The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1892-02-16
TRINITY NAVIGATION
CAPTAIN FLATAU WORKING FOR A
RESURVEY.

'hihpli'N hfpDEl Oh inc NOmmlltet on /
Coinage, Weights and Measures oa
BANDS Free Coinage Bill Silver Men
on Top.n the House.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1G.-Captain Fla
tau, who is here working TO secure II sur
vey of the Trinity river looking to its |
Improvement for navigable purposes,
called at the Office of the chief engineer |
to talk with General Casey. That gen
tleman was at first not at all kindly dis |
posed to the project, because engineers
had reported that the rendering of the |
Trinity navigable for the year was not
practicable. Captain Flatau stated that
the Texas people did not expect that the
stream could be made navigable for the
whole year up to Dallas, and that their
demand was that a survey should be
made looking to the improvement of the
river to the point named so that it could
be navigated from seven to nine months.
After a long talk over the matter and
Captain Flatau had given General Casey
the benefit of his experience on the river,
the general promised that if requested
by the committee on rivers and harbors
~ "Ouih SiNV bii " IJllliJll w lls anu uiiO
opinion would be that special survey
should be had of the river.
Judge Abbott went before the river
and harbor committee and addressed it
i'll advocacy of resurvey. He admitted
that heretofore the report of the engin
GERS had not been favorable to the i'm
provement of the river by the govern
ment but he said he did not believe any
thorough survey had ever been made.
He told the committee of the vast terri
tory and the great productive powers of
the country through which this stream
ran. He also stated that before the war
steamers ran far up the river and that
they only ceased because of the intro
duction of the railroads and the indispO-
sition of the government to keep the
river in navigable condition. Mr.. Alb
bott said the people all along the river
from Dallas to its mouth We're interested
in the matter and desire that the govern
ment make a thorough survey He was
satisfied that navigation could be Sc
! cured for at least seven months i'll the
year. He said that at Dallas a company
had been formed to cooperate with the
! government in this work.
Captain Flatau, who is here at work
ON the matter, says: Major Allen of
the corps of engineers declared by report
that he had made a survey of the Trim.
ity river from Dallas to its mouth and
deemed it unworthy Of improvement.
Colonel COmstock, division engineer, land
General Casey concurred with him. The
reports of the engineer department must
be favorable to d matter of this kind be
fore the river and harbor committee cal
be expected to make an appropriation
| These engineers are educated III theil
business and save money for the govern
ment whenever they can do So The
river and harbOr committee having con
fidence in and relying on them very
naturally object to ordering any reSur
vey when a survey has once been re
ported In our case | think there is NJ
doubt that the uncommon grant of q
survey will be made. After the chair
man of the river and harbor committee
and General Casey heard the case stated
to them from a practical standpoint
they seem to be favorably impressed, al
was the committee also. General Case
in his interview with me approved thu
idea of a seven or nine months naviga
: ton. If survey is ordered and the ap
preparation is made for it the work viii
be done by an officer specially detailet
for the work, as the engineer in tina
, district major Allen has already mad
an unfavorable report on the surve
made by him
Senator Chiffon to the Fore.
Senator Chiffon introduced a bill fix
ing the date of the meeting of congress
on the first Tuesday after the first Mon
day i'll December. His reason for tn,
bill is that as the case is now there
really no meeting of congress till afte
the Christmas holidays. While congress
meets on the first Monday in Decembe
it generally takes recess almost imme
diately till after New Year The EN-
ployes about congress are selected a
soon as congress meets and they dra'
their salaries though they do not reall
. commence work till January The bill
l if it becomes IA law, will save $4,000 c