The Ocala evening star., 1919-04-11
ENGINEER EXPLAINS
PLANS FOR RIVER
Colonel EdgertOn Gives an Outline of
River Development in Letter to
Secretary of Trade Body

The present plans for the develop
ment of the Oklawaha river are set
forth in letter from Col. Glen E.
Edgerton, U. s. A, district engineer,
Jacksonville, to the secretary of the
Marion County Board of Trade, which
was read at the regular meeting of
the trade organization last night. The
full development of the Oklawaha
depends on the building up of COM
merce on the river. AS the chief of
engineers, U. S. army, points out, eff
there is not a substantial increase in
commerce, the probability of any fur
ther Improvement of the river being
authorized is extremely small"
Col. Edgerton, in his letter to the
secretary of the board of trade, says:
Replying to your letter of April
3rd, relative to the expenditure Of
/, $e5, 700, recently made by Congress
for Improvement of the Oklawaha
river, have to advise as follows:
"The recent instructions from the
chief of engineers are that these
funds were intended to cover the con-
struction of lock and dam at Moss
Bluff, at an estimated approximate
cost of $4,000 and that the remain
ing $4,000 of the appropriation was
for the purpose of continuing i'm
provement of the present project of
the Oklawaha river which is as fol-
lows:
Deepening the channel to six feet
at mean low tide from the mouth to
the head of Silver Springs run, dis
tance of 62 miles; for clearing the
channel of distractions from Silver
Springs run to Lake Griffin
"In regard to the further improve
ment of the Oklawaha river, the chief
of engineers states as follows:
"fWhile the Oklawaha item is not
adopted subject to the conditions set
forth in House document No. 514,
Sixty-third Congress, second session,
nevertheless, the desirability of COM
plying with these conditions should be
impressed upon the local interests,
and it cannot be too strongly i'm
pressed upon them that there is much
opposition to the Oklawaha project
In Congress on account of the small
amount of commerce on this stream,
and that the work which is now au-
thorized, is with view to testing this
stream as to whether any commerce
will develop or not. If, on the
strength of the improvement which is
now authorized. there is a substantial
increase in commerce, it is believed
that the opposition to the adoption of
this project will be very greatly les
sened; but, on the other hand, If
there is not a substantial increase in
commerce, the probability of any fur
ther Improvement of the river being
authorized is extremely small
"The construction of a lock and
dam at Moss Bluff. would insure a
ravigable depth between Lake Griffin
and Moss Bluff, and it is thought that
some slight improvement may be an
ticipated from this work in the low
water navigation between Moss Bluff
and Silver Springs. 1t appears that
further appropriations for this river
will depend very much upon the
amount of commerce that viii develop
on the stream. In providing a nav
igable channel, this Office is endeav-
oring to get the local cooperation of
the parties interested in the reclama-
tion of land lying along the Okla
waha river from Silver Springs run
to Lake Griffin and if these local in
terests cooperate to the extent of
digging lateral waterway to the
river, through which the river can be
diverted, the permit for same having
been granted in previous river and
harbor act, it is hoped that some COM
merce can develop or the river that
would justify further appropriations.
We are now IN correspondence with
the persons interested in the i'm
provement of the Oklawaha river and
are glad to note that the Marion
County Board of Trade has been re-
organized, as we know that they are