The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-15
ID WORK FOR
 FREE WATERWAY The Van Hoose Committee
 Starts in Earnest OF INCALCULABLE BENEFIT Warrior River Navigation Go. to Be Formed for Purpose of Securing Donations of Rights e Way
 for the Canal
OF INCALCULABLE BENEFIT

The Warrior River Navigation company will be formed at once with capital stock of $5OO0. The company will proceed with the work of procuring a water route from Birmingham to the gulf.
 This was the result of the action taken by the committee of which J. A. Van hoose is chairman, at the meeting in the Commercial club rooms yesterday after noon.
 There were present at the meeting: J. A. vanhoose, G. B. Mccormack. H. L. Badham, Charles McCrery, T. H. Motion and J. H. Adams Maj. F. Y. Anderson and J. w. Mcqueen of the committee were out of the city and A. L. Fulen- wider was sick.
 The members of the committee feel that the owners of the property through which the canal is to pass will be glad to give the necessary land for the enterprise, and the company which will be organized will engage a competent man to see per- sonaly each land owner along the route.
 The motion which provided for the formation of a company also stipulated that the chairman was authorized to have an attorney prepare charter and make application to the Probate court for the formation of a company.
 The objects of the proposed company are set forth In the following paper:
 1. That the Warrior River Navigation company, with a capital stock of not less than $5000, be immediately formed for the following purposes (a) To secure dona- tlons of a rights of way for free nayig- able waterway from the Warrior river at the mouth of Valley river, up said stream to Bessemer from Bessemer up Possum valley to Village creek near Ensley, up said creek to the Sloss furnaces In North Birmingham, and from North Birmingham up the valley to point near Swansea on the Warrior river, thus reconnectlng by a navigabe channel through the Birming- ham district the waters of the same river. (b) To open up a vigorous educational campaign directing attention to the great national importance of this waterway, so as to bring all possible and proper in- fluence to bear on congi ess to induce them to order the work done by the national government.
 2. That an application be made at the coming session of tne state legislature to either amend the charter of the company or to grant a new charter to a new com pany formed for the same purpose giving them the power to condemn lands for the use of this free waterway.
 3. That the shares of this navigation company be placed at $1O each, and that every citizen, property holder and person interested in the district and along the waterway down to Mobile be urged to subscribe literally to the stock. The bene- fits which will be derived from the adver- Using and the demonstration to the ln- dustrial. financial and commercial world that this waterway is practicable and is simply waiting on the order of congress to be an actual fact. will be worth many times over the amount which may have to be spent in proving the demonstration.
 Buslness-Llke Methods.
 4 That the company as soon as prac- ticable after its organization, open an office, secure competent officials and em- ployes, pay them for their services, and undertake this great work in a business like and systematic manner. It will be unreasonable and impracticable in this busy district to secure free the services of such men as are absolutely necessary to make this movement a prompt suc- cess.
 D. That this company place active can- vassers in the field, securing subscriptions to this stock, and that the Commercial club Board of Trade and other business organizations In Birmingham and other Alabama cities be urged to endorse the movement, and aid in securing these stock subscriptions. This movement Is no child's play. It needs and should have the intelligent. hearty and practical sup- port of every individual interested. If the citizens of Buffalo. N. r., and other cit les, including bankers, capitalists, me- chapics, railway employees, merchants, real estate owners, etc, subscribed stock for an exposition, how much more per- manent benefit would all derive in thls of this free navigable waterway, even if a boat never ran over 1t. It can, and will be constructed just as soon as our people really say so. and 1t will not be done one moment sooner. When com- pleted, 1t will be of such vast and far. the widest enthusiast can hardly meas ure it's benefits.
 The meeting adjourned, subject to the coll of ba nraatdonf