The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-30

boat company. The United States gov. ernment Is willing to do a iot, dlihos. all in it's power when proper interest Is shown. for navigation, but It aohors a monoply and seldom if ever crooks a finger to aid private property me first obstacle in the way of large ap- propriations being dealt with. the second is competition in transporta- tion. There must be moro than one boat company to make the government take notice. and in the enormous pos abilities of the river. if the river IS wide open to navigation 1t insures business for more than one concern. The consolidation of all boat lines on the river will mean the death knell to Alabama River navigation.
 At present there are more than two lines interested, and two actually do- ing business Keeping them espatrate Is matter of most vital interest.
 The third factor in having the river opened is the establishment of col ton compreses on the river banks at points where railways cross so the cotton can he delivered to them by the roads, and then sent on to Mobile by boat The establishment in work ing order of these three factors means appropriations that will keep SIX round.
 Improvement Draws Settlers.
 Facilities for doing business cornpe- tent transportation and safe wharfage will draw settlers to the river course develop interests already there and so feed the enterprise by attracting fur ther interests. The presence of these things warranting a deep chennel will turn the eyes of the Government to a sufficient supply of water, and 1t Is there for the taking in. the great pow CT of the 350-foot drop of the Coosa be- tween Rome and Montgomery, granting the Coosa as a continuation of the Ala bama. With an immense area Of the State awaiting electrical power for de- velopment in running mills. car lines and other business, to say nothing of what electric lights will mean to rural communities, the presence of business for an electric power plant Is assured, and the enterprise to establish such a force is all that is needed.
 To generate this power and insure it's lasting the year around. reservoir is needed and a natural reservoir Is al- ready present, the dam being all that is needed to hold the water supply. The presence of the reservoir will insure water for the locks all the year and thus the river becomes navigable still higher up and in so being calls forth Government interest and help in build- ing more locks and helping in the con struction of the reservoir.
 With the river navigable at all sea sons on to Rome, Ga., the development of the great iron-ore and limestone de- posits and other mineral wealth, now idle for lack of adequate and reason ably cheap, and in many cases possi- ble. transportation will become not only possible. but practically impos- sible to keep back, even if this was de- sired. The development of this area will mean an influx of thousands of la borers. new business. and new fields for commerce. The 800 miles of nav. igable water from Rome, Ga., to Mobile, Ala, will then become an artery of comerce with business enough to war rant the advent of several steamboat companies, not only for freight, but business enough for fast passenger ser vice. The railways will not suffer from this development of water transporta- ton, for goods that boats canot handle and Northern supplies that will be com ing South for consumption in the new territory and more passenger traffic. will insure the railways business that will warrant tn cir enthusiastic backing of the enterprise.
 The farmers along the water course will be able to get their cotton to Mo bile for less than half the present rail-
 
 extra money now so expended for use in other lines, an expenditure that will be of direct railway benefit in being put on south-bound merchandise they will handle.
 Since the river was first taken hold of by the Government, 1904 was the only year that it was not navigable the year around. and 1904 was exception ally dry. The presence of the reser- voir will prevent any danger of a re- currence of such condition.
 Today the work one the river in bring ing 1t to efficiency. is 20 per cent com plete, and 1t will take but $600,000 to finish the present project, and but S35,- GOO a year to so maintain it. The re- suit from this work will mean, as has been estimated from present facts, an income to the city of Montgomery alone of s200,0O0 annually. The present project in operation calls for but four feet of the water in the channel, but this will be run up to six or eight as soon as the reservoir is installed. Nine ty days ago the department had $100,- 900 available for river improvement .. Two hundred thousand dollars more will insure a four-foot channel that will command enough commerce to warrant further expenditure for the development mentioned. Today from Mobile up 400 miles of the river is in working order all the year.
 From Rome, Ga., down to Lock 4, near Riverdale, Ala, halfway between Rome and Montgomery, the minimum flow of the river, estimated in the 350- gomery during the year 1904 the mini mum record. the flow of the river was 2,000 cubic feet second, which, at the