The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-07
RIVERS AND HARBORS
TO Bn NICELY TREATED
 IN THE BILL.
Measure Reported to House Yesterdes Favorable to Needs of This ' State-A Resume of the
 Appropriations.

 Everything asked for and reasonably to be expected for Alabama in the riv- CTS and harbors bill is likely to be re- aiized in the measure reported to the House today, which is likely to become law unless some now unforeseen thing interferes, as some misapprehen- sions appear to have arisen as to the scope of the bill affecting local Inter est It ia well enough to attempt resume. of the situation as 1t will be afforded from the bill reported. Mo- bile people particularly appear not to understand the situation nor fully to realize it's difficulties,
 The rivers and harbors bill last year included s1,s00, COG for Mobile, channel and the outer bar at Fort Morgan. the project for the channel last year being twenty three feet in depth. The bill carried $3f,657,o00 approximately and had $2S0, ,000 for Mobile channel and the outer bar at Fort Morgan that cut the l bill down more than one-half, and Mo- bile still gets more than proportion atefy her allowance over last years bill. In addition the bill carries an entirely new project. a very rare thing | in such emergencies as now are in- voived, that for deepening the long channel of thirty-three miles to twen- ty-seven feet throughout The old pro- ject of twenty-three feet is maintained with an appropriation of s20o,o0o. which | is all that the local engineer recorn- mended as advisable for two years. A Mobile paper says Major Craighill. the engineer in charge of the district, recommended in his report of September 2s, 1904 that ss5s,25o and the avail able balance of $s1.3s1 could be profit ably expended. etc. Major Craighin s- VIA u sra 4A lat kaA in committee room that $2eo.oo0 was suf- fcient if the appropriation was for two years and $300.0oo would do If for three years, or $1O0,000 a year. The suggestion that 9100,000 was | taken from Mobile and given to the Alabama River is not true. The Ala bama River is entitled to as much con- alteration by the National Government las any other navigable water. salt or fresh, which is In it's possession. l The outer bar at Mobile, for which only an unexpended balance of s41.500 is available. Is given s50,000 in the $sf ,00o. 900 bill. when Major Craighill commended only the unaxpended ball. aRce of $41,500 The adoption of twen- 1 ty-seven feet for the thirty-three miles of channels, an increase of four feet, calling for e1,50e,000. is the best that has been done for Mobile In her his- tory, and 1t should be received by the press and people down that way with satisfaction.
 When the estimate was made in Sop tember, 1904, 1t was expected that the l present bill would carry $65.00o.000 to l $70,000,000 and that the old project of 1 the twenty-three- foot channel depth | would be continued.
 Now a new project for twenty-seven feet is under way and a survey and estimate for 1t is provided for in the bill. It Is the only instance in the bill, and probably any other bill, where a project for twenty-three feet has
 been continued and maintained with Q
 large appropriation like $200.o0o and a new project for greater depth was
 adopted in the same bill.
 | Prospects in Alabama generally com- prise the Warrior Tombigbee and
 Tennessee, and others, and may be
 succinctIy stated as below.
 Improving Choctawhatcha river. Flor ida. and Alabama, continuing improve
 ment, and for maintenance, $10s00O oi
 that amount, s14.o00 to be used foI
 dredging the cypress top channeI
 For Escambfa and Conecuh Rivers
 Florida and Alabama, $10,O0 I'm.
 proving Black Warrior and Tombig-
 bee River by the construction of locks
 and dams one and two in the Tombig- | bee River, and the completion oi
 locks. one, two and three fin Warrior
 River, $t0O.000, provided that a con-
 tract or contracts may be entered into
 by the Secretary of War for such ma
 terials and work as may be necessary
 to complete the same to be paid for as
 appropriations may from time to time
 be made by law. not to exceed in tho
 aggregate $7S1.466, exclusive of the
 amount herein and heretofore appro- priated; provided, further, that the
 Secretary of War may expend a DOT
 tion of the amount herein appropri-
 ated for the construction of dredge and
 the completion of dock houses neces-
 sary 9Ir the operation of the locks and
 dams in said rivers.
 Improving Tombigbee River from the
 mouth to Demopolis, for maintenance
 S15s00O; improving same to Columbus
 Miss, $19,000.
 Representative Bankhead says the
 exact cash balance available of $601,-
 396 .94 for Warrior River improvement
 which amount, added to that carried in
 the present bill, makes total approx
 imating S1,5o0,0Oo for the prosecution
 of the work. He expects that the next
 bill will carry an appropriation suffi- etent to complete the improvement to