The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-12-16

S575, 900 900 has been appropriated for
the Improvement of our harbors and
inland waterways, the whole aggre-
eating little upward of 800, 100000
OF this, s186,576, 1921 have been Tor
the Atlantic coast harbors and water
ways: SG6, ,429, ,80317 for the gulf and
it's waterways, exclusive of the Mis-
sissippi river; $50, 3,281, ,821.36 for the
Pacific and it's rivers; S131, ,55T,941.2
for the Great Lakes basin, and S27O,-
697, 1877 for the Mississippi river
system, while about $5,50O,000 have
been for the Hudson Bay basin, Alas
ka, Porto Rico, Hawaii and for mis-
cellaneous purposes.
The total number Of improvements
for which the aggregate has been ap-
propriated is slightly in excess Of
five hundred and thirty. Now, s700.-
100000 is a large su mfor any coun-
try to expend on it's harbors, rivers
and canals, and it proclaims the fact
that the federal government has not
neglected our navigable waters
Nor have the results been disap-
pointing, whether we consider the
physical work accomplished or the
benefits accruing to commerce. The
most of the projects undertaken have
been carried to completion, resulting
in marked improvement of the navi-
gable features of the waterways.
/ Channels have been widened, banks
made more stable, and eighteen i'm
| portant canals constructed; and
where greater depth has been sought,
! as in most instances, the increase has
been from one to twenty-six feet. So
! that with our three hundred and one
| harbors, great and small, and our
| twenty-five thousand miles of naviga-
! bic rivers and canals, we have the
| finest system of waterways in the
| world. When we consider that no
stream, even though classed as navi-
| gable, is in its natural state suitable
! for modern commerce, and that all
of our harbors have required improve
ment to fit them for the ever-increas-
| ing demands of commerce, one can
| readily understand that at least ade-
! quate physical results have come
from the large aggregate of appropri-
atiOns made.
| Then, too, the benefits accruing TO
| the commerce of the country, botn
! foreign and domestic, as evidenced by
it's phenomenal growth following the
| physical development of those water
ways, have likewise been gratifying
1t is true that on few projects, COM
mercial results commensurate with
the outlay have not followed i'm
| provement, but in a large majority Of
instances an increased commerce
has been the result.
Mr.. Alexander H. Weber, C. E, as
sistant engineer and secretary to the
board of engineers for rivers ami
| harbors, in very interesting and in
structive article written in 1910, esti-
! mated this increase at $40, ,217. 700
tons. In that statement reference is
made to the total tonnage of all riy-
ers, harbors and canals, which in
cludes many Implications; but it is
nevertheless instructive, as it shows
the commercial Importance of the re-
| spective Improvements. The actual
| existing water-borne commerce is
somewhat difficult of ascertainmenc
but Mr.. Weber fixed the amount Of
the then existing commerce, after due
| allowance for Implications, at ap-
proximately 256,O0O000 tons. The in
terstate commerce commission makes
it something more, giving the amount
for the year 1906 as 265, 5,545, ,S04 tons.
Even the smaller figures present a
good showing and one that should
greatly encourage the friends of wa
/ terway improvement.
But the whole story is not told in A
simple statement of the increase O.
our water-borne commerce. 1t is
worth much to furnish the people
with additional facilities for the dis
tribution of their products among the
consumers of this and foreign coun-
tries. It is also gratifying to find
these facilities utilized for the pur-
pose designed, resulting in a largely
increased water-borne commerce. But
when We consider the great reduc-
tions in freight rates that have come
as a result of these improvements.
the full significance of the work done
may be appreciated.
1t is difficult to determine just what
this reduction has been, but we know
it is large. The annual reports of the
chief of engineers, who is required to
report upon the effect of such i'm
provements on freight rates, show
that in many instances such reduc
tions have been as much as fifty pei
cent, and even more in some locali
ties, which would indicate that the
reductions effected have averaged