The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-28
REPORT IS MADE ON TENNESSEE RIVER Total Value of Last Years Traffic S3O,0OO,OOo MUSCLE SHOALS OPt , Amounts So Far Appropriated and Al lotted for Work on the Whole
 Make a Total of Over
 $7,ooo,oo0.
MUSCLE SHOALS OPt [

Washington, July 27.-(Special) )-Maj. H. c. Newcomer of tae engineering corps has sent to the war department his an- nual report concerning the work of inn provements of the Tennessee river and its tributaries. Concerning that portion of the river for a distance of 1SS miles above Chattanooga he states that the present project, adopted by Congress in the act of August IS, 1894 is to obtain by training walls wing dams and dredging, a low water channel of three feet from Chattanooga to the mouth of the French Broad river at an estimated cost of $6o0- 900. To June 30, 1905 the sum of $S2s, 255. s3 has been expended under a previous project. The total amount expended un- der the present project to June 30 of this year was s152, ,129.35. It has resulted in the partial improvement of ten shoals. The maximum draft that can now be carried at mean low water over the shoalest place in this stretch of the river is about Is inches. The extreme flood oscillations range from about 40.5 feet at Knoxville to about 5S feet at Chattanooga. IL is proposed to apply the amount esti- mated as a profitable expenditure for the fiscal year of 1907 to the maintenance of a navigable channel and to continue the work of improvement at the shoals offer ing the greatest obstr -tion to navigation.
 Commerce on River.
 Commerce on this portion of the river during the last calendar year amounted to SIT tons, valued at S4,475617, the items in the order of value being marble, forest products, general merchandise, farm products and iron ore.
 On other sections of the Tennessee river Major Newcomer gives the following fig ures:
 r3s. .f<,x Ia ,.,f1f total amount expended to June 30, 1905, sI, TAT. .192 80: balance on hand July l, soo3, 3S751: amount asked for to continue im- provements during the coming fiscal year. S49697O; commerce between Chattanooga and Florence, Ala, during the last call endar year, IFS, 406 tons valued at S,204,- e92
 Below Riverton, Ala, distance of 26 miles-The existing project is to obtain by dredging channel not less than five feet deep and 150 feet wide, and to protect Livingston point and Tennessee island from erosion with a view to preserving the port of Paducha, Ky. The total amount expended to June 30 last was s297 .663 12 It resulted in the completion of the work at Livingston point and Ten nessee island at a cost of $1l,36I.65. It con- sisted of the removal of snags and the worst Instructions also below Hamburg. Dredging results appear to be fairly per manent at about two-thirds of the places improved The maximum draft that can be carried over the shoalest place in this section of the river at mean low water is about three feet. The appropriation for the fiscal year of 1907 will be applied in dredging the worst shoals and the main tenance of navigable channel The com merce between Florence and Paducah last year amounted to S71. .3S0 tons, valued at S1e 225 7O0 If consisted of general mer- chandise, railroad ties, cotton and lum-