The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-18
rgE ooMULasE's IMPROVEMENT.
Hawkinsvlne People stirred Up Over
the Matter.


the Matter.
, Capt. o. NJ. Carter returned yesterday
from Dublin, where he had been TO give di'
rections in regard to the building OF the
! railroad bridge by the Macon and Dublin
railroad and two country bridges across the
Oconee river at or near Dublin. The
/ Oconee is a navgable stream, and as such
is subject to United States laws regulating
the building of br idges over such streams at
a sufficient hight, or with draw, to allow
of the passage Of boats.
Capt Carter left again last night for
Abbeville, on the Ocmulgee river, where
the government snag boat Satilla is under
CO. struction for use upon the Oomulgee, the
Ocones and the Altamaha rivers.
The HawkiEsville people are considerably
stirred up over the act of the last congress
appropriating $4,000 for the purpose Of
making the Ocmulgee river navigable from
| Macon to Hawkinsville. They do not
appear to take much stock in the
| possibilities of river navigation between
| Hawkinsville and Macon. They have some
! ground for the complaint as the enforce
| ment Of the law regarding the Ocmulgee as
a navigable stream above Hawkinsville will
/ necessitate the expenditure Of good many
thousands OF dollars in raising bridges to a
! sufficient hight to allow Of the passage of
steamboats,. The kick is made on the Macon
Board of Trade, which called the attention
! If congress to the river, and not on the
United States engineer.
In an article in the Hawkinsville Dis
patch and NetCs Of Thursday there is con-
siderable discussion OF the subject, Of which
the following is ON extract: Zone of the
most useless expenditures of money that
has ever occurred will be that of the United
States government in the attempt to make
the Ocmulgee river navigable for steam
boats between Hawklnsvills and Macon.
Every dollar expended in this undertaking
Will be just so much money thrown away
1t Is sin ply impossible to overcome impos-
sibilities, or TO create something out of
nothing.
IAN expenditure of 100000 would be
required to make the river permanently
navigabe between HawkiIsville and
Macon, aud anybody with a particle of
brains or possessing the least bit of common
sense knows that the government will never
expend such sum Of money on improving
the navigation of a Georgia inland river,
when the demands of commerce do not now
and never will require it.
But to the point: This movement was
started by the board of trade of the city Of
Macon. Why? For naught else than to
use 1t against the railroads in the matter of
demanding lower freight rates
" he honorable members of the Macon
DNNAA Va AACA0o ouCCo6QSQ III pulling LDo
wool over the eyes of Uncle Sam, and he
issued orders compelling the railroads TO
put draws in their bridges In order that
steamboat navigation might not be OBJ
structed.
NOW, the railroads didn't expend enor~
NOUS sums of money in putting draws In
their bridges because they feared river
competition, but it was because the gov
eminent had allowed itself to be grossly
humbugged and led to believe that the
Ockmulgee river could be made navigable
by small appropriation annually, and
because they the railroads. did not
dare risk the penalty imposed by
the government upon parties obstructing
navigable streams The railroad authors
ties knew full well that such thing as
steamboat navigation between Hawkins
vile and Macon was utterly impossible, but
they put In the draws in order to keep from
being harrassed by. perhaps, the annual
passage OF a small steamboat during food
in the river.
III the government persists in the execu-
tlon OF its orders, and there seems to be no
hope for any other alternative, 1t will
cause an expenditure by Pulaski county OF
not less than $40 900 in raising the public
bridge spanning the river at Hawkinsville.
The Ocmulgee is a navigable river under
the jurisdiction Of the United States engin-
GERS from Macon to its mouth, distance of
203 miles, where it unites with the Ocouee
and forms the Altamaha. Before the days
OF railroads steamboats, were run from
Hawkinsville to Macon, but they were
abandoned years ago, and the river has be-
come filed up with shoals and snags. From
Macon to Hawkinsville is distance of
seventy miles. In this distance there are at
present three railroad bridges, the
Covington and Macon railroad bridge, the
East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia rail-
road bridges, one ten miles below Macon
and the other at Hawkinsville, and the
highway bridges at Hawkinsville, completely
preventing navigation. Draws will have to
be put in at all of these bridges or the
bridges raised.
Capt. Carter's report Of the survey of the
river. made in 1890, estimated the cost Of
cleaning out the river sufficiently TO give a
channel Of three feet depth at summer low
water from the forks to Macon
at 100000, about one-half Of which
| would have to be expended in
removing the shoals, snags and overhang-
ing trees between Hawkinsvllle and Macon.
An annual appropriation of $50, 900 was es-
timated to be necessary to properly carry
on the work Of giving the river an average
navigable depth Of three feet at summer
low water. The appropriation for toe
work this year is $15, 900.