The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-10-23
GREAT DISSATISFACTION
Over The Recommendations For Alabama
Water Improvements,
MADE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
The Appropriations Should Be Made Where the
Beneft)WiIl Be Appreciable at Once,
and Not Where It Win Be
Generations Hence.

The promoters of the Warrior canal
are more anxious than ever to have it
pushed to completion.
There Is much dissatisfa ction over the
recommendations of eGn. Wilson, chief
of government engineers, for appropria-
tfons for river and harbor improvements
in Alabama.
1T is claimed by men who are thor
oughly familiar with the situation that
the larger portion of funds has been
recommended for water courses where
the benefit will not be apparent for sew
eral generations. and probably not at ALL
The recommendations, as printed in
yesterdays Age-HeraQd. are as follows
Chat ahoochee river, $93500; Alabama
river, $156,2OO; Coosa river, betweeni
Rome, Ca, and the East Tennessee, Vr-
ginia and Georgia railway bridge $685.
S22; Coosa river from the bridge to We
tumpka, sl,000,000; Mobile harbor, $780,
600; Mobile lBaribor maintenance, 100000;
BLACK Warrior river, s19o5OO Warrior
river, $500 900; Tombigbsa river, from the
mouth to Demopolis, 100000; Tombigbee
from Demopolis, ALI, to Co,tim bus, Miss,
100000
INSTEAD of concentrating the money
where it win do the most good" said
gentleman yesterday, who is familiar
with the subject, at has been scattered
so that no material good will result with
out the spending of mfllions and mil
lions more
'sAs an instance of rhis, $500, 900 was
recom= minded for the Tombigbee river
from Demopolis, Ala, to Columbus, Miss
There is no town of any size or import
ance along this river, and the outlay will
result in little advantage. How much
better it would have been to have had
this combined wish the 100000 recon-
mended for Improvements ON the Black
Warrior river.
'4The reconrn endation was made for
1.-THE Warrior river, which is supposed to
mean for the Black Warrior from De-
mopolis up. There is also a recommended
tion for the Black Warrior of $19O. 800.
The maps and recommendations do not
agree on this point, so the exact mean
ing cannot be determined.
'iBlpl money in this river is well spent.
ut passes through the richest mining re-
of tba
be at once felt.
Announcements have been made for the
construction OF four locks from Jackson
Ito Tuscaloosa, and ONE is already in
course of cons a.lotion at Jackson. 1t
has been estimated that these four locks
will give six feet of wa ter from Mobile
to Tuscaloosa the year round. This will!
be great factor in getting h5avy PROD
ucts to the sea.
'.The Coosa river has already been
greatly improved. Large amounts have
been spent on it with no appreciable
benefit Now that an enormous sum
has again been recommended for its
benefit seems to be out of place, when
IH6 QlSlIlCl PlOQoOiile> 90 thoSh pt'SihS9o
as the Birmingham stands ready ITO fur
nish an enormous traffic to the sea is
cut off with a comparatively insignifl-
cant amount. 1t would be better to
spend this money where the result would
be apparent ait once, than to lay it out
where IT would not be felt for genera
Mons.
Even after the present appropriation
for the Coosa is expended, millions more
will be required around Wetumpka
alone. There are only two coal mines
along the Coosa and not furnace-only
those at Gadsden. which are not in oper-
alton.
"The mineral district lying adjacent
to this river produces little more than
10000 tons of coal annually, and all other