The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-17
Plan Fourteen Foot Channel
from Lakes to Gulf
BIG START HAS BEEN MADE
Chicago Drainage Canal, Des Plains,
illinois and Mississippi Rivers Con-
stitute Routes Which 1t Is
Proposed to Develop.

st. Louis, Mo-, November 1.-THE
Lakes-To-The-Gulf Deep Waterways as
ISOLATION became fact today when the
plan for permanent organization and re-
port of the nominating committee were
adopted at the final session of the con-
vention of the provisional association
which has been in session here two days
The objects of the association and prin-
ciples for which it stands set forth
in the following address to the Public
prepared by the committee on resolutions
and unanimously adopted by the conven-
ton.
THE time has arrived for a generous
expansion of our national policy towards
all works of internal Improvement, which
have heretofore occupied such subordi-
nate place in national expenditures, es-
peciany in comparison with the great
sums that have been appropriated in re-
cent years for army and navy purposes,
which appropriations have far exceeded
the expenditures for all other depart
ments of our government
1T is believed that when backed by
progressive public sentiment the United
States congress can be induced to en-
bark upon liberal policy for the devel-
opment of internal waterways of the ma
ton.
From Lake to the Gulf.
THE proposed deep waterway is to ex-
tend from the Chicago Drainage canal
through the valleys of the Des Plains
and Illinois rivers to the Mississippi river
at Grafton, ILL.,, and thence down tie
Mississippi to ST. Louis, and is to have
minimum depth of fourteen feet through
out.
I'VE recommend for the purpose OF
meeting the probable future needs of nav
legation that the nlinimiInf depth over the
mitre stills of the locks should be q feet
in the initial construction.
THE excessive cost of the project as
shown by the original engineers esti-
mates, was due mainly to the resistance
of prominent barriers between the 81 eat
lakes and the Mississippi valley. This
chief obstacle to the prosecution of this
project has been removed by the drain
age canal.
According to the estimates based upon
recent surveys by the United States en-
gineers, the work remaining to be done
in order to complete the deep waterway
channel to st. Louis, will cost $751; 0o0
Pending the Inauguration of this work, it
seems important that the United Stat es
should exercise such control over The
Des Plains and Illinois rivers as to pre-.
vent private persons, companies or cor
pora tons from erecting any dams or olher
structures that might present obstacles
to the prosecution of the work as conten,-
plated by the congress of the United
States.
South From st. Louis.
Having considered the deep waterway
enterprise from Chicago to st. Louis, it
now remains to deal with the subject Of
its further projection southwark to the
Gulf of Mexico.
I'm conjunction with the prosecution of
the deep waterway enterprise from ST.
Louis southwark, 1t becomes at once D.
matter of grave Importance that adequate
provision should be made by congress
for the application of work of such suo-
stantial character to the lower river as
to give fiXedness To the channel and sta
billty to the caving banks, accomplish
ment of which is the necessary basis of
any plan for permanent improvement
and deepening of that part of river.
Believing present transportation ia
ciIities of the United States to be in
adequate and wholly unsatisfactory, we
favor appropriation by the Congress of
the United States in sufficient amounts
to create such additional transportation
facilities as the growing needs of the ma
ton demand and to such end an appro-
priation shall be secured, this association
recommends to its representatives In Con-
gress diligent. assiduous and untirng eff
forts to secure the necessary means with
which to develop a deep waterway"
Officers Are Elected.
The following officers were elected to
serve two years: President. w. X Kav-
anaugh, st. Louis; vice presidents, D.
Orleans; s. NJ Nicely Memphis j. l..
Hebron, Green Quarrels, Ark. secretary.
w. F. Sanders, st. Louis: treasurer
George Fl. Monroe. Joliet. ILL.,; sergeant
at arms, Thomas e. Hunter, Chicago
Resolutions were adopted protesting
against any treaty made by the United
States with Canada. by which the amount
OF water to be taken from Lake Michigan
for the use of the Chicago drainage ca
nal shall be limited. and authorizing the
president of the association to appoint
delegates to the convention of the ma
tional rivers and harbors congress- to be
held in Washington next month.
President Kavanaugh called the first
meeting of the board of governors for
December at Washington. The conven-
ton closed with a banquet tonight. Ma
than Frank, chairman of the committee
on entertainment, presided at the water
ways banquet, as POSTMASTER. He in
troduced Gov. c. s. Deneen of Illinois.
who spoke on 1.-THE Commercial Value
to Illinois of the Proposed Deep Water
way
Blanchard Responds to Toast.
Gov. Newton C. Blanchard of Louisiana
responded to the toast, 1.-THE Outlet of
the Lakes to the Gulf Waterways He
said in part:
Chicago and St. Louis are planning
a ship canal from the Great Lakes to the
gulf.
New Orleans strikes hands with them
in promoting this great enterprise. Its
contamination, together with the sue
cessful prosecution of the Panama canal
project. would make of the valley of
the Mississippi the wonderland of the
world.
with proper improvement, the total
navigable length of the river system,
or which the Mississippi; Is the parent
channel. could be made 5000 miles more
than four times the length of the ocean
line from New York to Liverpool, and