with great advantage to navigation. The
necessary work, however, has not been
completed, and an additional appropriation
of $l25, 600 viii be neeted, according to the
report of the United States engineer IN
charge, in order that advantages already
gained may not be lost. With the excep
ton OF Muscle shoals, the distractions
through the whole length Of the river
are mostly dow water obstructionts, and
can be overcome without any great labor
or expense. The Muscle Shoals obstruct
the navigation of the river at all stages, and
divides it into what is known as the Upper
and the Lower Tennessee. The MUSCLE
Shoals are series of rocky barriers, some
twenty-five miles in extent, with fall of
134 feet, and situated between Florence and
Decatur, Alabama. The difficulties presen-
ted by this great obstacle were sought to be
overcome so far back as 1928, and work
was begun in 1881. The plan was the
formation of basins, and their connection
by canal. This plan was partly carried
out, and 80 far as executed, proved sue
cess. But the work has been abandoned
since 1887, and all that was done has long re-
manned entirely useless. BY act of Con-
gress Of 1871, resuryey of this part Of the
river, extending from Browns Ferry to
Florence, was ordered, with view to as
pertaining the best method Of overcoming
the distractions at Muscle shoals, and the
expense necessary the,e to. The result of
this examination and survey was the recon-
mendation Of the original plan and the use
Of the old canal so far as it could be made
use of as part of work based upon the in
creased capacity Of canal necessitated by
the requirements of the commerce Of the
present day.
The estimated cost Of a canal around
Muscle shoals with trunk one hundred
feet wide at the surface, six feet deep, and
with lock chambers sixty feet wide by three
hundred feet, between inter si'ls, is $685.
600. For tho commencement of this work
and the continuation of work in progress
below Chattanooga, the United States En-.
gineer Department recommended for the
last fiscal year an appropriation of $3.50, 900,
but onty 50,O00 was appropriated; sum
wholly inadequate to make the necessary
preparations for commencing 80 extensive
an undertaking. For the next fiscal year
the engineer in charge recommends the ap-
preparation of $4,000.
RESOURCES THAT IT WOULD DEVELOP.
The country drained by the Tennessee,
and especially by the uppsr Tennessee, con-
tains an abundant supply of valuable tim
Der. It also contains some of the most
valuable marble beds in the country; the
marble being alike valuable for ornament
and utility. or one extensive deposit OF
this marble, the Supervising Architect OF
the United States speaks as follows:
"6APT. w. r. PATRICK.-Der Sir:
Yours of the 18th, asking my opinion of the
white Tennessee marble used in the con-
struction of the United States Customhouse
and Postofice at Knoxville, Tenn, is re-
ceived. In reply have TO say it is, in my
opinion, unsurpassed in beauty and dtLrG-
bility by any marble now in use in this
country. Very respectfully,
ga. B. NJ ULLETT,
"SEpervising Architect"
This marble is found Immediately on
the bank of The river, near Knoxville.
In East Tennessee is also situated one of
the riches: and most productive copper
mines now in operation in tbs country.
The coal measures, situated on and near
the Tennessee, are the most extensive IN
the world. The coal is of quality sur
passed by none, being often used raw for
smelling purposes. 80,
The deposits of iron are inexhaustible.
All the richest varieties Of iron ore are
found, the red hematite predomlnatiDg.
This bed of ore has two parallel veins run
ming along the base of Cumberland noun
tain for more than 400 miles-from West
Virginia through Tennessee 10 Alabama
This ore will yield out of the furnace W per
cent of metallic iron.
Limestone is found all along the base OF
the mountains, SO that the assembling OF
the coal, iron ore and limestone in the furn-