The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1910-02-04
ENGINEER OUTLINES PLANS FOR
MISSISSIPPI THAT AsToNIsh
HOUSE COMMITTEE.
ADVOCATES 4 DEEP CHANNEL
Argues for IL Feet Through the Val.
ley and Shows Vast Benefits to
the Country-EVentually for
24Foot Channel

Washington, D. C.-The plan of the
Lakes tothe-Gulf Deep Waterway
Association, contemplating channel
from Chicago to New Orleans, with
depth of IA feet when completed. and
an ultimate depth of "a feet. was out
lined TO the rivers and harbors COM
mittee of the house Friday by Lyman
e. Cooley. the Chicago hydraulic en-.
gineer and expert on river and water
transportation matters.
The size eff the scheme and the
completeness with which the details
were presented by Mr. Cooley, to-
gether with the conviction of the en-
gneer of its entire practicability and
feasibility, almost took the breath
from the congressman assembled to
hear the argument.
Chairman Alexander. at the close
of the address, summed up the i'm
preston it had made upon the mem
bers of the committee when he said
that Mr. Cooley's talk of itself was
an education for all who heard it.
Contemplating, first of all. channel
of an ultimate depth of "a feet from
the lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, the
plan is broadly extended to reach ev-
cry navigable stream in inland United
States. II provides that the Great
Lakes shall be used as a gigantic stor-
age reservoir, SO regulated that its
waters, may be used to equalize the
depth and flow of the rivers and
canals with which the lakes are con-
nected
The city OF st. Louis, under the
plan, is to have a harbor of sufficient
proportions to entertain largest sea-
going vessels, maintaining at all times
a depth of thirty feet. This. accord.
ing to Mr. Cooley, would give St
Louis an ideal position in relation to
the commerce of the world.
He asserted that the using of the
Great Lakes as a reservoir would not
harm the lakes, nor would it cause a
perceptible increase in the fall or rise
of the waters.
Going into the possibilities of the
situation when the 14-foot waterway
1t as his opinion that Chicago will at
once become the shipbulding center
Of America and perhaps of the world.
His reason for this assertion, he said
was the fact that Chicago. or some
other place in the vicinity of Chicago,
is the cheapest place to combine the
materials which go into the making Of
the big ships.
SO thoroughly has he gone into this
feature of the subject that he ex-
pressed the opinion that vessels can
be constructed on the lakes at a cost
Of approximately $40 a ton, while the
foreign-made vessels which now pre-.
dominate in this country's water com
| meree cost about $40 a tone.
The St Louis-Cairo stretch of the
Mississippi river, looked upon by some
as the stumbling block in the way of
| the deep-water project, was discussed
at length by Mr.. Cooley. The plan
| advocated by him contemplates the
| building OF two enormous dams in the
Mississippi, one near jefferson Bar
racks and the other at Commerce.
These dams. he said. would create
a positive depth of IA feet between ST
| Louis and Cairo, producing 100000
| horsepower. the total cost of the en-
! tire Improvement being $40 ,000 0o0.
| Tho proposition of the government en-
gineers for a 9-foot open channel
would cost, according to the estimates
of the engineers, approximately $780,
100000
Eventually and automatically the
depth of the river would increase to
| the dams would create 500 900 horse
"a feet, said Mr. Cooley. and then
! power.
In carrying out the details CT the
| plan Nr Cooley said that in his opin-
ion il would be advisable to do com
pletely away with the Greenfield bend
in the Mississippi just behind Cairo.
Ii would shorten the river by twelve
miles. would make an ideal har5or at
/ Caro-, and would take that city out
| CT the danger that continually threat
/ ems il ~ times nf high watpr