The new South-news., 1907-10-12

provemen,s which viii rapidly de-
velcp to their atmos, capacity all wa
,erways on seaboAri. on lakes and IN
the interior.
Lyman f. Cooley, Of Chicago, spoke
as follows.
1.-The lakes and su,f waterways is
to extend to the seabosrd through tho
core of the continent. north across
twenty parallels of latitude from
the tropical border TO the Canadian
shores Of Lake Superior. l, is part
Of trunk route thirty-thrcc hundred
miles long via the great lakes, from
the Gulf of Mexico to th Gulf OF St.
Lawrence.
"Thc engineering and financial re-
sources are adequate to such an un-
dertakinr.
"The feasibility Of any desired
depth between l.aSc Michigan aad
the Mississippi river at st. Louis g
no longer a matter Of dispute.
81, is now conceded .ha, the meas
ure of the route as ~no;s turns on
what il Is feasible to d. with the mid
die Mississippi between 81. Louis and
Cairo.
"Ths galf level resshcs inland
three >npdred c1.S, ana carries deep
water practically to the mouth of the
Rcd River, ~ thai the lower Miss.s-
sipp: for purpose Of improvement re-
duces to the seven hundred and six
ty-four miles between Cairo and the
Red FLYER.
"'Thc low water season with depths
of less than twelve 10 fourteen feet
averages about cac hundred and twen
ty days. Ii is now recognized that
caving banks must be nxcd in the In-
icrcs, OF levee maintenance % insure
the development Of the enormous
wealth in ailuvial land, and a better
channel will work out under lissj
banks.
'.Certsin abnormal developments
in low water slopes as compared to
high water are Recognised, rs IN the
New Madrid, Plumb Point and Lake
Providence, and it j. Assumed tha'
these NAV be corrected without dis
,urbing the regime Of the river as
Whole.
"Vhat effect will follow such cor.
-ec.,ve measures can not be stated,
but it is assumed :hat tho depth wi'l
be sufficient il aided by hydraulic
dredging in extreme cases, to give
such scale os navigation as may be
desired until iae state OF the cngs-
necring art shall offer something bet
ter. In any cvcss, the proposed treat
mcs.t i- a condition precedent to wha'
ever shsll fol!av.
"Nhra may DC done on ms nd:
die Mississippi: is the cris'r'on Tor
the entire -,uie. The existing pro-
joe. is % secure minimum tcpth OF
eight fec. by moderate regulation.
When tho Joliet level and the Chica-
90 barbor shall be properly worked
out, the Chicago canal can be readily
enlarged to three times the present
The low water volumne ~
he middle Mississippi can thus 10
LOUDLY and the corresponding mini.
nun depth will be sixteen feet and
1923 feet at mid-ssage.
"If depth of "a feet throughout
he year be possible to the lower Mis-
issippi, or if ii shall become posi-
lie with the growth Of engineering
Irt, then there is justification for
making the rock cuts and permanent
york on the northern section TO that
lint in order that no barriers shall
'e constructed to arrest future de-
'elopment.
"If "a feet at mid-range is produc-
d in the lower Mississippi with some
hing more for a half the year, and
between that and the mini
1um for the other half, commensu-
ate waterway demands "a feet in
ock cut and permanent works on the
orthern section Of the route.
"We are not to measure the future
v the present state of the engineer
,g art nor by our mental limitations.
ie are to think Of the lake and gulf
faterway as the most difficult half
base line for a continental wa
srway system. We are TO think Of
further as an extension Of the sea-
oard in fact, through our richest do
ain and into the great lakes, and IL
. now restrict our efforts to some
sser development, cur policy and
1r design should comprehend the ul-
mate end.
"We can not properly develop the
terror with our present continental
'ilwsy hauls, nor can we be on .
arity with our seacoast and with
reign lands in the worlds competi-
on under existing conditions.
"We can not 60 to the sea, but 10