The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-12-30
SEN. FLETCHER
MAKES SPEECH
ONWATERWAYS
AT TENTH ANNUAL CONVENTION
OF NATIONAL RIVERS AND
HARRoRs CONGRESS IN WASH
INGToN HE TALKS ABOUT THE
DREDGING AND CANAL WORK
IN FLORIDA.

At the tenth annual convention of
the National Rivers and Harbors con-
gress, held this month in Washington,
d. c., Senator Duncan u. Fletcher was
one of the leading speakers. In re-
gard to the Mississippi to Atlantic In
land Waterways, he said, in part, as
follows;
beginning at New Orleans, the Lake
Borgne canal has passed into the hands
of the Alabama and New Orleans
TRANSPORTATION Company, and they
have improved it and are building six
teen steel barges Of 1000 tons capacity,
the gulf coast. Some $4,000, think.
has been expended on the bar at
Grants pass between Mississippi sound
and Mobile bay, and the waterway IS
in shape from New Orleans TO Mobile
bay. At the last session or congress,
the Pensacola Commercial Association
secured an order for a special report
on the Pensacola Mobile canal to con-
meet Mobile and Pensacola bays; we
are informed on good authority that
longest canal cut will be $4,000 feet;
the cost will be about $3.50, 900. An APP
propriation was secured for the I'M
provement of Santa Rosa sound con-
hatchee bay, and the work has been
completed. A report has been made
on the cut between Choctawhatchee
and st. Andrews bays, and is unfavor-
able. Total appropriation has been
made for the canal between st. An
drews bay and Apalachicola river, and
the work is about two-thirds COM
pleted. The Apalachicola river bar has
been further improved, and the water
way is otherwise completed UP to the
vestigated across the peninsula OF
Florida and the Oolzalawaha route re-
ported as the most favorable, although
the engineers report did not include
recommendation for the construction
of the canal They have reported ia
vorably on the Improvement OF the
river to Palatka, which, IL carried out,
viii mean the construction of part or
the canal across the Peninsula.
'In other words, to make the inland
waterway continuous from the Missis-
sippi river to the Atlantic ocean, about
six miles of dredging and canal viii
be necessary between Pensacola ana
Mobile bays; about twelve or thirteen
between Choctawhatchee and st. An
drews; about two miles additional be-
tween Apalachicola river and st. An
drews, and the trans-peninsula ca
nal"
The senator, in addition, covered the
main problems of transportation in his
speech. He stated that transportation
must be placed on an economic basis
and that according to his information,
fifteen times more power is required to
move one ton by rail than to move that
ton by water. He also explained the
Lake Borgne barge system. His refer
ence was to q fleet OF self propelled
barges, fifteen IN number, described
earlier IN The Nations Business,
which are to ply between New Orleans
and the coal fields of northern Ala
bama- These new barges run by the
producer gas system. The fuel used in
these will be the waste coke from the
ovens of the Birmingham district. Each
barge is to be lighted by electricity
generated on board. The fleet OF If
teen is expected to have a marked eff
feet on rendering the coal OF Alabama
fields available. The details relative
to the Mississippi to Atlantic Deeper
Waterway Association, OF which Mr.
Fletcher is president are explained
above