The Brunswick daily news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1903-1906, 1903-12-12
Mythology of Tennessee
River and Its Basin

The general character and hy-
drology of the Tennessee river and
its basin is discussed at some length
in a report of G. T. Nelles, assist
ant engineer, on the Tennessee i'm
proVement work from Scott Point to
the upper division of the Muscle
Shoals canal. In his report, which
was dated at Chattanooga, February
3, 1901, Mr.. Nelles says in part:
The Tennessee is one of the prin-
cipal rivers of the United States.
1t Is formed by the confluence of
the French Broad and Holston riv-
ers 4 IL miles above Knoxville,
Tenn. From thence it flows in a
southwesterly direction through the
states of Tennessee and Alabama to
Guntersville, Ala, q distance of
294.5 miles. At Guntersville it's
course changes to northwesterly,
which direction it follows to River
ton, Ala, a distance of 1905 miles.
Below Riverton it makes a decided
turn to the right and follows a
northerly course for 226 miles,
through the states of Tennessee and
Kentucky. TO it's junction with the
Ohio river, at the foot of Tennessee
Island, at Paducah, Ky.
The total length of the river is
651.35 miles, all of which is naviga-
bic the year round for boats of very
light draft, and on an average of
nine months in the year for boats
Of ordinary draft, such as are in
common use on the river. Commerce
is never impeded by ice and rarely
by floods.
The total length is distributed by
states, as follows: 1855 miles, or
nearly GO per cent. is entirely in
Tennessee; 1921 miles, or nearly 30
GER cent, is entirely in Alabama; AIS
miles is entirely in Kentucky; 10
miles lies between Tennessee and
Kentucky, and 1925 between Ala
bama and Mississippi.
For convenience, and for the pUr-
pose OF designating sections for i'm
provement, it has become custom
airy to divide the river into sections
of somewhat similar and uniform
character. These are as follows:
Table No. 1.-Showing the Gus
tomary divisions of the Tennessee
river into sections, and character
Of each:
Upper section from source to
Chattanooga; length, 1873 miles; fall,
1877 feet; mean fall per mile, 0.95
feet
Mountain section from Chatta-
nooga to Scott Point; length, 1880
miles; fall, 27.9 feet; mean fall per
mile LEO.
Middle section from Scott Point
to head OF Muscle Shoals canal;
length, 1880 miles; fall, 63.3 feet;
mean fall per mile, 0.40 feet.
Muscle Shoals canal from head Of
Muscle Shoals canal to Lift Rock, at
Riverton; length, 61.55 miles; fail,
1855 feet; mean fall per mile, 2.73
feet.
Colbert Shoals canal from head
of Muscle Shoals to Lift Rock, at
Riverton; length, 61.55 miles; fall,
1856 feet; mean fall per mile. 2.72
feet.
Lower section from Lift Rock. at
Riverton, to Paducah, foot of Ten
nessee Island; length, 226 miles;
fall, 1876 feet; mean fall per mile,
O.34 feet.
Total length, 651.S5; fall, 1854 feet;
mean fall per mile, 0.S0 feet.
The head of the Muscle Shoals is
assumed to be at the angie in the
dam, 2 miles above Lock A.
The upper section has been the
subject of several examinations and
reports, beginning with that made
in 1880 by Lieut.. Col. S. H. Long,
corps of Typographical engineers,
U. S. A., published as house Elk.
Doc. No. 167, forty-third congress,
second session, and ending with the
complete survey and exhaustive re-
port made in 1891-1S93, by Capt.
John Biddle, corps of engineers,
published in the annual report of
the chief engineers for 1898. These
documents describe fully the char
acter and needs of this section of
the river.
The mountain section has received
considerable attention in the past,
and under the provisions of the act
of congress Of March 8, 1899, was
made the subject of special study
and report. This investigation was