afford useful navigation or control freight rates. It is of opinion. that further expenditures on the river between Old Washington and Waco are not justified ..nd recommends that the project be entirely abandoned even to the extent of maintaining existing locks and dams, and if for sanitary or other reasons local interests care to take over and maintain the locks already constructed, it recommends that they be authorized to do so. 4. After due consideration of the above-mentioned reports, I concur in the views of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, and therefore recommend legislation authorizing the abandonment of the project for the improvement of the Brazos River, Tex., Old Washington to Waco, including the maintenance, care, and operation of the locks and dams already completed. FREDERIC V. ABBOT, Colonel, Corps of Engineers. REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS. [Third indorsement.] BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS, To the CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY. 2. The Brazos River flows in a southeasterly direction through the State of Texas and empties into the Gulf of Mexico at a point 50 miles southwest of Galveston. From the mouth to Waco in an air line the distance is 207 miles and by water 429 miles. Old Washington is 254 miles above the mouth, and the distance from Old Washington to Waco is 175 miles. Below Waco the river flows through a fertile bottom land from 2 to 8 miles wide, much of which is subject to periodical overflow to a depth of from 1 to 10 feet. The bed and the banks are generally composed of unstable material and the channel is subject to frequent changes in location. The height of the banks varies from 25 to 45 feet, and the stage of the river varies about 39 feet at Waco and 52 feet at Old Washington. The stream is very flashy, ranging in discharge from about 3 second-feet at low water to 132,000 second-feet or more at flood stage. Navigation is impossible at low stages and there are no regular periods of high water. 3. The existing project for the section Old Washington to Waco contemplates securing a navigable depth of 4 feet at ordinary stage of water for 4 months and 34 feet for 6 months of the year by constructing 8 locks and dams and 103 miles of open channel work on the intermediate sections, at a total estimated cost of $2,915,000. The project was not adopted as a whole, but Locks and Dams Nos. 1. 8, 3, and 6 have been authorized by river and harbor acts of March 2, 1907, June 25, 1910, and July 25, 1912. Locks and Dams Nos. 1 and 8 have been completed; No. 3 is under construction, and No. 6 not yet fairly commenced. To December 31, 1916, there had been expended on this project, exclusive of operation and care, $1,161,416.95. There is no navigation on this section and in fact there has been practically none on the river above Columbia, 34 miles above the mouth, since the Civil War. It is thought that the completion of the project would provide practically the same facilities for navigation as can be secured between Old Washington and the mouth without the use of locks and dams. The project for the latter reach provides for the removal of snags and overhanging trees and for narrowing the river at its shoals by training walls and spur dikes. On this and previous projects there has been expended about $430,000, resulting in the periodical removal of snags from the river and timber from the banks. No increase in depth has been obtained and no commerce or navigation has resulted. 4. The tonnage to be affected by the improvement between Old Washington and Waco is stated by local interests to amount to about 11,000,000 tons, and it is estimated that the saving on freight rates, had the river been improved, would have amounted to $6,837,783. This estimate is based upon the belief that the improvement would affect rail rates throughout a zone extending 75 miles on either side of the river up to a point 75 miles above Waco. This is the theoretical maximum that could be expected to result from the improvement if the rate on every article of freight from and to this section were reduced to meet the rates that might result from actual and effective navigation. As the improvement would not provide such navigation, as will be shown later on, the estimate is of little or no value. The amount of commerce that would actually be handled by water can not be determined and has not been estimated. The district engineer regards the improvement as worthy of being continued and he recommends a thorough survey. For reasons given at some length the division engineer is of opinion that beyond the completion and maintenance of the structures already undertaken, work should be held in abeyance for the present and that no survey should be made. 5. From the information presented, the board was not convinced of the advisability of continuing the improvement of the Brazos River from Old Washington to Waco, and interested parties were so informed and given an opportunity of presenting their views. A hearing was held at this office on December 3, 1918, which was attended by Hon. Morris Sheppard, United States Senator, Hon. Tom Connally, and Hon. J. J. Mansfield, Members of Congress, and a delegation of citizens from the locality. 6. Senator Sheppard cited as examples of what may be expected from the improved Brazos River a number of rivers and canals in France and Germany that have been successfully improved and which carry a large commerce. The navigable depths that he gave for these rivers, 1.3 feet and up, are not the depths ordinarily available, but the minimum low-water depths that obtain for short periods only. The standard depth adopted in 1879 for most of the waterway improvements in France is 6.6 feet. In the upper reaches of some of the rivers this depth, of course, can not be obtained. The standard boats in France are of 300 tons capacity, 126 feet long, 16-foot beam, and 5.9 feet draft. The dimensions of the waterways and the size of boats in Germany are generally somewhat larger. The country traversed by the European waterways is densely populated, 300 to 400 inhabitants to the square mile; the banks are occupied every few miles by villages, towns, or large cities; in most instances the rivers and canals are connected at both ends with other navigable waterways and frequently form important international transportation routes; the principal articles composing the waterborne commerce are coal, ores, building materials, and manufactured products; the actual cost of transportation, equipment, upkeep, and operation is low and labor plentiful; none of the improved streams have as small a low-water discharge as the Brazos. In the case of the Brazos the country is sparsely settled, about 25 inhabitants to the square mile; there are few towns on the river and comparatively few within easy hauling distance; there is no connection with other waterways except at the mouth; the principal commodity to be transported is agricultural produce, which forms but a small part of the commerce of successful waterways even in Europe; the cost of equipment, upkeep, and operation is high and labor scarce. The former conditions tend toward low cost of transportation, the latter toward high cost. In connection with the study of European waterways, it is worthy of note that general systems of connecting water routes had been undertaken and were well advanced before the era of railroads, and the principal work done since has been the completion, extension, and maintenance of these systems. It is quite probable that some of the smaller waterways would not have been improved had conditions been the same then as now. Moreover, the advent of modern rail transportation threatened the existence of these small water routes to such an extent that measures for their protection became necessary. With the methods permitted in this country, the small waterways of Europe could not have survived. 7. Ex-Congressman Henry stated that there are two fundamental reasons for the improvement of the Brazos River-one, that it would cause better freight rates; the other, that it would give another facility for moving commerce. While it seems to be generally believed that any improvement of a waterway will result in lower railroad rates, this is not necessarily so, as explained later on. With reference to the additional facility for moving commerce, it will be shown that the contemplated improvement would be of such an indifferent character as to be of small value and effect. Mr. Henry admitted that there must be more than eight locks and dams in order to give practical navigation, and that the cost would be much higher than estimated. While no recent estimate has been made, there are sufficient data in hand to show that probably eight locks and dams in addition to the eight contemplated under the existing plan of improvement would be required to slack water the river between Old Washington and Waco, and in this connection it may be stated that the locks and dams already built have cost about $500,000 each. from which, without going to the expense of a survey, a very good idea of the probable minimum cost of the work may be formed. To canalize the section below Old Washington, which would be necessary in order to insure even fairly reliable navigation, would require approximately 12 locks and dams at about the same unit cost. Even if such a project were carried out, continuous navigation would not be provided, as the low-water flow is not sufficient to fill the pools. It was further stated that no navigation can be expected until all the locks and dams are built, and that development would then follow the improvement of the river as it does the building of a railroad. In this connection it should be stated that it has not been the policy of the United States to construct waterways into undeveloped country as a pioneer proposition, as is done in the case of railroads. It was also stated that if the river were improved, cotton could be put on trucks and hauled 75 miles to the river and floated down. An examination of the map discloses that the entire lower Brazos up to Old Washington (254 miles) falls within a radius of 60 miles from Houston, and the lower 100 miles falls within a similar radius from Galveston, so that a 75-mile truck haul would take all the cotton from the section below Old Washington Houston or Galveston without transfer to the river. One of the arguments advanced was that large lignite deposits exist in the Brazos Valley and that with cheap transportation these could be developed and shipped by water. Although lignite is known to exist in quantity in numerous localities accessible to rail or water transportation in this country, it has not as yet become a general commercial commodity and its future is still problematical. This should not be given weight in the present consideration. There are no coal or iron mines to create a large tonnage such as is carried on many of the European waterways, and on the canalized streams in this country, where improvements have been commercially successful. In the case of the Brazos, agricultural products must be relied upon for justification for the improvement, and so far as the board is informed, there is no instance, at least in this country, where sufficient tonnage of this character is available for water shipment to justify an expensive slack-water improvement. 8. The chief object sought by those advocating this improvement is lower transportation rates and they believe such rates would result from completion of the improvement. The district engineer also entertains this belief. The board is not in accord with this view. To bring about a reduction in rail rates a waterway must be capable of and have practical navigation to an extent sufficient to divert the business from the railroads and induce them to apply for lower rates. Neither the Interstate Commerce Commission nor the State railroad commission orders the lowering of rates because of the existence of actual or potential navigation. The initiative is with the carrier. The commissions can authorize but do not direct lower rates. This being the case the question arises as to what extent the proposed improvement would provide actual navigation and to what extent the railroads would consider the waterway a competitor. If completed, the improvement would result in a navigable depth of 4 feet for four months and 3 feet for six months of the year at irregular and uncertain periods. In years of extreme drought it is very doubtful if even these results would be obtained. It will be observed from the hydrographs that high stages occur at very irregular intervals and are of short duration, and that between them there are long periods of low water when navigation through the open channel reaches aggregating 103 miles above Old Washington would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible. The economic use of the river under these adverse conditions is extremely doubtful. Boats would have to be available practically all the year round in order to get in four or six months' navigation. These boats would necessarily be of small dimensions and capable only of carrying small cargoes. The distance from Waco to Galveston via the river and the coastal canal is 465 miles. The average speed of boats on canalized rivers in France is 3.1 miles per hour. At this rate of speed on the Brazos, not allowing for any loss of time due to grounding, which loss is inevitable, it would require 124 days for a boat to travel from Waco to Galveston, assuming a daylight run of 12 hours or 25 days for the round trip, not counting the time in port. It will be seen, therefore, that a boat would probably make four to six trips a year and be idle about one-half the year. Owing to sharp bends and shallow depths it would be impracticable to carry large tows on this river. A single boat or one barge in tow would probably be the method adopted. At an average of 200 tons of cotton per load downstream and a half cargo for return, one boat would carry annually 1,200 to 1,800 tons of freight. It is obvious that a boat line could not live under these conditions. The distance by rail from Navasota, near the lower end of the upper section, to Houston is 71 miles, and by water to Galveston 290 miles. The round trip by boat would require about 15 days. It could be made by motor truck in 2 days, and this method of transportation would be available every day in the year. In this connection it may be stated that motor trucks are being used in many places in competition with the railroads, and that in such cases the railroad commissions may grant lower rates as in the case of water competition. A complete system of motor truck roads would cost less than the improvement of the river and give a more reliable means of transportation. Comparing truck and river service on the basis of six months' navigation and continuous truck service, three trucks would haul during the course of a year about the same amount of freight as a 200-ton boat. In the former case the distance to be traveled is about 75 miles, in the latter 290 miles. This great difference in distance will always be in favor of land transportation and a handicap against the water route. 9. Experience on other streams in this country affording 3 to 4 feet navigation for much longer periods each year than can be expected here indicates that boats could not operate successfully on the Brazos. The Red River, La. and Ark., might be cited as an example. In its natural condition this river affords about the same navigation facilities up to Shreveport as the Brazos would afford, if improved; that is, 3 to 4 feet for six to eight months of the year. In the early days before the advent of the railroads this river carried a commerce of considerable extent and value. With the multiplication of rail facilities, however, commerce declined and except on the lower part of the river there has been practically no navigation for many years, notwithstanding the fact that the river has been in better condition during recent years than it was when most extensively navigated. It is quite evident that under existing conditions it is more economical to ship cotton from Shreveport by rail than it is by water, otherwise it would not be done. If the facili ties afforded by the Red River do not encourage navigation it must be concluded that the Brazos would not be navigated even if improved at a cost of many millions. It has been repeatedly stated |