Jefferson jimplecute. (Jefferson, Tex.) 1907-1926, 1911-10-06

s9l, 900 has heretofore been APP
propriated for this improvement,
| would recommend that the
amount required be appropria-
ted" He further says: No
work has been done on Cypress
Bayou since 1880, with exception
of the removal of a few leaning
trees in February, 1884.
Mr.. Burrows in his report of
December, 1884, says: Through
out Twelve Mile Bayou, which
has length of II or II miles,
there is never less than 4 feet of
water at the lowest stage. 1t
has a width varying from 300 to
400 feet" Continuing, he says:
From the head of Twelve Mile
Bayou to Albany Flats the chan
mel contains all the water during
a low stage, and is merely a con-
tinuation of Twelve Mile Bayou,
being 200 feet wide, from to 6
feet deep, having strong cur
rent. "
In order to reclaim and i'm
prove navigation through the
lakes, Major Howell submitted in
1874 a plan for the construction
of high water dam, and cut
from Albany Point, on Soda Lake,
to Gold Point, on Red River,
making the outlet from the lakes
into Red Riverinstead of through
Twelve Mile Bayou, as at pres
ent. AS the surface of the wa
ter at Gold Point in Red River
is 6 feet higher than the surface
of the water in Soda Lake at
Albany Point, the object was to
gain the advantage of this extra
elevation across the shoal water
in Soda Lake. This plan would
undoubtedly solve the problem
of navigation through the lakes,
but its great cost ESTIMATED at
S372, 500 has proved thus far an
insurmountable obstacle to its
adoption. "
We will now quote from the
internal commerce Of the United
States for the year 1891. Speak
ing of the Erie Canal, Mr.. j. G.,
Brown, statistician of the New
York Produce Exchange, says;
The Erie Canal cost SOL, 900,
900, and the State expends on it
$1,000 a year in keeping it in
repair, but it effects saving of
over 81, 900, 900 a year in freight
charges on the wheat alone that
goes into New York City, to say
nothing of five times greater
weight of other freights going
into and out of that city. The
money is certainly well spent. y
He says; THE 100000 saw.
ing was not on the wheat that
went into New York through the
canal, but all that went into the
city by railroad also.
Thus you see it is not only the
saving the country makes on the
products that pass through the
waterway, but on the railroads
touching the water points. We
submit the proposition that had
Major Howells plan, submitted
in 1874, to give this section Of the
G,,t, (ot a cnst Of 900 -SGl nav;
cation been accepted and the
work completed, the saving to
the people alone on cotton would
have fully reached $500, 900 since
then. In this estimate no calcu-
lation is made of other merchan-
disc. The freight receipts at
this place by the railroads aver
age nearly 100000 per annum,
or nearly 100000 since 1874,
twenty-five years ago. A con
Sentative estimate of 80 per
cent on all other merchandise
would have been saved had we
had navigation. This is assum-
ing that no increase of business
would have taken place; yet
everyone knows that the bust
ness would at least have doubled.
Mr.. Brown further says: 1T
is not necessary that the water
line should carry the freight to
cheaper the rate. 1t cheapens
what it does not carry as well as
what it does. In short, it regu-
lates rates on all lines of CARR
age that converge at common
point with it.
Your attention is respectfully
called to the fact that the engin.
GERS, acting under instructions
from someone, have, it appears
70 Us, systematically destroyed
the navigation OF Cypress River
for first one pretext and then
another. The water of upper
Red River has been shut of 50
that no water from it can enter
the lakes as nature provided that
il should. The first and most
disastrous step taken by your
Department was the removal OF
the raft which was natures dam
20 protect the navigation of CIV
No.. De-. ..aI a.. 1u,-. 80.