The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1898-09-30
LOCKING AND DAAM|N.
A Scheme to Open Navigation to the
Headwaters of All Naviga-
BILE Rivers.
4 AsueGEsTIoM TO THE NEXT LEGISLATURE.
What Has Been Accomplished BY Locking
and Damming in Other Sections Of the
Country-Would Result in Opening Up
Rich Mineral Regions Of the State and
he Of Untold Benefit.

COuntry-Would Result in Opening Up
Rich Mineral Regions Of the State and
Ne Of Untold Benefit.
BY constructing q lock and dam on
White river at the first shoals above
Newport the question whether naviga-
tiop the year round can be maintained
will be established, and this will also
settle the question whether that stream
can be rendered navigable to it's head
waters
The man, who five years ago, had been
30 bold as to predict that the foreign
commerce finding its outlet at eastern
seaports would be diverted to ports on
the gulf to such an extent as to neces-
state the establishment of . line of
steamers between gulf ports and Ham,
burg, in addition to lines elsewhere,
would have been declared visionist.
Ocean traffic at gulf ports is expanding
daily. To the volume of cotton and
lumber freight flowing southwark has
been added vast quantity of the grain
product of the northwestern states, and
this needs only the supplement of the
mineral output of north central Arkan-
sas, with its fruit, truck and timber
as contingents, to initiate the bulk be-
yond computation.
How to tap the resources Of this reg
Ion is the question. The conceivable
will be accomplished.
At the risk of being counted vision
ist, the writer predicts that it is ques-
tion Of time only, and short time, too,
when . large area of the region tribu-
tary to White river will be laid open to
commerce by system Of river improve
mont consisting OF simply locking and
damming the shoals of this stream and
Its navigable branches.
White river has permanent and we'll
defined banks and . stable channel
from mouth to headwaters. From New
|srt to the mouth it is one of the best
water highways of its size in the world.
The project of constructing lock and
dam at the first rapids above Newport,
the work TO be performed by convict
labor under supervision of the state, is
not a scheme without q parallel, nor
can it be regarded an exploit of vast
magnitude in this age of great achieve
ments. The scheme is practicable. A
lock and dam at the point indicated
will prove a success and the building
of others is fact as fxed as fate.
River improvement by means of locks
and dams is not Of great antiquity
neither is it late discovery. On the
Thames, England, locks exist two to
three miles apart, ara the river is rem
dered navigable by upwards of fifty of
these structures from Teddington to
Lechlade. Muskingum river. in Ohio,
mas lock every ten miles above the
first shoals, on up to where boating
ceases. Each dam affords a water power
which operates factories, -four mills,
Other streams have the same system,
and all are in successful and profitable
use. Locking and damming streams is a
practice which went ont of the expert
long ago.
The establishment of one lock and
dam will start an epidemic of river i'm
provement, eventuating in the con-
struction of this line of improvements
on other streams, and thus solve the
problem how to throw open to COM
merce all the territory tributary to
them. The question whether Arkansas
shall enter upon a policy of opening
these waterways by means of convict
labor will become obsolete whenever
the experiment shall have been proper
ly tested at one place, for the test will
set at rest all fears as to the practical
bility Of the scheme and lay the base for
rapid extension.
Water shi Cment in known to be
cheaper than any other mode of
conveyance, consequently it is un-
necessary to present any argu-
ment on that point With access
by boat into the mines and quarries
now inaccessible, the output of these
districts can be dumped into broad bot
tom boats and barges of many hundred
tons burden and foated down to the
gulf ports without breaking bulk.
Thus will the value of the mines be en-
HANGED and also the lands adjacent.
The value of quarries depends on ac-
feasibility as well as quality-isolated
quarries and mines are practically
valueless.
Public sentiment is ripe for improve
ment and is ripening for demonstra-
tion. The opening Of gulf ports to
European traffic has enlarged the field
of commercial activity SO as to call for
additional transportation facilities and