The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-21
RIVERS OF ALABAMA
CAPTAIN FERGUSON FILES ENTER EsTING REPORT.
Euxfneers Shows What Has Been Done and What VIII Be Done - Value
 .s of the Commerce.

- Of the Commerce.
 washington. D. C.. July 20 Captain H. B. Ferguson. station cd at: Montgomery. has suemitted n n,. report to the Chief of Engineers on the work of improving the Alabama river during the lest fiscsl year.
 Owing to the long delay in installing the new boilers the snagboat Twining did not commence work until Novem- Der (, 1907, and on November 22 work was stopped on account of high water. On June IF. 1s0s work was resumed and hundreds of spass and overnans- ing trees were remoyedi.
 The diuper dredge removed larEe quantities of sand and gravel at va. rfous points and jetties were built and repaired at a number of points. Con struction of a fiftesn inch hydraulic dredae was about sixty per cent com piete4 at the close of the fiscsl yaer.
 Captain Ferguson states that the most troublesome obstructiens are tne Hobbs Island, Gardners Island. Evana Lower Bar, McGuires Bar and Firss Bar above Selma.
 It Is proposed to apply the available balance and funds recommedded as toi- lcws: Operating one suction drecge S2OOOO: one dipper dredge $lO.OOO; one snag boat, $iO.00O one tow boat xlp,. GOO; building and repairing works Of construction e5o.o0o. and repair and care of plant sIo.o0o. Amount expen- ded during the year for improvement and maintenance of improvement esy.- 0O1T2 Amount that can be prohtaoly expended next year in addition to an unexpended balance of sis4,3sS.io, on July 1, sIo0.ooo.
 Captain Ferguson notes particularly that the commerce Of this stream is important. the freight of all descrip- tions for the calendar year of 1907 oe- ing estimated at 17,s2s tons. valued at si,7s5.000. He adds:
 'yery large quantities of sawn and hewn timber, saw logs, cord wood, etc, consisting of yellow pine, sycamore. cottonwood, poplar and ash are barKed and rafted down this stream to Mobile The total amount of this com u1erce from the Alabama, Tombigbee and Mobile rivers is reported at ap- proximateiy S1o.0o0 tons valued at ye.- so3.sI4, of which it is estimated that forty per cent comes from the Alab river.
 .sThis falling off in freight carried from the amounts reported in previous years was largely due to shortage of cotton crop and stringency in the mon ey market"
 On the improvement of the Coosa river. in Georgia and Alabama, captain Ferguson says that 1t is proposed to apply the available balance and the funds recommended to improving the channel between Rome. Ga. and Lock { as provided in the act of March ,, 1905, and to apply the additional ap- propriation recommended the con- struction of additional plant and the further improvement and maintenance of the channel between Rome, Ga.. and Lock 4, Alabama.
 From 1878 to the present a little over one million dollars have been ap- propriated for this project. The trafnc million dollars. sfs
 On the Coosa river between Wetunp- ka and East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad bridge Captain Fer guson makes the following recommen- dations:
 The buildings, at Lock s1. are de- teriorating rapidly for want of proper repairs, and the property stored in them needs proper attention and care. There will be required for these re- pairs 32.0O0 which should be provided - At present no other work is recom- mended. pending a decision as to the character and extent of the further improvement of the Coosa river.
 should a new project for securing six-foot navigation in the Coosa and Alabama rivers be adopted funds should be made available for examina- tion of lock sites. borings for foun- dations, discharge measurements, gauge observations and other neces- sary work preliminary to actual con- structiOn.
 It is proposed to apply the additional appropriation recommended to the care and preservation of property at Lock 3i. On this part of the Coosa river there is small commerce in the raft ing of logs and square timber but this can be carried on only during the sea son when the river Is about twelve feet above low water, and no reliable estimates of its value can be obtained. The available balance July was S27,- 4iS.29.
 Captain Ferguson thinks &1oO.000 could be profitabIy expended next year. and estimates that about 3e00.000 will be required to complete the project.
 On the improvements of Pensacola harbor Captain Ferguson reports that dredging was continued in the caucus channel and S64,a05 cubic yards were removed. This dredging has restored the channel to a width of BIS feet and depth of thirty feet at mean low water.
 Dredging he says. should be kept up continuously until the project has been completed. It is proposed to ap- ply the available funds and the addt- tionaI appropriations recommended to this work. During the year the. sum of $79,S7s.1s was spent in the improve ments and for the next fiscal year the. engineer estimates that sl0O.0oo could be proftably expended in addition to the available balance on July l. of S2S.526.4s.
 In Escambia. and Conecuh rivers, Florida and Alabama, engaging was done over eighty-six miles of river, Dredging at the bar of the mouth of the river. ss3 guide piles driven and twelve pontoons built at total heid coat of 16 6,S97.e4.
 For Conecuh river the derrick barge was completed and barge for storage of dynamite was copstructed. Work was done at Bullock Shoals. River Falls and from there to a point thirty nine miles below Patsaltga creek con sisting of rock blasted. logs. snags and overhanging trees removed at cost for the fiscal year of $s,s23.5s.
 Funds available for upper section (Conaclh river) are sufficient to com