St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-21
The Missouri River Commits
sion Submits Estimates for
Needed Improvements.
About Two Million Dollars
Can Be Sunk in the Big
Muddy.
Congress Will Probably Scale
Down This Sum by Sew
eral Thousand.
Tanners New Scheme to Make
Himself Solid With the
Veterans.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20.-Lieut. Col.
Sutor and Majs. Mackenzie and Broad
head, corps of engineers, constituting
the Missouri river commission, have
submitted to the chief of engineers
their annual report upon the improve
ment of that river. The report, after
reciting how the appropriation of ST.
100000 had been allotted, says that, as
most of the work was new, careful sur
veys and extensive repairs to plant
were first needed. which, together with
low water, delayed the beginning of the
work. Nevertheless, fair progress has
been made, and it will probably be
nearly. if not entirely, completed
this season. The two surveying
parties had covered 300 miles
up to June 80, and hoped to cover the
entire distance of 1920 miles this sea-
son, thus completing the system of tri-
angulatiOn from Fort Benton to the
mouth of the river. Above Sioux City
the project contemplateS low water
depth of four and half feet, and three
and half feet has now been attained,
facilitating navigation between Fort
Benton aud Fort Carroll, 100 miles.
Operations will be confined to the river
between Fort Benton and the coal
banks, and will be
COMPLETED THIS SEASON.
Below Fort Carroll permanent work
cannot be undertaken until the survey
is completed. After giving in detail the
work done and estimates of appropria-
tions required at different points along
the river, the commission touch upon
the action of congress in the act of 1888,
practically rejecting its plan of improve
ment. 1t states that the primary OBJ
ject of the appropriations was understood
to be desire to benefit navigation, and
not to protect private or municipal
property from the ravages of the river.
although if the latter could be done in
cidentally, so much the better. SyS-
tematic improvement of navigation in
wolves the holding of the river in fixed
channel, and thus, when completed,
protecting adjacent property. But this
improvement requires many millions OF
money and MANY years of time. Prop
erty owners are not content to wait and
clamor for protection, ard it is impossi-
BILE to meet all of their demands with
out scattering the funds so as to make
them everywhere inadequate. Then de-
tached pieces of bank protection, Sepa-
rated by many miles, contribute little
or nothing to the general improvement
of navigation. The river can be con-
trolled only by a continuous improve
ment, aud funds spentin protecting GER
tain points cannot be considered as APP
piled to the benefit of navigation. An
Indefinite number of millions of dollars
could be expended in that way without
appreciable benefit to navigation, and if
the improvement of navigation is the
object,
IT CANNOT POSSIBLY SUCCEED
If carried on under the terms of the act
of Aug. II, SIS. In preparing the eS-
Inmates the commission has separated
the two distinct interests. The esti
mates are: Salaries of commission, eX-
penses, works, ETC., Sl50,000; Sioux City,
100000; Omaha. S150,000: Plattsmouth,
100000; Nebraska City, Sl5O,0OO; Rulo,
100000; st. Joseph. Sl50,000; AtchisOn,
S175, 1000; Leavenworth, 100000; Kan
sas City, S175.O00; Miami. $4,000; Ar
row Rock, 100000; river above Sioux
City, S175,O0O; snagging below Sioux
City, 100000; general Improvement of
the river, Sl,00O,0O0. Total. S2,760, 600.
The estimates contemplate the eX-
penditure on the river for purposes of
navigation below Sioux City of $1,000
600, and above Carroll of S125,0O0.