The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-29
THE GOVERNMENT IS WORK
 ON TENNESSEE RIVER
Engineer in Charge of I'm prOvement Below Riverton Reports Project About
 50 Per Cent Complete

Washington, D. C.. August s--CSpecial) The engineer in charge of the improve ment of the Tennessee river below River ton to the mouth in his report for the fiscal year ending July 1. shows that the project contemplated in the survey by Maj. w. w. Harts, in 1912, is 50 per cent completed. Perhaps no two obstruc- tons to navigation on the Tennessee has given the government engineers more concern than the Big Bend Shoals and the Bear Creek Shoals. These are now receiving attention. When the channel work planned for these points has been completed the river will be in prime con dition for navigation with the improve ment already made at Colbert Shoals, Florence and Browns Island. and as contemplated in the great dam project at Muscle Shoals for which site is now being surveyed.
 The last Congress allotted $25l,0oO for the Tennessee below Riverton. More than s600, 900 has already been spent on the river below that point. and there is avail able for present uses over quarter of a million. It Is plain that Congress Is committed to the project of making the Tennessee available for navigation. and it Is likely will continue to provide the money till the task is completed. In 1896 a survey was made of this river which emphasized the possibilities of it's i'm provements in big way.
 Dredging Needed
 This survey shows 49 places where dredging would be required to secure the proposed channel of six feet at low water. and five feet at extreme low water Previ- ous to, this time, especially in 1S90-1S94. and later in 1s9S-99, probation work was done at the mouth of the river, and in 1910, the revetment of Livingston point was completed. The work went along steadily with the result that in 1912, the dredging plant that had been first built in 1S99 was enlarged on an extensive scale. and on July 1, of this year. work had been carried on at B localities. The leading obstruction between the Colbert Shoals canal and the Ohio river is con 1 sidered the Big Bend Shoals. The gov ernment crews have been kept on this shoals constantly, and it is now "a per | cent completed, with an available water depth of 3.5 though this shoals Is in real | ity the worst obstruction in this section of 1 the rlVer IL mas been eStinlateu tnat tHe l improvement to the channel at Big Bend Shoals will require the excavating oi | GOO cubic feet of stone. The govern ment officials are highly gratfied as shown by recent reports, over the prog ress that has been made at Bear Creek Shoals, begun in 1914. and which Is now 60 per cent completed. The engineering corps has the dredges ''Kentucky,' l "Watauga and the derrick boat Iris 1 homingo." and other crafts on Big Benc and Bear Creek Shoals, where they will | continue until the Improvements have been pronounced complete.
 Muscle Shoals Dam
 | The war department Is carrying ou With diligence the survey of the Ten nessee river between Browns Island and the railroad bridge. below Flor ence. the project being to surve, Muscle Shoals by core drill boringi Ito determine the feasibility and prac. | .icability of constructing high lock- and dam for the purpose of combiE | ing the Improvement of water naviga 1 tion and the development of power This is to be by the hydroelectric pro | cess. Extensive boring has been car ried on. surveys have been made ant before the work has been completed data will be secured to determine tn. practicability of the whole project witt ltne view of the advantages that wouls accrue to navigation. The governmen n
 has already spent upward of s25,00'
 ACeatinesA sn l'aos Twob
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