Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-27

''iiHNi.>'iiN NM. ALA, MarCh 26.-By
building seventeen Locke and dams
across tho Black Warrior River. Uncle
Sam has practically presented the poo
pie of this city with a nnc navigablc
river. The worl, cost The government
Sl',"o".0bO. and required twelve years
I" finish and tho Birmingham people
arc deeply apprcciativc OF the boon
ferr"d upon them
tn" Black Warrior River ard What
W" Al" Going 10 10 With IL" would
make good headline f.- most Of tho
conversation and large part OF tic
news in birmingham right now The
citN ~ going to extend it's limits 10
III" hanks Of tho river. ~ Is alrcady
shipping coal TO Mobile by boat. and i,
expects I" bring back ores and fer
tiiz"rs. Tia" wholesalers see u new
chancc To TcnolI seward. and TO force
lower rates out Of the railroads. The
iron ana steel makers assert that they
VIII now supply Texas with nails and
wire" and reach Ia. cuban market in
sinTl" shipment from their own home
terminals. In {, word. the possibili,Ic.
seem almost unlimited. and the city is
making good progress toward their
realization.
IN. ilach Warrior project - one OF
the most striking engineering fcats
that tho government has eyer accom-
pilSh"d, Lock- seventeen. tho recent
completion or which brought unvIgabIc
water Within tw'lv" miles OF Birninr
nam. mountain city. IS said to hc
tho highcs, lock In the world, FOR /,
holds back head al water s!Nty three
feat deep
Since VERY eurly ,inlrs th. lack
Warrior ms been "a navigable stream
.t...t Ia
WAY t" the s"a aud as long ago a.
1906 steamers cam" ZIP to Tuscaloosa
during high water. Eut that ala no,
d" birmingham much good. The c!tv
IL only twelve miles from the river
bat at that point il waa onIy - big
yards wide. fun ar rifles and shoals
ana often 50 low ina The summer that
a man could wade across it.
stream Turned Into Ri,cr
Now iha, same stream has been con.
verified by modern engineering into a
river Ia!f II mile wide on an AVERAGE
thirty 10 hftv feet deep in many places
ana navsgahle for largo rargcs All tho
way 10 the sea. The narrow mountain
creeks that once came ,umbling into
the Black Warrior have been con
N"rtcd into deep. navigablc bavous
reaching back into the hear. OF tho
mountains where IN. Iron and coal
are mined. Incidentally, birmingham,
no" has one OF the most attractive
waterways i'm the South for pleasure
boating Running between steer
wooded mountains. ANA reaching il.
arms lar up among them, the Blacl,
Warrior Is q beautiful stretch %,
cruising water. and. 20 add to the do
light of sportsmcn, both fish and wild
"ucks nave appeared III grca: numbers
Just at present. however, Birmipu
Il IL
and means Of utilizing this waterway,
which Is one of the few in the world
That actually reaches from the noun.
tains 10 the sea. ana one OF the few in
Inc United states that maintains =
uniform navigablc depth. free from, ice
NJ! the year round. Birmingham has
resolved that the first step shall ho IN
bring the city and the river together
BOTH {" facilitate shipping and TO pre.
vent priNa capital from raining con.
iroi OF water frontage, which should
hciopG 10 the city as II whole To ac.
compHSh this' tn" people OF Birming-
nam plan 10 extend their corpora G
limits In long strip clear to the banks
OF the river. II Is not "a project with
out precedent. Los Angeles brough,
itself within touch of the Pacific Coast
by exactly the same measure. and las
enjoyed many practical benefits there
from
Laos AnScItS iIun.
The birmingham people have made a
careful study Of the Los Angeles
method. ana will probably proceed in
similar manner. a strip of land
about 200 yards wide. reaching from
the city to the river. Will become a
part Of the Incorporation. Upon this
VIII bc built n fine macadamiZcd hDulc.
ward and passenger ANA freight clcc.
trio line owned ana run by the city
This line will carry both passengers
and freight during the day, b,u vii,
handle the bulk of its freight at night
At the end of the strip will he the mn.
nicipal terminals.
This, at least, seems to lie the ular
most generally agreed upon. There is
abundant difference Of opinion, whcrn
fore this is not offered as authnr;,a.
tive. The project has already gone ~
far as preliminary survey of tw,
routes by the county engineer nud g.
hot battle of words har 0ecn wancd
as 10 which route ought To he accent od
There are bound to be DELAYS. b,,t IN,
people have fully made M their mind
to the project. and there is little douh,
but what ii will ultimately he carried
out. II IL estimated that it will cosI
me CITY sloOo,oOo to nnish the project
terminals and all
The completion of this great povern.
ment work has opened 10 Rirminrhnu
N.ealtl of opportunity ut ~ single
stroke The industrial strength of IN,
city lies in the fact that il has i'm.
mcnsc quantities OF iron. coal and
limestone so located in the mountain,
surrounding IL that the force oi
gravity literally carries them TO IN,
doors Of tho furnaces. making firm.
inShani natural center Of steel and