The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-29

Montgomery Advertiser a communication from G. w. Craik. a prominent resident of the Alabama capital, largely identi- fled with the financial interests of the its substance and it's progressive spirit than any half dozen of the compliments to whose abuse of Captain Judson his protests are addressed. Mr. Craik calls attention to the fact that other United States engineer officers have sinned against the river and harbor propaganda. He says that even their alleged recom- mendations consisted chiefly in the pres entation of estimates of cost, etc, that few of them have had any faith in the project, while some have openly de nounccd the whole scheme as foolish and futile We gather from MT. Craiks pub lished argument in fact, that the Coosa River is a remarkably picturesque stream, running through sometimes rocky and always rolling country. famous for its rapids. its eddies, and its difficulties. So far. no base commercial fleets have de- filed it's pure and sparkling bosom. Even should the proposed scheme be realized and the now indefinite million expended the only result would be to destroy one of the finest water Do ver agencies in the world, and to give in place thereof tor tuous channel with a maximum depth of six feet and with at least forty locks along the 800 miles between the coal fields and the sea. Upon this point MT. Craik throws an instructive and specific light:
 
 nei six feet deep. with probably forty locks, acquired at vast, and at present indeterminate cost, extending from the Coosa coal fields to Mobile. we would then have water transportation under these conditions:
 "Barges could be loaded to five and one. half feet draught and three barges, with tow-boat could be locked through simultaneously: thus we could start from the coal fields with. say 1,200 tons of coal as freight. The three loaded barges would he lowed down stream 600 miles. and the three empty barges the same dis tance back up stream. with eighty lock- ages. Allowing for the usual delays. each tow could probably make two trips T month. at a cost for material, fuel. wages. repairs. etc. of s1.2oo a trip or $1 vative estimate of the cost of actual transportation, and does not Include load ing and unloading. nor superintendence nor taxes. nor what would be vital mines into the barges. It also leaves out of the question entirely the interest on the cost of the locks and their mainte- nance. which is paid by the whole people, but is nevertheless just charge upon the traffic"
 To ask whether rational business men would dream of patronizing this remark able route seems quite unnecessary. We need only refer to the alternative propo- sition contained fin MT. Craik's communi- cation:
 "The Coosa has a minimum average low season flow of about 40o0 cubic feet per second, and a fall of 300 feet in the 100 miles above Wetumpka, affordlng 1S5.O00 gross horse power. It is not extravagant to say 70.000 horse power might he made available and much of this delivered In Mont ~omery at a cost of S30 per horse- power per year. much less than the cost of the same power produced by steam. Neither Columbus. Tallassee nor Lowell has a water-power comparable with that of the Coosa. situated in a region pro ducing most of the raw materials for manufactures. These are not rough inmates made upon the hack of an envel- ope, but are tbe results of calculations as accurate as can be made by skilled engineers"
 The conclusion Is inevitable. This Coo sa River project Is representative of the great question:: Shall we. as members of Congress. secure an expenditure of real money among our constituents. no matter how chimerical the scheme or shall we join in protecting the public treasury against organized rapacty for purposes of individual ambition?" Congress will be wise to consider this matter in spirit of prayerful patriotism The Coosa River item Is not by any means the most preposterous in the list. Indeed. it is important only to the extent to which it Is typical.