The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-25
WARRIOR EQUIPMENT READY FOR SERVICE WITHIN FEW WEEKS DeBardeIeben Makes State ment at Mobile About
 Progress on Repairs OVERHAULING PUSHED AT DIFF BRENT POINTS Fleet Consists of Two Towboats, Un- loading Machine and IS Barges,
 All of Which Were in
 Bad Condition

All of the existing Warrior river equipment is now undergoing repairs and will be ready to be put in com mission within a few weeks, accord ing to a statement made at Mobile by Henry T. DeBardeleben, transpor- tation manager for the Warrior, a day or two ago.
 This equipment consists of the tow boats Clio and Darling, the unloading machine Maxine and IS barges. The Clio. the Maxine and Il barges are at Pascagoula, Miss. and the Darl- ing and seven barges at Tuscaloosa. undergoing repairs at government en- gineer's yards at those places.
 This equipment, originally owned by the Alabama Coal and Transporta- tion company, was taken over by the railroad administration sometime ago with the intention of operating it on the Warrior, It was considerably run down. however, and a general over hauling was necessary before it could be put in operation.
 There has been some confusion here the last two days caused by the word ing of dispatch from Washington to The Age Herald. This dispatch stated that contracts had been let by the railroad administrator for several boats and barges for use on the Mis- sissippi- Warrior waterways, but in the same telegram it stated that none of these would draw less than eight feet. As the Warrior has only a six-foou stage at certain seasons of the year, none of these could possibly operate on it during the low periods
 When Traffic Manager Brent was in Birmingham Wednesday he stated that all of the vessels provided for in the contract reported from Washing ton were for the Mississippi river trade and a statement to the same effect was made by MT. DeBardeleben in Mobile Wednesday.
 Mr. Brent, however, cleared up one point about which there had been some misgivings here recently. He stated that all of the equipment of the Ala bama Coal Transportation company taken over by the government would be continued in the Warrior river trade and that as soon as the type of equip ment suitable for the Warrior was de- termined upon, it would be contracted for.
 Or the recomme mendations of engi- neers connected with the Warrior riv- CT improvement, the government re- gently authorized the construction of two-fopt additions to the tops of the locks and dams on the Warrior to be built of 12x12-inch timbers, which would give a minimum eight-foot stage of water the year round from CorGova to Mobile. Several of the locks and dams below Tuscaloosa have already been raised in this way and it is planned to raise the five above Tuscaloosa in the same manner. This work will require several months time and the last of the locks and dams may not be raised before next spring.
 An appropriation to cover the cost of raising the locks and dams is i'm cluded in the general deficiency bill now pending in Congress, and as Rep- resentative Oliver of the Tuscaloosa fluence to bear to secure its passage it probably will be retained in the bill.
 The money to pay for the new equip ment for the Warrior will come out of the $5000000o0 revolving railroad fund placed at the disposal of the United States railroad administra ton shortly after Its creation and it is not believed that there will be any trouble in getting the required amount when the type of equipment is deter mined upon.
 And to determine the proper type for the Warrior river is the object of the trip of Director M. J. Sanders, Colonel Sanford. MT. Tomlinson, MT. Cox, MT. DeBardeleben and others down the riv- CT tomorrow