The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-02-16
ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING
OF WATERWAY ADVOCATES
Pensacola Branch is Organ
lied; Committee Named
to Solicit Members.
FUNDS MUST BE RAISED, AS THE
NEXT CONVENTION is TO BE
HELD IN THIS CITY-SEVERAL
INTERESTING TALKS WERE
MADE AT THE MEETING ON I'M
PoRTANcE OF THE PROJECT.

An enthusiastic gathering Of water
way advocates was that Of yesterday
afternoon, when a meeting was held
in the rooms of the Chamber OF Com,
merce, where excellent addresses COM
bined with the fact that congress has
recognized the project caused renewed
interest to be taken in q canal connect
ing Pensacola with prominent rivers
east and west.
G. A. Waterman, treasurer of the
Mississippi to the Atlantic Waterway
Association, was chosen chairman OF
the meeting, and addresses were made
by Leland J. Henderson, secretary OF
the association, w. A. Blount, Capt l.
H. Aiken, President H. H. Thornton,
Of the Chamber of Commerce, and
others.
Mr.. Henderson, who has Just re-
turned from very successful visit to
Washington, impressed upon his hear
ers the necessity of making demands
upon congress for sufficient amount
to carry through the project, which he
believes will be of vast benefit to the
entire country.
BETTER THAN RAILROAD.
w. A. Blount was invited to address
the gathering and he demonstrated
inland waterway but that he had made
a study of the question which gave his
expressions the stamp of authority.
Mr. Blount showed how a short canal
connecting the Apalachicola river with
st. Andrews Bay, and another short
canal connecting st. Andrews Bay
with Choctawhatchee Bay would put
Pensacola in touch with the Apalachi.
cola river and the great territory
which it and its tributaries drain.
The appropriation for work on the
first canal is included in the present
rivers and harbors bill and amounts to
100000. This project would not only
give us competitive rates with the F.
& A. division of the "a & NJ, but II
would, Mr. Bfonnt safd, Upens up com
munication with a territory which it
was impossible for a railroad to touch
at all. A short cut between the
lagoon and Perdido Bay and another
cut between the latter and Mobile Bay,
would put Pensacola in touch by wa
ter route with the great northwest
and, in fact, all of the territory drained
by the Mississippi, the Missouri, and
the Ohio, as well as the Alabama
rivers. 1t would mean more to us,
Mr.. Blount asserted, than many new
railroads, desirable as the latter might
be. Pensacola, Mr.. Blount said, had
been trying for years to get another
line of transportation and SO far with.
out success. Such a line was neces-
sary before the city could ever prop
erly develop, because no matter how
good one railroad might treat Pensa-
cola, no big industry was going to To-
cate here and take its chances with
only one corporation.
"Pensacola's salvation" concluded
Mr.. Blount. ''if she has any salvation
is another transportation line and this
inland waterway project promises the
surest and best proposition that the
city can have"
LOCAL ASSOCIATION FORMED.
A Pensacola branch of the water
way association was formed with the
view of educating the people up to the
importance Of the project, and a COM
mittee appointed to solicit members
for this branch and to arrange for a
meeting to be held during the latter
portion of this week to further advo-
cate the cause. This committee is
composed of G. A. Waterman, Leland
]. Henderson and c. e. Dobson.
The next convention of the Missis-
sippi to the Atlantic Association is to
be held in Pensacola, and it will be
necessary to raise funds to care for
the convention.