The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-07-15

..-.z
81 per day and mileage for not exceed
ing 20 days.
Concerning the work of the commits.
sion Representative Rucker said to-
day:
THE commission will very probably
meet either in Anderson or in Augusta
between April 10th and April 18th.
The object of the commission has at
tracted considerable talk up and down
the Savannah river and the people
generally are taking a good deal of in
terest in it. I can remember back
about Is years ago when the Savannah
river was we'll stocked with fish-not
only fresh water fish, but shad, chan.
mel cats, and other salt water fsh.
Now we have none OF these: In my
opinion Anderson county alone has
been deprived of $4,000 to $4,000 an
nually of foodstuffs for the past Is
years, The Augusta dam was con-
structed about % or % years ago and l
can remember that soon after IL was
completed and after the entire volume
of water was utilized that fish became
scarce and now we do not have any at
all. The commission will in all prob
ability write to the agricultural depart
ment at Washington for plans for cor
rect fish ways, and If the commission
finds tina the Augusta dam and the
Gregg ST. ID dam are not maintaining
proper fish ways, then the commission
will report to the next session of the
legislature it's findings and will recon-
mend that such fish ways be ordered
placed and maintained. In my opin-
ion the legislature will adopt the report
of the committee and will give the
owner of the dams sufficient time in
which to comply with the recommen-
dalton.
ga great many people are of the
opinion that the South Carolina line is
low water line on the South Carolina
side. This is q mistake. The state
line extends to the middle of the river
except where there is an island and
then the low water line on the island
on the South Carolina side Is the state
line. This being the case the South
LCarolina legislature can compel the in
~stallation of fish ways and can compel
them to be properly maintained. If
fining the owners of the dams does not
cause them to comply with the orders
of the legislature then a bill IAN be
passed ordering that the dams as far
as the center of the river be destroyed"
The country has awakened Of late to
Az o~Drfonnn If mnHQrn Qnn- i'm.
proved water routes as agents OF trans.
portation. and a movement is started
flor the organization of a general plan
embracing all the navigable streams of
the United States in q vast system OF
inland water ways.
This is our opportunity to have the
Savannah river englobed in said sys-
tenn.
Already our Georgia neighbors have
recently organized the "Atlantic and
Great Western Canal Association" for
the purpose of connecting the waters
of the Mississippi river with the At
lantic ocean by joining the Tennessee
river with the headwaters of the Alta.
mahe in North Georgia.
Why should not tho people OF South
CaTOIlua GTy " udNc Sdiu SohASSo'oh
made by the Savannah river?
This latter route seems to be, If not
more practical, at least no more CHI
merical than the former.
AS early as 1883 Mr.. James G. Cal
houn was anticipating the eventuallty
of connecting the Western States with
the Atlantic ocean, and this is the
manner in which he expressed himself
on the subject:
1.-THE narrow mountain range that
divides the river system of the Missis-
sippi from that of the Atlantic slope,
and the INTERROGATION as it were Of
the sources of the Hiwassee and Ten
nessee rivers with those of the Savan-
nah, have long suggested to the engi-
neers the possibility of establishing an
|interfiow between these waters. A
canal, across the Rabun Gap, would
pour IS miles of smooth wafer from
the little Tennessee into the Tugaloo
river, while the Chatuga, the Hiwas-
see, the Toxaway, and the innumera-
BILE mountain streams of this well wa
tered region would serve as feeders to
maintain the water supply in any de-
sired quantity. In 1873 water was
drawn from Black Creek, an afiuent
of the Tennessee across the gap, TO
IZell's mills on Chicken creek, an af-
fluent of tho Savannah. The North
western States ought to be most urgent
for an outlet to the ocean through the
Tennessee, Hiwassee, Tugaioo and Sa-
vannah rivers. Besides being the
shortest and safest and always availa-
BILE, it would bring them directly in
front of the mart Of the world. The
eastern cities should also advocate this
outlet, since it would place the vast
productions of the Northwest within
easy grasp of their coast shipping"
Both routes should be the object of
the survey of the engineers of the
federal government.
I have mentioned the above project
only by way of digfession, the object
of the present communication being to
call the attention of my neighbors and
Of the people of the Savannah river to
the importance of saving the naviga-
bility of their river.
|. VIII
The section traversed by the Savan-
nah river is renowned for its splendid
climate, it's beautiful sceneries, its
kealthfulness, for the fertility of its
lands, for it's adaptibility to cotton and
stock raising, as we'll as to all the cul-
lures of temperate climates, for it's vast
resources in timber and minerals.
Endowed by nature with such ad-
vantages and being provided by a nat
ural waterway, said section is bound to
become in a near future, n of the
Jewels of the union.