The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-13
MR, HARDING GIVES
 HISTORY OF WORK
First Warrior River Surveys
 Made in 1874
HORACE HAROlNGIN CHARGE
Joint Debates Between Hobson and Bankhead Bring Forth Complete
 Sketch of Black Warrior and
 Tombighee Improvements.

In view of the recent debates between Hobson and Bankhead in the Sixth dis trict, when the matter of the Black War rior and Tombigbee river improvements by the government was repeatedly brought up, W. P. c. Harding, president of the First National bank, who is quite familiar with the subject under discus sion. has prepared the following state ment relative to the history of the inn provements from 1874 up to the present time. The late Horace Harding, the father of the writer, was engaged to conduct the preliminary survey of the Warrior river from the Locust and Mulberry forks to it's mouth at Demopolis.
 M. Harding's letter follows:
 To the Editor of the Age-Herald:
 In the joint debate now in progress be- tween the two candidates for the demo- cratic nomination from congress in the Sixth district of Alabama, the assertion has frequently been made by the distin- guished gentleman who Is seeking the seat of the present representative, that the locks and dams now being constructed by the government on the Black Warrior and Tombigbee rivers are too small for prae- tical use and, in fact, constitute an ob-
 
 dynamited In view of such assertions coming from so high source, l have felt that 1t would be we'll that the facts in the case should be known.
 Horace Harding Engaged.
 My father, the late Horace Harding, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, was, In 1874, engaged by the United States engineer officer stationed at Mobile, to conduct the preliminary survey of the Warrior river from the Locust and Mulberry forks, to its mouth at Demopols. As a result of the reports made the United tSates chief of engineers recommended that the government under take at once the improvement of the river from Tuscaloosa to Demopolis, and when the Hon. Goldsmith w. Hewitt. then the representative in congress from this district, secured an appropriation to commence operations, my father was made engineer In immediate charge of the work, and retained that position contin- uously until his resignation in 1896. The plans for the improvement of the river and the construction of the locks were ! all based on his reports. The official rec ords of the war department show that after some years spent in clearing the channel in the lower river, construction was begun on the locks and dams in 1888 | at 1uScdlOOSd, Lne OTlBlndl pTOJeCl HOL providing for any locks below that point. there being already a navgable water way from Tuscaloosa to Mobile for about six months of each year. Three locks and dams were completed near Tuscaloo- sa and then the project was modified l for continuous navigation, necessitatng nine locks below Tuscaloosa, which are now under construction The whole plan of improvement, including the location, 1 length, width and height of the locks, width and thickness of the dams and all other details of construction were care fully revised by board of five eminent engineers, all officers of the corps of en- I gineers of the United tSates army spe- cially detailed for that purpose by the l chief of engineers. This board made a re- port, dated April 2, 1887, which shows a very complete investigation and analysis, and their recommendations were ap- proved by the war department and the l plans then outlined have been followed in the construction. No congressman has ever had or can have under the present system of river and harbor work, any thing whatsoever to do with such de- tails. which, under the direction of the secretary of war, are left entirely to the chief of engineers and his subordnates. The representative cannot even control the appointment of the engineers. super- intendents or laborers on the work.
 Object of Improvement.
 l The main object of the Warrior rfvar