The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-25

navigation from the Junction of the Null berry and Locust forks of the river to the mouth of the Tombigbee-a distance of 362 mles-by the construction of locks and dams and other necessary work. The locks are ffty-two feet wide and s22 feet between gates. Above Tuscaloosa three locks have been completed. the fourth will be ready for navigation as soon as some minor parts are finished, and there are seven locks on which work has not yet heen commenced.
 Work Below Tuscaloosa. On the Warrior river below Tuscaloosa and the Tombigbee. locks and dams are also being constructed The dredging con tractor gave up hls work during the year, and since that happened operations have beer carried on by the government with hired labor.
 Major Craighill reports that for the Warrior river there was on hand July l. 1904 an unexpended balance of s602, S29 53 In the act of March last Congress voted $i5,ooo additional. During the past firscal year the sum of $196, ,S42.Os was expended in the more important Improvements and ether expenses incident to such work were incurred and on July of this year the available balance was S349 237 .25. Major Cralghill estimates that $146,966 will be needed to complete the improvements.
 The amount asked for to carry on the work of improving the Black Warrior for the coming fiscal year is $250, 00O.
 As result of the improvements that have been made on the Tombigbee dur ing the past several years Major Craig hill points out that for the calendar year ending December 31 1904, 250,000 of com modities were handled on this stream the estimated value of the same being A,75O,- GOO. The available balance on hand for the Tombigbee July l, 1905. was s7S,935 The engineer asks for $365O0 which he thinks can be prohtably expended during the coming fiscal year. and to complete the project 1t will require a121,00o. Since 1884 Congress has made aggregate appro- priations for the improvement of.tssSe three rivers of s29so.146.77, 4
 Improvement Not Permaneht.
 For the separate nrotct known as the Tombigbee from it's mouth to Demopolis being distance of 1855 miles-$lb,0oO was appropriated in the act of March 5, 1sOo Major Craighill says he will use this sum for snagging repairing dikes and removing shoals in dredged cuts He also calls attention to the fact that this im- provement Is not permanent owing 10 Instructions brought into the channel during high water stages.
 Under existing projects Major cralS- | hill states that no provision is made from the Junction of the Tombigbee and Ala l bana rivers. down to Chickasaw creek 1 the northern limit of the Mobile arpor | project. Dangerous Instructions occur in | thip section of the river and their re- l moyal is regarded as highly important. | An additional appropriation of $3OOOo Is l therefore asked for. For this specific | project Congress has voted total appro- l priations of $291. .9o0.76. The stretch from | Demopois to Columbus, Miss, has had ] aggregate appropriations of S219000. Work l on this part of the river will be resumed | in the near future and pushed vigor- | ously.
 Report on Mobile Harbor. 1 Major Craighills report on Mobile ar- | bor and Mobile bar have also been re- 1 ceived. He shows that on June 30 last | the ship channel of the harbor had I minimum depth of 22 feet In the harbor i the sum of SAT, ,323.94 was spent during the l year in maintaining dredging work. The | snagboats Black Warrior and Demopols | were employed during the year in Mo- l bile river. As a result of the operations | the channel bar has been kept free of dangerous Instructions at a cost of only l SEALS In the act of March 3, 1905, the | sum of S2000O0 was voted by Congress I for this project. On June 16 bids were 1 received for maintenance dredging work l to the extent of $50000 in the bay below l lighthouse beacon No. IA. The work will
 commence shortly.
 Big Sums Were Spent.
 The first appropriation Congress ever made for the improvement of Mobile aar- 1 hor was s10000 That was in 1926 By | 1887 the amount had been increased to 1 s50.000. Tn 1873 the sum of $00,oO0 wns l obtained; in 1884 the allowance jumped l to s200000. It was increased to $S500O0 in l 1890 and s500.000 in 1893. Tn 1900 the ap- propriation was again $500 900, Since then | the sums voted have ranged from s200,00o | to s25o00O. Since 1928 this project for the l benefit of Mobile has received govern
 ment aid to the extent of s4,s4s, ,s5s1O
 The work of improving Mobile bar was | first provided for in the act of June 13 1902, and originally formed part of the | project for improving the harbor at Mo- bile, but the act of March last made 1t l separate one. The limit of cost was ] also then increased from S91. 250 to s100.000 l Work under the first contract let was l completed July 2o 1904. and resulted in
 the formation of channel with a least
 depth of 27 feet. width of about 225 or
 5o feet. through Mobile bar, which has
 a total length between the S0-foot curves
 of depth of about $500 feet Since the
 completion of the work the channel has
 shoaled somewhat and on June 30. 1905
 there was a depth of only 25is feet on
 the lighthouse range through the dredged | cut.
 During the next year Major Craighill
 states that 1t Is proposed to expend t500C0
 In maintaining the existing cut and deep Arfv kfx 1.~