The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-13
Chief Engineer Marshall Says
Results Are Already Evident
REDUCED FREIGHT RATES
Available Funds Will Be Used in Com
pletion of Locks and Dams on Black
Warrior and Tombiebee and
For Dredge Work.

Washington, November 12.-(Special)-
The annual report of the chief of en-
gineers, made public today, considers in
detail the general river work being car
ried on on the Black Warrior, Warrior
and Tombigbee rivers. General Marshall
gives the project a send off in these
words: ''The work of lock- and dam
construction thus far accomplished mas
had marked effect on traffic. 1nrongh
packet service from Mobile to Tusca-
loosa, which had been abandoned fer
many years, was resumed during the past
fiscal year, and four towboats. with a
number of barges. have been in use on
the upper river during the past winter.
Just what effect the all-year-round six
foot navigation will have when obtained
cannot be definitely stated yet, but
1t Is expected to cause great seduc-
ton in freight rates between the mining
section of Alabama and the Gulf of
Mexico
How Funds VIII Be Used.
1t is proposed to apply available funds
and future appropriations to the G. M
pletion of locks and dams on the Black
Warrior and Tombigbee, the performance
of dredging, removal of Snags and over
hanging trees. etc. The work imme-
diately proposed, howe Eer, is the compile
ton of locks and dams Nos. and g.,
Tombigbee river, and Nos. IA, 10 and 49,
Black Warrior river and the commence
ment of lock II, Black Warrior river, all
under contract. Recent apPropria tions
for slack watering the Black Warrior,
Warrior and Tombigbee rivers have been
made for one system of locks and dalns,
SO that this is now considered one project.
and work is in progress on the same
under continuing contract authorization
In river and harbor act of March ?, 1907
of which $4,000 remains to be appro-
prated The estimated total COST cf his
work. exclusive of maintenance. is now
81, 393. .219.31.
The increase in this estimated total cost
over that contained in the annual rep, rt
for 1908 is due to the fact that the
amounts required for he complexion Of
locks Nos. /, A, and g. finished during
the past fiscal year with hired labor,
proved to be considerably larger than hal
been estimated, especially in the case of
the llTSl udIltu lOCh, NucI6 II was uGScS-
sary to maintain a heavy force to insure
completion of the dam before high water.
The closure of the dam was made No
vember is, 1908
Also, experience has shown that the
present type Of guard cribs is too light.
1t is proposed to substitute a crib of
wider base at locks Nos. J. and 3. Tom
bigbee river, in place of those originally
planned, and to reduce the intervals be-
tween cribs guarding the upper appl oach
and to these locks, in--9rder TO facilitate
the handling and entrance of boats.
Amounts to Be Expended.
For the continuation of river and habor
Improvement General Marshall estimated
that the following amounts could be prof
itably expended during the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1911:
One hundred and fifty thousand dollars
for 30-foot channel Hampton Roads Va;
$780, 900 Cape Fear river, North Carolina
at and below Wilmington; 100000 Savan-
nah harbor, Georgia; $250,000 St Johns
river, Florida; s215,0O0 st. Johns river,
Florida, opposite city of Jacksonville,
Sis, ,000 Chattahoochee river. Georgia and
Alabama, below Columbus; $4,000 Mobile
harbor, Alabama; sl,100,0Oo. Tombigbee
river from the mouth to Demopolis $780,
COO Pascagoula river. Mississippi S126,-
600, harbor at Gulfport and Ship Island
pass; S950000 Southwest Pass, Mississippi
river; $250,0 Galveston harbor. Texas: (:
$500 900, Galveston channel. Texas; $780,.
900, Galveston shipchannel and Buffalo
Bayou, Texas: $4,000, West Galveston
bay Texas and mouths of adjacent
streams 100000. inland waterways on the
coast of Texas; sS50.O0o, Arkansas Pass.
Texas; 100000, harbor at Sabine Pass,
Texas: $lS3,000, Trinity river, Texas; $780,
600, Red river, Fulton, Ark. and Denison.
Tex; $513,O00, Ouachita and Black rivers,
Arkansas and Louisiana; $25o0oo, Missis-
sippi river between Missouri river and
Minnea polls: $350.O0O Missouri river $780,
O00 Tennessee river above Chattanooga;
1850. 600, open channel work Chattanooga,
Tenn $1500OO, Colbert and Bee Tree
shoals, Chattanooga; $4,000, Tennessee
river below Riverton, Ala; $500Ooo, open
channel improvements Ohio river $780,
Oo0. lock and dam No. 81 Ohio river; s14S,-
600. locks and dams In Ohio river be-
tween Pennsylvania state line and Gin
cinnati; sl65,O0o. Kentucky river, Ken
lucky.
For fortifcations the chief of engineers
submitted estimates to the Secretary OF
War of s2025, $40, of which s1,e06546 was
for fortiication in the Philippine islands.