The morning times., 1896-01-04
TEtis-W WANTS HER Slice
Improvement of The Trinity River
is Officially Desired.
TO COST A. MIMI OF MONEY
Novel Compar son Made with the
Streamss.af Kentucky Engineers
Report on Some OF the Difficulties.
Would Take Twenty Ycars TO Finish
the Work--Iock~1 and Bridges.

The Congressman who'can't get "A whack
out OF The riyrr and harbor hi, isn't much
good TO his constituents.
bow An Texas tncy have stream called
the Trinity River. During the last session
or the Fifty-tihrd Congress an item WAS
inserted in the river and harbor act
providing for survey OF the river from
Magnolia TO the city OF Dallas.
The survey was DegGn in October, 1894,
ami WAS completed January 12, 1895. The
distance gone over was 2UG 3-4 miles. At
tn. very first ohaRee this report was called
for and has just been printed ana referred
10 the Committee on Rivers and Harbors.
The report shows that ii would cost $500
per mile 10 give ii depth or from four To six
feet. And all this would he useless unless
the water from Dallas to Galveston was
included. The chief engineer recommends
that no action be taken until Congress il
ready 10 appropriate money on the basis
OF completing tn. work in twenty years.
REPORT IN DETAIL.
The report says: The general course
Of the river from Dallas To Magnolia is
southeast. the length being zoo FL miles.
The river flows through Dallas county
and forms the boundary between Ellis and
Kaufman, Navarro and Henderson, and
FrceStone and Anderson counties.
AT the time OF the survey the water was
very low, So low that much time was lost
in making por,ages around and hauling the
skiffS over the shoals and rafts, which
constitute the principal distractions in
the stream. About fourteen and a-halr
miles below Dallas The Trinity River
Navigation Company has constructed a
dam, with view to sia kwa ter navigation,
which at present is complete obstruction
TO navigation at low water. The differ
ence bet wecn high and low water is from
twenty-five to thirty feet, the banks vary
IN height from thirty To sixteen feet, so
that tbrnnsrt, tsb tbs.S str
flows is subject 10 overflow; this bottom
is heavily timhered and varies from three
TO seven miles in width.
(, t.Theriver has a fall a low ater bet ween
Dallas and Magnolia OF 1Sa feet in zoe "a
miles.
In addition to the natural distractions.
which consists of shoals, snags, and drift
piles, or rarts, there are fourteen bridges
crossing the stream between Dallas and
Magnolia which, with the exception OF
Two, are without draw wspans and vary in
height. above low water from thirty-three
To fifty-tiiree feet, and unless altered would
prevent the navigation of the river by any
but very small boats AT any ordinary boat
ing stage.
---.- THE DEPTH OBTAINED.
BY clearing this portion Of the river from
overiIanEins trees. snags and drift piles, a
prccarious navigation for four months in
tile year would he obtained, with a depth
OF water Of from four TO six feet.
1t is estimate ed tina this would cost about
$500 per mile. or about Sl25.000.
ITO obtain slack-waicr navigation be-
tween Dallas and Magnolia by means Of
locks and dams there would he required
sixteen locks with ,wclve-fvot lifts, which.
AZ 100000 per lock and dam. would
amount IL 81 900 ,0GO; this estimate is not
high. .----
The present condition of the Trinity
River .t,aw Mngugli.l sllch that the
improvement of the portion bet ween Dal-
las aud Magnolia would give no outlet to
the products Of the country bordering the
stream. and any local traffic that would
be benefited would De So small that, in my
opinion, this portion of the river is not at
present worthy Of improvement by the
United States"
notwithstanding such a report as this,
the legislature of the State of Texas has
declared the Trinity navigablc river
Commercial statistics Of what would hap
pen were the Trinity improved have been
prepared and accompany the engineers re-
port.
COMPARED WITH KENTUCKY.
1t shows that the area drained by this
river is nearly the same size as the State
of Kentucky. There are in it Z 81 villages
and towns. IL is cstima led that the annual
saving to this section in cotton ties. made
cheaper by water transportation. would
be So 900. 900. The saving on other
products would be So 900, 600.
The report further states { hat nearly every
stream IN Kentucky yhasreceivedg government
aid. 1t looks TO them. the report says,
that this section should be favored, too.
It closes by saying:
TO place lie actual existing condition
of affairs before you in a few words and n
clear and concise manner, will assert that
from 1883 TO 1894 and 1895 our products
have increased from 100 TO zoo per cent,
while in 1858 our wheat commanded from
81 to S1.25 per bushel, and our cotton
brought us $50 per bale: in 1S94-95 wheat
sells fer 60 cents per bushel and cotton
for about S26 per bale, and between 1888
and 1895 our freight rates are Increased
from 10 to 60 Fer cent. Increase i'll popu-
laticn and increase in products, instead
of having n cheaper tendency as it does
elsewhere, with us acts in n contrary direc-
ton.
government aid 10 improve the Trinity
river is the only source of relief for this
people: il should not be withheld from them
nor should their clanlor for relief be un-
needed or dismissed with a few lines of
comment. Their case deserves careful
and conscientious consideration from those
who have il in their power TO handle their
destiny"