The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-01-06

f'diiHiHB ihat the Use or inland water
ways is a subject OF peculiar Importance
20 the people of Missouri. the editor of
The Republic addressed a letter TO Colonel
Amos S~tickney. president of tho Missouri
River Commission. asking for information
on the present condition Of improvements
and the practicability Of making the river
available for m at A reasonable
cost. Colonel Stickney has kindly sent a
reply covering the subject fully and show
ing that at a moderate cost the river could
he placed at the disposal Of commerce-the
cost per mile being little more than that
OF constructing and %equipplnE a single line
of railroad. lie also points TO the chief oh
staclc which has interfered with progress
sive Improvement: that obstacle being the
clamOrUus demand of localities for discon-
nected Improvements for private or purely
local benefit.
Colonel Stickney's Letter.
The letter follows:
TO the Editor Of The Republic: st. Louis.
Jan. 81 have TO acknowledge the receipt
or your letter. requesting ms 10 give a
statement OF the present condition of the
work on the Missouri River. and the pros
poet of making permanent improvements
which Will assure "A deep nayisable channel.
IN compliance with your request II gives
me pleasure TO furnish you the infOrma-
tion. and In view of tho recent statements
regarding the proposition to abandon the
Improvement OF the river IT would seem
800 - f1hAh - Jill sfAAAN
facts In relation 10 the river.
THE first works undertaken by the Gov
ernment on the Missouri River below the
mouth OF the were at Nebraska
City and at st. Joseph. under small appro-
pTtatiors made In 1876. Subsequently other
appropriations were made for these and
other localities. until In 1881 there were
fourteen separate localities where work had
been ordered. scattered from ST. Charles
TO Nermilion. over a distance of $50 miles.
In 1881 a plan for the systematic inn
provement Of the river from the mouth
TO Sioux City was submitted by Major NOW
Colonel Suter. and In 1852 Congress appro-
priated $sJ.G0 for the general improve
ment of the river. and "A large plant for
the work was prepared. In 1884 the Missouri
River Commission was created 10 take
charge OF the work and SoiO.|yJ was appr0-
priated.
insufficient Appropriations.
''In the first report made by the commits
sion. In December. 1894. a general plan was
outlined. IL was now hoped that a thorough
Improvement of the river had been inHti2u-
rated and would be- vigorously prosecuted.
The commission concentrated their efforts
as much as possible upon the reach Of river
In the vicinity of Kansas City. and urgently
recommended in their reports that not less
than 100000 per year should he apprOpTt-
ated for continuous work from Kansas city
down. The recommendations Of the COM
mission. however. were not carried out. In
the appropriation years Of 1884, lS5. lsss
2,OiJ.OD was appropriated. OF which less
than $10.OD0 could be expended on the con-
tinUous work: that Is. for the six years.
from 1854 to 1899, less than one-tenth Of the
amount asked by the commission was pro-
vided for the Systematic work.
I'm the act of 1880 Congress directed that
the appropriation Of 10000 made that year
should. with certain specified exceptions, be
expended in the systematic Improvement OF
the river from its mouth up. in reaches. 10
be designated by the commission ana APP
proved by the Secretary of War. Under
this act the river from Its mouth 10 sioux
City was divided into six reaches. The first
reach extended from the mouth Of the river
to the mouth of the OSige. ebout l2 miles.
by the terms Of the act IL became necessary
to suspend operations. commenced IN the
vicinity Of Kansas City. and at large OK
pense move all Of the plant several hundred
work of systematic Improvement at the
head of the first reach. In 1891 the new start
was made. though a considerable portion 81
the appropriation of 1890 was necessarily
reserved TO prevent destruction OF "oik
previously started up the river. ~
How Improvement Is Profitable.
'In 1892 the appropriations were made CON
tinuous for four years, amounting IN me
aggregate durh X the four years 10 as.hV.-
90. of which about three-fourths was ap-
plicable 20 the systematic work. win ms
provision work was carried on vigorously
with a large plant. operating on a cOntut
uous stretch of forty-five and a half
miles Of river. extending from a point about
fourteen miles above the mouth OF the
Usage down to the mouth OF the Gas
worst stretches on the river. The success
of the work was marked. A deep navte1-
BILE channel was formed. and the banks
aligned and built up. In a distance Of only
eighteen miles in the vicinity of Jefferson
City. the erea Of new land formed by the
rectlfication works amounted to 90 acres.
and the area of land projected was ESQ
acres. Computing this at a fair price OF
$50 per acre. the sum Of $1,000 was added
TO the wealth OF the country. as incidental
to the Improvement OF NAVIGATION The
cost of this work was about s44.5c per mile.
about the same per mile as IL estimated for
the Improvement OF the Mississippi from st.
n II a. IL anH unHHL al tho
work would undoubtedly have developed a
lessening of cost per mile.
'In the river and harbor act OF 1896 the
appropriation for the Missouri River below
Sioux City was cut down To $4,000 and
provisos added. calling for work at nine
different localities other than that at
which the systematic work was In progress.
This was the beginning OF a virtual aban-
bv Congress Of the purpose TO
make an effective. general Improvement OF
the river for navigation. In lS9i. 1888. 1883
the appropriations were $4,000 per year.
and in 1904. s2J0.00. In the five apprOpTia-
ton acts 1896 to 1900. seventeen detached To-
calities were named where work was to be
performed. one Of which was In the Kaw
River.
Detached Work Not Permanent.
''The effect Of this large reduction OF APP
preparations. and scattering Of the small
available to points from Omaha
TO Pelican Bend. a distance of so miles.
was. of course. disastrous to effective work
for Improvement Of the river. and very
IL " lHt tDIl4EfAiE-ihH AM lE VI
fcers charged with the execution OF the
work. The systematic work on the first
reach came TO "a complete stop. The unit
cost of the various kinds OF work was large
ly increased. on account of the necessity
for moving steamboats,. barges. pile drivers
and various other Items Of plant over long
distances. and returning them again to the
at GascOrade. or making eXpen-
sive provision for their care at other points.
during the winter season. The working
became depleted. there being no
funds available for renewals. The frequent
di~sorganlZing and reorganizing Of working
forces. in taking up separate pieces Of
work, was also very expensive. The work
done at these localities was largely de
tached work: that is. not connected with
any other work or with fixed points. and
TO destruction by changes in the
How of the river above and about them.
What Is absolutely necessary for a
proper control Of the river and for the
Of works is that the regulation
should be continuous downstream. so that
works once placed. shall not be destroyed |
Or rendered useless by changes in the ap-
proach of the flow from above. On account |
OF the soft material of its bed, and banks
and its great flood VelOcities. the control
regulation Of the Missouri River is as
he country. excepting possibly the Lower
Mississippi, where the forces To contend I
are greater. TIL difficulty consists
almost entirely in making the works stand
devices lave been tried in their cOnstruc-
lion. That works can be made to stand.
and that the river can be fully controlled
and regulated, has been abundantly proven
1y the work done by the commission. and at
4 cost that IL not excessive when compared
with other river improvements.
Need of Sustained Interest.
tinuous general Improvement on the first
each. in accordance with the congressional