Fla., authorized by the item of the river and harbor act approved August 8, 1917, reading as follows:

The Secretary of War is hereby authorized and directed to cause preliminary examination and survey to be made at the following-named localities,

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Peace River, Fla.

2. Peace River rises in Polk County, Fla., near the central portion of the State, and flows in a generally southern and western direction into Charlotte Harbor, near Punta Gorda, Fla., Charlotte Harbor being a large bay connecting with the Gulf of Mexico. The Peace River drains about 2,000 square miles of territory, which is developed in agricultural pursuits, except for area in Polk County, and the area immediately contiguous to the river, in which pebble phosphate is found. Small lakes are located near the river, and drain into the river, and the river is also fed by springs near Bartow, and near Buchanan. Several rivers and creeks flow into the river, among the largest being Little Charley Apopka, Big Charley or Tsala Apopka, Josh or Joshua, Prairie, Whitten, Chilocohatchee, and Saddle. The river in the upper portion is narrow and tortuous with very heavy gradient, in the lower portion the river is crooked, but has reaches of considerable width, and with much less slope, and the lower 10 miles of the river forms an estuary connecting with Charlotte Harbor. From Charlotte Harbor to Punta Gorda the river has 10 feet of water at low tide; from Punta Gorda to the head of the estuary, a distance of about 5 miles, the depths vary from 3 to 14 feet; from the estuary to Fort Ogden about 18 miles above the mouth, the general average depth is about 5 feet, but some soundings of 3 feet are found; above Fort Ogden the river is not now navigable, except for the very shallowest draft launches, owing to the shoals, rapids, and obstructions. 3. The following table gives reference to previous reports on the improvement of Peace River:

1 Favorable for limited navigation to Fort Ogden during 9 months in the year at an estimated cost of $17,000.

Favorable for completion of project at estimated cost of $25,000.
Favorable only for that portion below Fort Ogden.

Includes Peace River only from Punta Gorda to its mouth.

4. In 1881 and 1882, from funds appropriated, survey of the river was made, and some snagging and removal of overhanging trees between the mouth of the river and Fort Meade, with minor rock excavation at certain shoals, was executed in order to offer a navigable channel to vessels drawing 14 to 24 inches of water during a portion of the year. The river was cleared for a distance of about 64 miles from mouth, but no regular navigation was established on the river, and the stream shoaled up rapidly and became obstructed with fallen trees. In 1890 Congress appropriated funds for improving Charlotte Harbor and Pease Creek, Fla., to the pier at Punta Gorda, Fla., the terminus of the Florida Southern Railroad (now the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad). Under this appropriation, a channel 12 feet deep and 200 feet wide was completed. At the present time, from Charlotte Harbor to Punta Gorda, there is a channel 10 feet deep; from Punta Gorda to Fort Ogden, 13 miles above Punta Gorda, there is a channel 3 feet deep. Above Fort Ogden the river is navigable for boats of draft of only a few inches, the river being obstructed by shoals and rapids. The upper portion of the river is very crooked, with numerous rapids and shoals, and at low-water stages the shoals are nearly bare. The water surface at Fort Meade, a distance of 69 miles from the mouth, is about 79 feet above low water at the mouth, and at Bartow, about 80 miles above Fort Meade, the elevation of water surface is about 100 feet above the same plane. In the report of the survey of 1897 the following description is given of the upper section of the river, which describes the condition of the river at the present time.

At its lowest stage the stream in the channels around the bends contracts to a mere thread of water, while on the few rock and sand shoals that extend across the channel from bank to bank the water covers the entire river bed, but is too shallow to carry a skiff drawing over 6 inches.

Low-water conditions exist on the river from January to July. During the rainy season, in July and August, the river becomes flooded and rises of as much as 17 feet have been recorded at Fort Meade. The following is a list of bridges built across the river:

5. The local interests near Arcadia, 30 miles above the mouth of the river, and a town having a population of about 4,000, have expressed the desire for a channel of not less than 3 feet for smallboat navigation. Some few persons have expressed a desire for a channel 12 feet deep to Arcadia; the 12 feet depth being to accommodate boats that could go from Arcadia to Mobile or Tampa. At Wauchula, a small town about 55 miles from the mouth of the river, some interest was manifested in the river for the purpose of shipping fruits and vegetables to Punta Gorda, shipments then to be made by water to northern markets. A channel to fill this requirement would have to be about 60 feet wide and 6 feet deep. At Fort Meade, a town of 1,500 inhabitants, located 69 miles from the mouth of the river, the people were desirous of having the river improved so as to reduce the flood heights of the river by permitting a more rapid discharge of the water. The improvement of the river was also desired so that the banks of the river could be used for agricultural purposes, without damages from floods. Under present high-water conditions the water spreads out of its bank from one-fourth to one-half of a mile, and each year the land remains under water for several weeks. A channel 12 feet deep and from 120 to 200 feet wide from Charlotte Harbor to Punta Gorda; a channel 3 feet deep and 60 feet wide from Punta Gorda to Arcadia; and improvement of the river from Arcadia to Fort Meade by the removal of overhanging trees would furnish some transportation and would improve the flood conditions on the river. These improvements would not give all of the relief from flood conditions that the interests of Fort Meade and the country at the upper sources of the river desire, but would appear to meet in a general way the wishes of the community.

6. In regard to navigation on Peace River, the following is an abstract from report of Mr. W. W. Fineren, junior engineer, who made the field examination:

On the upper river above Fort Ogden there are no boats found owing to the shoals and rapids in the river. Below Fort Ogden there is no navigation save an occasional launch owned by private settlers until Punta Gorda is reached. There are eight large motor boats drawing from 3 to 6 feet that run from Punta Gorda to points on Charlotte Harbor, covering two trips per week each, and one steamer drawing 7 feet that runs not more than a dozen trips with oil from Tampa.

7. In regard to the commerce of the river, attention is invited to the communication addressed to this office by the Peace River Improvement Association. The statistics submitted deal more with the commerce that could be carried over the river than with the commerce that is now being carried. In the year 1916 there were about 20,000 tons of freight shipped over the river between Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor, commerce consisting principally of fish, fruits, ice, sand, and general merchandise. This commerce is local and pertains to Punta Gorda, as a port more or less on Charlotte Harbor, and has little relation to the development of Peace River. There was no commerce on the river above Punta Gorda. The following extract is given from the report of Mr. Fineren in regard to the commerce that formerly existed and that might be expected if the river was improved:

The history of Peace River is very much the same as that of some other waterways in Florida. Before 1880, when there were no railroads in southern Florida, the river was of importance to the people as a highway. In 1879 the first survey party which

landed at Tampa had to walk or drive overland to Fort Meade, taking six days for the journey and with great difficulty secured lumber sufficient to construct a small skiff in which to float downstream. The freight of this section was brought into the river mouth by vessels entering Charlotte Harbor, and much business was transacted; in fact nearly all of the freight of the territory moved by the water route. Vessels traded regularly between Hickory Bluff and Cedar Keys and Knights Pier and Cuba. The incoming supplies and outgoing produce of the river district were shipped by the Cedar Keys route and 2,500 head of cattle were shipped yearly to Cuba. But although an attempt was made to improve the upper reaches of the river it was not a success above Fort Ogden, 18 miles above the mouth, and navigation was practically confined to the river below Fort Ogden. In the latter half of the decade between 1880 and 1890 the Florida Southern Railroad (now the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) built to Punta Gorda. The railroad paralleled the river and was not more than 3 miles distant at any point, thus relieving the necessity of further improvement of the upper river, but the rail terminal at Punta Gorda caused a temporary boom in shipments over the mouth of the river and Charlotte Harbor to southern points.

Phosphate shipments from Peace River territory became quite extensive in 1890, amounting to 13,480 tons and increasing to 91,155 tons in 1905. By far the greater portion of this was shipped over the lower river in barges. The phosphate industry became so extensive that the lower river was practically given over to the phosphate companies, or rather taken over by the companies. These companies dredged basins and slips to reach their land, made cut-offs in the river, threw up dams to create pools for dredging by flooding the lands, all resulting in changing the courses of the channel, creating many bad shoals and leaving the river in very bad condition.

Very soon after 1907 the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad began operations at the South Boca Grande terminals and with the shipment of phosphate by rail to these modern terminals the water shipments over Peace Creek ceased in this commodity, and the extension of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to Fort Myers in 1904 caused the abandonment of the shipping by water between Punta Gorda and southern ports in general commodities.

I was unable to get any idea of the commerce that might be shipped if water transportation were a possibility. It was stated that phosphate would be shipped, but I was assured by competent authority that the phosphate people have agreements with the railroad and would not use the river again. It was stated that oranges and vegetables would be shipped, but I was also assured by competent authority that these articles will go by rail because shipping down river is shipping away from the markets. One prominent citizen of Arcadia who himself is advocating a deep-water channel told me that no freight would be shipped by water, the object being to reduce freight rates. It was suggested that the improvement would open up sugar lands and that a refinery could be located at Punta Gorda and the sugar shipped down by boat, but there were no prospects of any investments in this business. In 1855 the President declared a naval reservation along certain parts of the river for the preservation of the many hardwoods, maple, oak, etc., found there. This reservation has since been given up by the Government and it is stated that much wood, valuable for shipbuilding, could be secured, but I could get no idea of the amount or acreage. It is reasonably certain that the river channel would not be used to any extent if it were improved. The railroad is so close and the towns so thick that a farmer has a very short haul to depot.

8. To improve the river to the extent of providing a 12-foot channel 120 to 200 feet wide from Charlotte Harbor to Punta Gorda, a 3-foot channel 60 feet wide from Punta Gorda to Arcadia, and removal of overhanging trees and obstructions from Arcadia to Fort Meade, some maintenance dredging would be required in the channel from Charlotte Harbor to Punta Gorda, and dredging would be required between Punta Gorda and Arcadia for about 5 miles, in depth 1 foot to 3 feet, and several hundred trees and obstructions would have to be removed from Arcadia to Fort Meade.

9. One communication has been received relative to the improvement of Peace River, that of W. D. Turnley, secretary of the Peace River Improvement Association, which is forwarded herewith.

10. There are no terminals on the river and no facilities of any importance except the railroad and private piers at Punta Gorda.

11. The water surface in the upper portion of the river is about 100 feet above the mean low water at its mouth, and the development of some water power for a part of the year would be possible. There has been no interest manifested in the development of the water power, and it is hardly probable that any such development could be expected.

12. The improvement of the river in its upper portion to permit the more rapid discharge of flood waters would prevent the flooding of lands near the river. It might be possible to coordinate this work with the improvement for navigation purposes by the construction of locks and dams and by dredging. It is thought, however, that the navigation interests in this matter would be subordinate to the reclamation interests and that the expense of providing navigation would be out of proportion to value of navigation secured.

13. There is forwarded herewith map of Peace River, Fla.

14. After due consideration of the demand for the improvement of the river, the small amount of navigation that may be reasonably anticipated, and having in mind the cost of securing the navigation desired, this office is of the opinion that Peace River is not worthy of improvement at the present time.

[First indorsement.]

J. M. BRAXTON,

District Engineer.

OFFICE DIVISION ENGINEER, SOUTHEAST DIVISION,

Savannah, Ga., February 14, 1919.

To the CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY:

1. Forwarded, concurring in the opinion expressed by the district engineer, that Peace River, Fla., is not worthy of improvement by the United States at the present time.

THOS. H. REES,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers,
Division Engineer.

[For report of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, see p. 2.]

LETTER OF MR. W. D. TURNLEY.

FORT MEADE, FLA., January 7, 1919. DEAR SIR: Replying to your letter of January 4 (preliminary examination, 56), I send herewith such facts as we think important in the preliminary examination of Peace River, Fla.

There are many interesting and sentimental facts relative to "picturesque Peace River," so called because here at Fort Meade on its banks was signed the treaty of peace which ended the bloody Seminole war. This stream was agreed upon as the dividing line between the territory of the Indians and the white people.

But the purpose of this communication is to acquaint you with the commercial importance of the territory drained by this historic stream. It ought to be officially declared navigable, because it really is a part of the way, and once was much farther upstream than it now is, owing to obstructions, both natural and artificial. These obstructions can only be removed by governmental authority. Hence, these letters to the United States Engineer office.

Steamboats could formerly be operated as far upstream as the bridge here at Fort Meade. Now so many obstructions have been placed in the current that steam craft can ascend no farther than Arcadia. It is possible to make Bartow the head of navi.