Panama City pilot., 1908-11-26
Moreno and Waterman on the Pro.
posed Canal.

From the Pensacola Evening News
of the 21st, we clip the following re-
lative to the Improvement of the
Inland Waterways between the Miss
issippi and Apalachicola rivers:
ga comparatively inexpensive and
desirable route for the proposed in
land waterway along the gulf coast
was suggested this morning by Capt
Gibson Moreno, of the Revenue Cut
ter Penrose, which contemplated only
about twenty-five miles of excavation
between New Orleans and Apalachi-
cola. In the plan suggested the in
land course from New Orleans bay is
the same as at present; from Mobile
bay the course is up Bon Secour
river and through canal to VOLTS
bay, branch of Perdido bay; across
| PerdidO bay and through canal TO
the head of Grand Lagoon; through
the lagoon, Pensacola bay, Santa
Rosa Sound and Choctawhatchee bay
|
tawhatchee with ST. Andrews bay.
From ST. Andrews bay only short
canal would be necessary to carry
the waterway to the Apalachicola.
Mr.. Moreno, when queried by arepre-
sentative of The Evening News had
the following to say upon the subject:
"There seems to be no great
amount of digging necessary to Sc
cure an inland waterway over half
way from New Orleans to Jackson
vile. There is practically no work
to be done in and around Pensacola.
We have here long stretches of wa
ter on each side of us, and the only
thing to do is to connect with the
rivers and other bodies of water that
are adjacent to Pensacola waters.
There is direct communication be-
tween New Orleans and Mobile by
means of inland waterways. First,
there is a canal already connecting
the Mississippi river with Mississippi
Sound. Secondly, inland waterway
communication is possible, by means
of only small cut between Lake
Ponchatrain and an adjacent stream.
Thus we have connection between
New Orleans and Mobile with little
or no cost. Now the question is how
connection shall be made with Pensa-
cola.
"The route that | would propose is
as follows: From Mobile Bay up
Bon Secour river for short distance,
and then a mile cut across country to
VOLTS Bay which is an arm of Per-
dido bay. Let cut be made from
Perdido bay into the Big Lagoon.
This cut would be very short. In
fact there is already a ditch, cut by
some mill men to float logs from
Perdido bay to the lagoon. BY this
route there is complete connection
between Pensacola and New Orleans,
with only few miles of actual llnd
cutting.
1.-THE continuation of the canal to
Apalachicola entails about 20 more
miles of cutting, which is all through
a low sandy country. The next place
of cutting is at the end of Choctaw-
hatchee bay. This cut would be
about 12 miles long, to ST. Andrews
bay. From here to Apaiachicola bay
there would be only a few more miles
of cutting.
81 don't know whether or not the
waterways association has chosen
any route for the inland waterway,
but this seems to me the best that
could be chosen. There are more de-
sirable routes, it is true, but look at
the cost that would accompany the
venture. In two places this route is
slightly exposed, but this will not de-
tract materially from its desirability."
Asked as to details of the route of
the proposed inland waterway, Treas
urer Waterman, of the Mississippi to
the Atlantic Waterways Association,
said:
'No details Of route has ever been
passed on by the association. We ad-
vocate inland water communication
between the Mississippi river and the
Atlantic ocean, following the gulf
coast.
"There is inland water communica-
tions between the Mississippi river
and the Mississippi sound via the
Lake Borgne canal and its locks. The
Mississippi sound rates as inland