The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-08
Letters to The Editor
EITHER OPEN THE c0oSA
OR GIVE IT TO STATE
Questions Affecting the va1we Of Z
=. Great Aanef OF the AfAte.

Questions AReetfng the vaIwe OF Z
Great Asset OF the state.
TO the General Assembly Of Alabama:
tention to the wasting water powers
OF Alabama, and IL possible Induce
you to nemoralize the executive and
Legislative departments Of our general
coosa River to navigation. or trsnsfer
| to this State, all right OF control over
its waters. The cost TO put that river
IN condition for navigation from Lock
Mo- Z to Wetumpka. as Estimated by
| government engineers. will be ten mil
lions OF dollars. To maintain these
locks. Will cost annually one million
II ever completed there wifi never
be more than one boat wcek In that
portion above designated. In conse-
Quence OF railroad competition. The
Erie and Kanawah canals with over q
hundred per cent more patronage.
Properly harnessed the coosa will
generate more power than any stream
drainage area Of $3.50 square miles. the
waters from which nearly all flow into
that river north Of the falls proposed
to be utilized for power. Properly de-
ysioped. fully three hundred thousand orsaf,
cal purposes. Seventeen and one-half
tons Of coal will generate one, horse
power for one year, allowing 1t to be
4 TSs ias sw shs the coosa RSe
properly utilised, Will effect An annual
salvage Of 1--WE and one-fourth millions
relinqufsh all right to the State of the
waters of the Coosa, then 1t may be In
duced to act conJointly with other cap
ltal. In building dams at such prac-
which viii viii result e. H IN n. Generation oi
0ver two hundred thousand horse pow
or. and save the construction OF at
least eight locks, at the most expensive
Be constructed south OF Lock No. 4. II
II persists In building the thirty-one
proposed locks. not more than one hum
dred thousand horse power can be gem
and contrasting its future activity with
the past, the millennium Will have
come and gone before we arrest the
waste. of our water and our coal: II
has piddled at this business since 1870.
and built four locks.
Ex-President Roosevelt's veto mes
sages have suspended all efforts OF
those who were. willing and ready to
these powers, in conjunction with the
government or, otherwise. His princt-
pal reason, as expressed In his veto
messages, vas a distrust Of trusts.
terprises Of like kind in the United
States II IL in the power OF the State
and national governments to control
every trust. and still let them use
their capital for profit to themselves
and the general good,
State Commissioner J. A Wilkinson:
IN Serial No. 81 of the Department Of
Agriculture, says the coal production
for 1907. was over fourteen and one
fourth millions Of tons. At this rate,
think you how long will It take to ex-
haust our supply OF coal as we have
our supply OF TIMBER -
The Review Of Reviews for March,
1909. publishes an article from. W. j.
McGee. Secretary OF the United States
Inland Waterways, In which he says
THE fresh waters of this country all
derived from rainfall. have been meas
ured. aggregating two hundred and iif-
equivalent to ten Mississippi Rivers.
Half Is evaporated: third flows into
the sea, leaving a sixth for consump-
tfon by living things or earth's absorp-
ton. Or the third going to the sea.
% per cent. flows In flood torrents,
impeding navigation and destroying
hon dollars yearly, while not more
than Ave PER cent. is utilized for navi-
cation or power. OF the water power
available, at a cost comparable with
that OF steam installation. O sixth II
utilized. a twentieth runs over gov
eminent dams unused, and the remain
Ing thirty n1llions horse power re-
every wheel and spindle. propei every
train and boat, and light every city
and village In the, country. We have
one quadriiifons and four hundred tril-
lions Of tons Of Inaccessible coal of
S which we are an M ally mining nvs
Respectfully,
s. b. Brewer.