The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-12
THE MOBILE HARBoR ApPRoPRrA-
 TToNS

At the time Congress was consider ing the River and IIarbcr bili. a few weeks ago, the following editorial para graph appeared in The Advertiser:
 There is no movement connected with improving the bay and harbor of Mo- bile that Is not of vital interest to every part of Alabama. If Mobile had received the consideration from the Government which has been given to less deserving places in the North and West, 1t would today be enjoying the benefits of the deepest water naviga- tfon needed for any vessels. It ought to have 1t and we hope every enort made in that direction will be entirely successful. Senators and Representa- tives in Congress should make a spe- cial effort to secure an appropriation large enough to carry out the work now in contemplation.
 This was inspired by the idea that Mobile had not been accorded proper amount of fair treatment in the past. The paragraph might be construed as reflecting upon Alabama Senators and Representatives. and in order not to do injustice. for we had no idea of un- derrating their services. we have made investigation. From that investigation we find that the paragraph in view of all the facts, did do them injustice and especially the Representatives from the Mobile District. Reports of the Chief of Engineers to the War Department for the year 1898, and for each succeeding year, and from the various appropriation bills that have been passed by Congress since the year 1s26. demon strate this. These facts convince us that the harbor at Mobile has not only been well treated in the present bni, consideration of all bills of like char acter
 From the reports above referred to. it appears that Mobile harbor had an original depth of five and one-half feet through Choctaw Pass and eight feet on Dog River bar. From 1870 to 1878 this channel was deepened to thir- teen feet under a project submitted by Major c. B. Reese; from 1881 to 1888, 1t was deepened to seventeen feet under PfOJoNk OA SdPtdAkA A. 2As A(6tAA
 By an Act of Congress of September 1890, the work was extended up Mo- bile river to the mouth of Chickasa- bogue Creek, and increased the esti- mated cost of s2.O4s.sOo. thus insuring channel length of thirty-three miles. the longest dredged channel in the world, except the Suez Canal, with a depth of twenty three feet. Work un- der this project begun July 13, 1892.
 In 1896 Major Rossell estimated thar it. would cost $t,640,O0o to deepen ana widen the channel so as to give bot tom width of one hundred feet, and that s6O.oO0 would be required annual ly for maintenance. (See Report or Chief of Engineers for the year 1ss6. pp 1465-66.)
 By Act of June B. 1Sss. $60, 900 was appropriated for maintenance of the channel and the work went on until March Il, 1898. when the funds gave out. From 1888 to June 80, 1897, the amount expended upon this project was $2,1SS,16l, and the whole amount ex- pended from May 20, 1926 to June 30, 1897 was $s,61s,ss0. tsee Index to En- gineers Reports. Vol 2, p. 75s.)
 By the Sundry Civil Appropriation bla of July l, 1898. ssO.oOo was ap- propriated under which work was con- tinued to May g. 1899, when the funds gave out again. The amount estimat- sf. lw, sary to finish and complete the pro- ject as outlined in the Engineers re- port of 1896, was s1,540,O00. They es- timated that the sum of only 6O,O0O end of the fiscal year. June 30, 1901.
 Over this adverse report of the engi- neer's recommending an expenditure of but $60.OOO Congress by the Act of March 3, 1899 appropriated s1OO.OOo and granted authority to enter into contin- uous contracts for $5O0,OOO in addition for a new project securing a channel twenty-three feet deep and one hundred feet wide at bottom with appropriate slopes. making ten times the amount recommended by the engineers.
 In the sundry Civil Appropriation bill of June 6. 1900 the $50O,OOo above named was appropriated, and the esti- mated amount yet required was placed at $1,O4O, ,000. By the Act of June 13 1902, the further sum of $500, ,O0O was appropriated. By the Sundry Civil Act of March 3. 1903. the sum of $2OO, ,O0O was appropriated leaving balance on the estimate of 1896 of s540,O00.
 On March 8. 1905, $2OO,OO0 was ap- propriated for continuing the improve ment and S5O,O0O additional for i'm proving Mobile bar. This Act provid- ed for a survey and estimate of the cost of dredging and deepening the channel of Mobile harbor to twenty seven feet with a clear bottom width throughout of one hundred feet. Il will thus be seen that since June 30 1897 up to the end of the fiscal year June 30, 1906, the full amount of $1,- SsO. 900 has been appropriated and ex- pended upon Mobile harbor, which add ed to the expenditure made prior tc June 30, 1897, makes a total of $4,99S.- 6SO. The present bill provides for an appropriation of $20O.O0O and autho- rizes contracts to be made for $36O,. GOO additional. This bill also appro- priates $50,00O for the improvement oi