The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-25
STILL AT WORK ON
 CANAL PROJECT To Run From Tennessee to
 the Gulf TEXAS AS AN EXAMPLE With Louisiana That State Is Doing Some Great Work for the ln-
 provement of Inland
 Waterways.
TEXAS AS AN EXAMPLE

Waterways.
 Interest in the proposed canal from the Tennessee river to the Gulf, which is to pass through Birmingham, is being worked up by the Commercial clubs of Mobile and Birmingham. A convention to prepare a memorial to Congress will be held in Birmingham in few weeks, which will be attended by the governor. United States senators and representa- lives and all those interested in the movement. A statewide interest in the matter and the following letter from John Craft, president of the Mobile Com mereial club, to J B. Babb, secretary of the Birmingham Commercial club, reads interestingly:
 MT J. B. Babb. Secretary Commercial
 Club, Birmingham
 Dear Sir: I beg to call your attention to the New Orleans Times Democrat of October 23, on page 10, of which you will see a headline Inland Waterways ThA will give you some idea as to how the people of Louisiana and Texas are CO., operating to improve their streams. They see the importance of this movement and are having an early convention so as to prepare a memorial for the incoming Congress. Kindly have your local papers copy and request the state papers to also do SO so as to give it as much pub lieity as possible. This will call our peo- ple's attention to the importance of large convention. l would suggest that you write to MT. W. F. Vandiver, Mir T. H. Moore of Montgomery and Captain Quill of Mobile, who will make good committeeman to work up the river in terest, as they are steamboat owners and know everybody along the river; also Captain Forbes of Montgomery, president of the Alabama Industrial association and have them cooperate with you. Yours very truly, JOHN CRAFT
 The story in the Times-Democrat re- ferred to reads as follows:
 With the naming of delegates from several . local commercial bodies to at tend the Houston interstate inland water ways convention it is declared to be very evident that this city will be well represented at the meeting which will be held in the Texas city November and 9. Already the New Orleans Board of Trade, the Progressive union and other commercial organizations, have made pub lie the personnel of their delegations and these various lists demonstrate that New Orleans interests will be looked after by number of leading merchants and business men.
 Following the meeting of the water ways convention at Memphis this gath ering of the league which has the es- tablshing of an interstate inland water way as it's object is attracting more than the usual attention, and its deliberations will consequently excite d great deal of interest. The project of the Interstate Inland Waterways league has already been sanctioned by the national Congress and appropriations for dredging and con- structing sections of the canal in Louis- jana and Taxas have been made. Prein- mary surveys have been made and Tn some instances actual work has been started
 The idea of the Houston convention is to again bring the attention of Congress to the great importance of the project that will connect the Mississippi river to the Rio Grande by an inland route that will be navigable to light-draft vessels not built for ocean traffic. Increased appropriations will be asked, and it will be fully demonstrated that, even though the paramount idea in the whole proposi- f- to rtati fa las another end to be gained is the draining of all that lowlying land adjacent to the proposed route of the inland waterway. Much of the projected waterway Is even now navigable, but very large part of 1t remains to be developed.
 Briefly summed up, the hopes of those interested in the project are that within five years boats drawing from six to eight feet of water may leave the great lakes, come down the Mississippi river and go through the projected inland waterway as far as Brownsville, Tex, on the Mex ican border. Because it is believed that New Orleans will be particularly bene fted this city Is vitally interested in the project, and has been well represented at every convention held so far It is be- lieved that effort to have the next annual convention held in New Orleans will be made by the delegations from this city. These are the delegates. named by the New Orleans Board of Trade: & Locke Breaux. Henry Kahn, Gordon S Orme, Frank NJ. Rickert, w. H. Tetjen, Henry Gehl, F. F. Bernard, C. M. Mur- ray Fred w. Rickert, Jake Bloom, A. Artigues and L. H. Collett. Mir. Breaux ie q vice president of the Inland Water way league"