Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-18

Ears rs ghcN phrase. The saving IN freight
" ono year would almost pay for the en-
tire Improvement. Tho opening of
THIS watcr route 90 coat Of less than
hliy miles of railroad. would give the
state the heueht Of a uc 4OU miles long.
ahu at the Hamn time nrccssiiaip reduced
rates on railroads on both sides of the
hrakoS river. The benefit Of opening the
Mater route being demonstrated. the
question now Is how to accomplish H.
II must De done hv the United States.
uN thc state or ly corporition churter
cd for the purpose.
The most that is possible 10 be obtain
ga through congress nc its next session
" an Appropriation Tor the Improvement
oi lhe lower Brazos. aud for a survey
giving lelels aud cross sections. and such
uelnlled information as will Vnnhlp the
engineers to estimate with rrnsonnbie
nc,uracy the number and cost Of ictties.
loek. ana dams required In order to
obtain this the legislature should n,lopt
resolution requesting thnt it be- dom.
ana the commissioners court of each
county should adopt aud forward To our
vonkressnien q similar resolution As the
incoming administration is plcdrcd 10
economy Ia public expenditures. ii will
he difficult i not impossible To got nm
appropriation through the river and hur-
Dor hill Tor more than enough 20 remove
Instructions Ia the lower river. from,
richmond down aud to soc levels. cross
ssg,vuons and estimates for the whole
me part Tor which am appropriation Is
m9ue would have To be- improved. mud
The appropriation expended before any
further appropriation would be- made
MS nelpssitatcs years OF waiting before
the Whole work can be COMPLETED and il
is uncertain whether the appropriation
will be made 0t an
Ia view OF these fucts and Of the great
Importance To the state Of completing
the work ns rapidly as possible. ns her
citiHens pay annually IN extra freight MS
much US the work will cost, 10 N he
hored that the best plan ls TO ask con-
grtH for an appropriation at the next
srsslun, sufficient To make the detailed
survey of the whole aud 20 remove the
INSTRUCTIONS from the lowcr river say
from ltichmond down, and for the state
Or "a private corporation chartered for
the PURPOSE, to remove the distractions
from thc point whore the United States
government appropriation ends. up to
Waco.
A. It would he necessary In either event
tu charge a low rate OF toll 10 keen the
river clear of snNgs nud 90 operate the
locks nt the dams it Is believed TINT the
best results can. be- Obtained 10y amending
the corporation law so MS tO authorize
the incorporation of companies for max
ihg the rivers of TcXus unyignhlc Then
grant land certificates for Go acres cnrh
10 The company for each mile of river
irgm which AL snags and uhstruuions
are removed to be- locutud with like
amount for the scEOOl fund ON und re-.
served From location hy railroad certiH.
onte 10y The net of 1870 Require an
stock aud bonds 60 ho registered hy the
STATE hN q low rate of toll and provide
That the rates shnl ut ull times be- sub.
lrci tu hc ro'luced by the legislature as
traffic increases
Provide further that the state may nj
amy time conlomn the Wntcr way to
public use by a payment of the inrc of
the bonds and stock issued ma provided
The advantages of this method over
construction 10y the state are first.
Who're n privnte corporation docs the
work aud relies for Nv compensation
on the tolls, the obstructOns will ho
thoroughly removed. and the ietties,
locks and dUms win be more substnn-
tally built than 10 done for the state,
realized ont of the saving In cost of
| c0uis furtiOn. Second. A private COM
nnuy Gun do the work more chcnply than
the state aud The state will have The op-
lion of either regulating the toll on TAX
ing the property nt cost
la order that NIL counties fronting on
the river may be- Interested in the cor.
porntion, provided that the citizcus of
the counties shall FOR thirty days after
notice to the county Judge hHyO the
preference right 10 subscribe for stock
10 sum In proportion that the county
frontage ON the river bears TO the whole
| front
Under such q law a similar corpora
ton may he formed 20 render the rr'u-
ity naylRablc To Dallas. With these two
waterways opened 20 the gulf. Waco
and Dallas nnd all points south would
get railroad rates based on winter cOmpe-
titiOn, aud permanent emancipation from
rate meetings viii be given to the most
thlclly settled farming portion of the
state. The state administration which
takes this subject la baud aud carries
IL forward 10 successful result will de-.
serve and receive the approval of the
whole people. The waterways thus con-
Mrucied would be 10 Texas whnt the
Erie canal is tO New York the freight
regulator for hll points accessible 10
them, As the plan W new IN Texas and
itH Feasibility may be questioned by some,
there might be some objections 10 tho
state taking any risk. This h another
reason why II Is best for The state 10
get the work done 10y private corporn-
ton under lis control, reserying the right
10 the state 10 make the waterway
free by purchase after success Is demon
Htrnted. Ia fact however, this rs not a
| theory requiring experiment 10 deter.
mine rs value.
A far as the engineering part Of the
| plan Is concerned IA ~ simply the uppli-
cation 10 Texas rivers Of plans which are
now and have been for years in success
iul operation Ia other stntcs and coun-
| tries
In France IN 1871 thorc was n gap of
| llS NILES IN the water route connecting
| Havre. Roucn aud Paris with LYONS
| and Mnrsriles hy the Seine and Yonue
| rivers The burgundy canal aud the
| Rivers Snone and Rhone
For eight or nine months Ia the year
the descent of loaded vessels was only
possible by aid Of artificial floods from
| the upper fOnne twice @ week for crnfts
/ drawing from two and Ono.haf 10 three
feet. Since that time, owing 10 the con
strudiOn " seventeen movable dams on
the lonne aud twelve movable dams
| on the Seine, the navigation Is confln-
uous bg boats drawing not exceeding
five feet
The dam IA the seine below Paris Is
| what is known as a pOiree needle dam
while the one above Pans ~ a chanoine
movable wicket dam.
These two classes Of movable dams
/ and what Is known as the shutter dam
| with various notifications and improve.
lnents are ia use on he following riyers.
/ the Isle the EN-, Ia the kingdom Of
! Wurtenbnrg, the Onse, the Mihanuudy
/ IN India, the Marine, and IN the United
I States we have lot only rendered rivers
fpaylgable, or greatly improved them
! whore already nayigable by means Of
/ movable dams but the methods of CON
strpcpon nave been greatly improved,