The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-25
RICHARDSON GETS b|G SHARE OF THE
 APPROPRIATIONS New Tennessee River Proj- ect Adopted Calling for
 Huge Expenditure APPROPRIATIONS
 BILL IS SMALLER Order Survey of Proposed Canal From the Black Warrior to Birming-
 ham-Alabama Items
 Are Interesting
BY WALTER HARPER

BY WALTER HARPER Washington, February 24.-(special.)- Alabama gets an $S,00o00o slice In tho rivers and harbors appropriation bill that Is about ready to report to the House. Judge Richardson of the Eighth district gets the biggest slice and. by the way. the biggest item in the entire bill. This is the adoption of the new Tennesse river project calling for an appropriation of s6.70o.0o0. Of this amount, ss9o,0o0 are ap- propriated in the bill. The ss,ooo0oo pro- vided for will complete the river for navi- sation from Knoxville to the mouth of the river and 1t Is estimated that the entire work will be completed in five years.
 A feature of the bill of special interest to Birmingham is provision for the survey of the proposed canal from ths Black Warrior river to Bessemer or Bir- mingham as is found most practicable. Alabama Items The Alabama Items carried in the bill : are as follows:
 For general Improvements in Mobile habor, si00,00o: removing obstructions in harbor, 5000; for Mobile bar. s1ooo0; Ala bama river, s75, 900; Black Warrior, se001oo
 
 required until after the passage of an- other rivers and harbors bill Engineers estimate that they have enough money on hand and already appropriated to keep improvements progressing for two years.
 Tombgbee to Demopolis, $ls 1000. De- mopolis to Columbus. Miss, ss600 Pass AuXherous ship canal between Mobile and Mississippi sound, s50,01o Chocta- whatchie river, sS000 EscAmbia and Conecuh rivers $500o. CooEa river in Alabama lock 1 and dam ., sl55,o0o Tennessee, new project adopted, $6,000,- 900. Appropriated Tennessee above Chattanooga, s100,000 Below Chatta- nooga, open channel Work, s100,o0o. Open channel work from Florence to Riverton, sl20,OOo, and below Riverton, s100,000
 Surveys A iop. ed
 The following survAsys are adopted Waterway betwee n Black Warrior and Five Mile creek by way Of Nalley- river or other practic able route throu ar neer Bessearsi ana .BirtinEhain Wids creek at Gadsd-n up 10 plant of the Southern Iron and Stse. company Waterway connecting tho Tombigbee river with the Tennessee In Mississippi This survey is to be made separately from that to be made on the Tombgbee up to Columbus This survey Is of great importance to southern and middle Alabama as itl promises a more direct waterway to St. Louis and Pittsburg The idea of connecting these rivers at this point was conceived and suggested by Gen era1 Grant.
 Richardson Is Pleased
 Judge Richardson is particularly pleased with the success of his project on the Tennessee river. He has worked faith fully and untringly for the past ii years for the accomplishment of this work and was one of the happiest men in Washing ton today when the report was made public.
 Since he began to work for the Ten nessee development a total.of s7,ol974 has been spent and appropriated on the river up to and not including the amount ap- propriated and recommended in the pres ent bill.
 The appropriation bill carries one other proiect that calls for more money, that on the Missouri river. but the Tennessee project is considered of vastly more im- portance and is considered much the hg- ger proposition.
 No caucus action has been taken against the passage of a rivers and harbors bill and there will probably be none. Tho bill as it is reported will probably be adopted.
 Bill as Completed l The rivers and harbors appropriation
  today by the House committee, carries s25 9s5 ono. the smallest amount since 1894. The largest of the improvement appTo- priations in the bill are s5,400o00 for the Ohio river and for the Mississippi s5,95o- 900; Missouri river, $soooo0; Delaware river, s7o0,Ooo and Tennessee river S5o.- 010.
 An appropriation of $500000 is made for the purchase of the Albemarle and Chesa- peakc canal and $40,0o0 is made for the Biscay Nebay. Miami Fla. "The present bill is much lower than in many years" said Representative sparkman of Florida chairman of the committee.
 'arhls was made desirable by reason of the treasury conditions and possibly by the policy adopted in 1910, which enabled the engineers to estimate within fair degree of exactness the amount of money that could judiciously be expended each year.
 Although this bill is relatively small. ali the projects have been fairly treated ! No work now going on need stop, and work on new projects can be prosecuteS without cessation until March next, when it is expected additional amounts will be furnished where necessary for the | ensuing year
 | Other large appropriations include the | following:
 | James river Virginia. s7o,ooo: Cooper river. South Carolina, N75.000: Savannah harbor, s4oo,00o. Savannah river below Au- gusta, sl05.oo0; Mobile harbor, sioo,ooo; St. Johns river Florida, s2oo0oo; Galveston | harbor, S5,o00: Galveston channel slO0. .009: | Trinity river. Texas. s4S5, ,o00 Ouachita and Black rivers. Arkansas and Louisiana. s1oO00O
 1 Hundreds Of smaller projects are cared for in the bill which will be presented. l