The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-13

stability of the banks and bottom of the
river, and the rock foundations for locks
and dams, presented in all cases. make
the lower portion of the river peculiar
ly susceptible of permanent improve
ment by a system of slack-water navlga-
ton.
BY means of the Upper Coosa the
Oostenaula and Coosawattee rivers there
is now stretch of 293 miles of navig-
able river above Lock No. 4 and by means
of the Coosa and the Alabama rivers A
stretch OF 367 miles of easily naviga BILE
river below Wetumpka. The Improvement
OF the ZIG miles Of river between. Lock
No. and Wetumpka will therefore afford
a continuous route of water transporta-
ton nc miles in length. from northwest
ern Georgia through the mineral region
of north Alabama, to the Gulf # Mexico
at Mobile, Ala
In another report, made In 1890, volume
2, page 1915. 1t Is said:
In the meanwhile tn coal and iron
interests of Alabama have been rapidlv
developed, and the Coosa river coal and
iron fields have become the objective of
the more recent plans of Improvement
Inc extension of the Improvement 70
Wetumpka will unquestionably build up
large traffic In coal, iron. and farm
products between north Alabama and Mo-
bile and intermediate points and a large
export business in coal from Mobile
Inc present local business upon this
river should not be taken as a measure
of the value of this improvement
Inc volume of business done annual
~ in Wetumpka is estimated at 81. 800 600
and in Montgomery at $40, 600, OOO At Tai
lapoosa on the Tallapoosa river, which
flows into the Alabama river at Mont
gomery, the annual business is s.. 900. 600
which 10 In flov
10 the Alabama, the annual business is
estimate at 100000. And yet Mr. Bur-
ton would have you believe that the
only thing to be taken into consideration
IN making this appropriation Is the as
sessed value of the counties Of ITALIA
poosa, Coosa and Chiffon in 1S9O-twelye
years ago-which he claims was SS,OOO,DoO.
In another report the government en-
gineer says
The district of Georgia which Ues o,a
Venlent to the Coosa river had in 1885 an
output of 1924 tons.
The present iron production of the
ooosa valley region. extending from the
helghborhood of Calera to Rome Ga is
not much, If at all, below 100000 tons.
Inc total iron production of the Uni
ted States in 1885 was 4529 S69 tons
lhere had been very little increase since
1881. But In that time the output of
southern furnaces has grown from $751;
3Ol tons to 712,S37 The most remarkable
increase was in Alabama.
1t is now conceded that the Alabama
output Will constantly grow in volume,
since IRON can be made cheaper here than
elsewhere in the United States If we
now furnish transportation so cheap that
we can. at Mobile, undersell any other
point upon our coast. the result must be
mat Alabama, in few years. will fur
nish millions of tons for market and
the greater part of 1t would pass down
the Coosa river
Another report in the same document
ON page 1913, from Col J. Ii. Simpson.
says:
1t is fair to assume that the opening of
the Coosa river to navigation between
Netumpka and Greensport will be the
virtual opening of a channel for direct
trade between Rome, Ca, and Mobile
Ala, via the Mobile, Alabama and Coosa
rivers, by water course 700 miles In
length, available at all seasons of the
year
The opening and development of the
rich and extensive coal and iron mines
In the Coosa valley will render this
thoroughfare the great and important
feeder of Mobile and the gulf ports gen
orally. The valuable products of the diff
ferent counties bordering upon the Coosa
river which now seek a market over
rough and circuitous roads would me-
turally tend to this great highway. and
the benefits of the great carrying trade
thus created would be felt throughout the
length of the river. Many products which
are now neglected because of the diff
Guilty in transportation would find
ready market and become a source of
profit to the producer
Maj A. n. Damrell, in the report of
1881, on page 1902 says:
The improvement is believed to be of
great local, national. and international
i'm portance for the following reasons:
1t would give an unbroken water com
munication of about 500 miles from the
Gulf of Mexico to the southern border
of Tennessee and northwestern border of
Georgia. 1t would supply a arge local
demand for fuel, iron, and building ma
terials al rates much below the present.
1t would reduce immensely tofthe United
States the cost of the large supplies of
coal and iron which would be required
by it on the Gulf of Mexico in time of
war, and in time of peace it would re-
suit in saving In the reduction of the
cost of these items to the cities of this
section generally, and to the steamers
both merchant and war. of all nations
navigating the gulf, which would soon
Mr.. Chairman. I have other reports
here which are just as favorable as those
| have read from the engineers for the
past twenty-five years who have survey
ed this work, but which | will not take
the time or patience of this House to
read: but they all go to show the incor-
rectness of the report made recently up
on this river by Mr.. Judson.
In the memorial of the Coosa river i'm
provement convention. referred 70 in the
report, they say:
De Soto discovered the river In 154o
and marched down it's entire length
After his discovery the region through
which it passes remained undisturbed
except by the tribal wars of the Indians
for nearly a century and a half In 1919
and 1914 it became the scene % General
Jackson's campaign against the Creek
Indians, which practically terminated
with the battle of Horseshoe, upon the
Tallapoosa river March 81, 1914
Magnitude of the River.
The Coosa river rises in the mountains
ly and southerly until it helps to form
Wetumpka, Ala.
1t Is formed by a junction of the
Ootanaula and Etowah rivers at Rome,
point the distance along these streams
to the Gulf of Mexico is as follows:
Miles
Coosa River. ......-... .-.......... 315
Alabama River ........... So. 800
Mobile River...... ..... ............ so