6. Tennessee River.-The Tennessee River is formed by the confluence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers near Knoxville, Tenn., and empties into the Ohio River at Paducah, Ky. The length of the main stream is 652 miles and the total area of its drainage basin is 40,600 square miles. A project providing a navigable depth of 9 feet from Knoxville to the mouth has been authorized by Congress. The existing locks and dams, those under construction or authorized, and those proposed are listed in the following table: 1 Normal lifts figured assuming flat normal pool for next downstream reservoir. 2 Not yet determined. Under construction. Will be submerged on completion of Gun- Dam. Do. 7. It is anticipated that 9-foot navigation will be available throughout the entire length of the river from its mouth to Knoxville in 1944. The terminal facilities at present are, in general, not adequate for modern river transportation. It is anticipated, however, that modern facilities will be constructed at suitable points along the river when required. 8. Yellow Creek.-Yellow Creek empties into the Tennessee River at mile 215, about 8 miles above Pickwick Dam. It is about 30 miles long and has a drainage area of approximately 196 square miles. For about 12 miles the creek has been widened and straightened by county authorities and utilized as a drainage canal for a local drainage district. Backwater from Pickwick Dam extends about 11 miles above the mouth of the creek. 9. Mackeys Creek.-Mackeys Creek is one of the principal headwater streams of the East Fork of the Tombigbee River. Its length is about 32 miles, its fall 230 feet, and its drainage basin has an area of 154 square miles. About 12 miles downstream from the divide the creek flows through a gorge where the flood plain is only 200 feet wide. This gorge is known as the Narrows and is about 40 to 50 feet deep. Throughout its course the creek has fairly high banks and its width varies from 35 to 60 feet. 10. Tombigbee River. The Tombigbee River is formed by the confluence of the East and West Forks in northeastern Mississippi, near Amory, Miss., and flows southeastwardly through eastern Mississippi and western Alabama to its confluence with the Alabama River to form the Mobile River 45 miles above Mobile, Ala. The Warrior River, its principal tributary, flows into the Tombigbee River just above Demopolis, Ala., 231 miles above Mobile. The Tombigbee River system drains an area of 19,500 square miles, including the Warrior Basin. Except for snagging, the Tombigbee River above Demopolis has not been improved and is little used for navigation at the present time. 11. Warrior River.-The Warrior River is formed by the confluence of the Locust and Mulberry Forks about 20 miles west of Birmingham, Ala., and flows southwestwardly 178 miles, entering the Tombigbee River just above Demopolis. The area of its drainage basin is 6,280 square miles. The Warrior River and the Tombigbee River below the mouth of the Warrior River have been improved by 17 locks and dams substantially 52 by 282 feet to provide a waterway 8 feet deep extending from Mobile 430 miles to the vicinity of Birmingham. Improvements are now in progress which will increase the depth to 9 feet, and replace 3 of the existing locks with 1 lock 95 by 460 feet. 12. The principal transfer facilities on the Tombigbee-Warrior system are located at Tuscaloosa and Holt on the Warrior River, Birmingport on the Locust Fork, and Lynn Park on the Mulberry Fork. A railroad connects Birmingport with Birmingham. Coal may be loaded into barges at three points on the waterway. TRIBUTARY AREA 13. The region immediately adjoining the Tennessee, Tombigbee, and Mobile Rivers, extending roughly 50 miles distant from the banks of each of the streams, is considered to be the area which would be directly affected by the proposed waterway. This tributary area contains portions of five States-Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, and Kentucky-with an area of 57,439 square miles and a population in 1930 of 2,687,320. Over 50 percent of the gainful workers in the territory in 1930 were engaged in agriculture. Cotton is the principal crop, but many other crops are raised in abundance. Forests comprise a large part of the area. The annual production of lumber in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee reached a peak of 5,492,000,000 board feet in 1929. In 1936 the production was 2,834,000,000 board feet. The more important mineral deposits are located in the valley of the Tennessee River. These deposits include coal, iron ore, limestone, phosphate rock, marble and other building stone, copper ore, zinc ore, ceramic clays, asphaltic limestone, bauxite, barite, slates, sand and gravel. Within or near the basin of the Tombigbee River the mineral resources include sand and gravel, limestone, asphalt rock, fuller's earth, bentonite, bauxite, iron ore (brown), and clay. The principal industries in the Tennessee Valley at present are mining, the manufacture of textiles, copper, zinc, aluminum, fertilizer materials, cement, lime, lumber (hardwoods), iron and steel articles, clay products, and the production of marble and building stone. In the Tombigbee Valley the principal industry is the manufacture of lumber. Other important industries in this area include the manufacture of textiles, dairy products, brick, and the production of sand and gravel. The port of Mobile, with adequate harbor facilities and channels 32 feet deep, is located at the mouth of the Tombigbee-Mobile River system where a connection is made with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which at present extends from Carrabelle, Fla., on the east, to Galveston, Tex., on the west. 14. The indirect influence of the proposed improvement would extend to sections of the country remote from the proposed connecting waterways, including the Ohio, upper Mississippi, and Illinois River systems. However the slack-water return route which would be provided by the proposed waterway for traffic up-bound from New Orleans to Ohio and upper Mississippi River points would affect traffic on the Mississippi River below Cairo. The distance via the proposed waterway from New Orleans to Paducah, Ky., would be 35 miles shorter than via the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The following table shows the relative reductions in water distances to and from tidewater on the Gulf of Mexico based on a comparison of the distances via the Mississippi River to New Orleans with that via the proposed waterway to Mobile: TABLE 2.-Savings in waterway mileages to the Gulf Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile: From upper Tennessee River. From Ohio River above Paducah_. From Mississippi River above Cairo. - BRIDGES Miles 630 200 108 15. There are 16 major bridges which would be affected by the proposed waterway. Only 4 of these bridges would provide satisfactory openings. To provide the minimum clearances adopted by the Board of 170 to 200 feet horizontal and vertical clearances of 52 feet above normal pool, or 40 feet above high water, it would be necessary to reconstruct 3 highway bridges and 5 railroad bridges, and abandon 4 highway bridges. In addition, 9 new highway bridges and 2 new railroad bridges would have to be constructed to provide necessary crossings. PRIOR REPORTS 16. The first survey of a route to connect the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers was completed in 1875. Later investigations were made in 1913, 1923, 1932, and 1935. All reports, except the review report of 1935 which recommended this survey, were unfavorable to the construction of the waterway. EXISTING PROJECTS 17. Tennessee River. The existing project on the Tennessee River, authorized by the River and Harbor Act approved July 3, 1930, provides for a canalized waterway 9 feet deep from Knoxville, Tenn., to the mouth, a distance of 647.7 miles. At the present time, the navigation project is 26 percent complete, based on the proportional part of the river having 9-foot navigable depth. It is estimated that the navigation project will be completed in 1944. 18. Tombigbee River. The existing project on the Tombigbee River from Demopolis, Ala., to Columbus, Miss., a distance of 146 river miles, provides for securing a channel 6 feet deep at low water by snagging, tree cutting, bank revetment, and bar improvement. From Columbus to the mouth of Mackeys Creek the project provides for securing a high-water channel by the removal of obstructions. The channel at present is maintained for a distance of only 15 miles above Demopolis. 19. Tombigbee-Warrior system.-The existing project on the Tombigbee-Warrior system, which extends from Mobile to the Birmingham coal and iron district, provides for a channel 9 feet deep and 200 feet wide, where practicable, to be obtained by the construction of locks and dams, snagging and dredging where necessary. On June 30, 1938, the project was 91.5 percent completed. At present the controlling depth at low water is 8 feet. It is expected that 9 feet will be available throughout the waterway in November 1939. IMPROVEMENT DESIRED 20. The improvement desired is a navigable waterway of dimensions which would permit modern barge-line operation between the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers. Some of the local interests advocated a wide cut through the divide to provide for a combined navigation canal and a floodway which could be used to divert flood waters of the Tennessee River into the Tombigbee Valley for flood relief on the Mississippi River and the development of power. EXISTING COMMERCE 21. Tennessee River.—The annual commerce on the Tennessee River averaged about 1,655,500 tons for the past 10 years. In 1937 a total of 1,377,000 tons was handled on the river, of which about 24 percent was Government materials for the construction of locks and dams. The principal items of commerce in 1937 were sand and gravel, forest products, cement, iron and steel, and machinery. 22. Tombigbee River. The commerce on the Tombigbee River above Demopolis has averaged 6,500 tons during the past 10 years. In 1937 the total traffic amounted to 4,060 tons and consisted entirely of logs barged and rafted downstream to sawmills in the vicinity of Demopolis. 23. Tombigbee Warrior system. The tonnage on the TombigbeeWarrior River system averaged 1,451,000 tons per year for the last 10 years. In 1937 the total tonnage handled amounted to 1,825,568 tons. The principal items of commerce moved down stream in 1937 were as follows: Forest products, iron and steel products, limestone and shale, coal, sand and gravel, slag and stone. The principal items of commerce moved up stream were sand and gravel, petroleum products, vegetable food products, raw ore, fertilizer material, sulphur, and paper. PROSPECTIVE COMMERCE 24. Traffic survey.-All estimates of prospective commerce were based on questionnaires signed by 1,076 actual shippers and receivers of freight obtained during a field canvas made during July and August 1, 1937. As a basis for the estimates of commerce, the following assumptions were made: (a) That a minimum navigable depth of 9 feet would be available on the proposed waterway and on the Tennessee River from its mouth to Knoxville upon the completion of the proposed waterway. (b) That adequate terminals would be provided at all important shipping and interchange points. (c) That joint rail-water rates would be established in accordance with I. C. C. differential formula contained in Ex Parte 96. (d) That adequate common carrier and contract carrier barge service would be established. After the replies to the questionnaires had been analyzed and checked, only those items on which a reasonable saving to shippers and a compensatory return to the barge line could be shown were credited as prospective movements. The tonnage credited to the waterway as prospective commerce amounted to 1,478,500 tons and averaged 82 percent of the total adaptable potential commerce remaining after all eliminations had been made. 25. Method of estimating savings. The estimates of savings were based on a comparison of the probable transportation charges by water with the lowest transportation charges actually paid by or available to the public at the present time. Freight rate increases in 1938 were taken into consideration. Rail-water rates constructed in accordance with the Interstate Commerce Commission's formulas were assumed to exist on the Tennessee River, therefore, the savings accruing to the public by reason of the completion of the Tennessee River navigation project were not taken into account as savings for the proposed waterway. 26. Principal commodities.-Arranged in order of volume, the six leading commodities up-bound and down-bound are shown in the following table. These commodities comprise 84.8 percent of the up-bound, 91.1 percent of the down-bound, and 87.4 percent of the total 1,478,500 tons of prospective commerce developed in the traffic survey, exclusive of the 25 percent arbitrarily added to take into account tonnage not covered in the traffic survey and the undeveloped traffic which would result from new activities following construction of the waterway. TABLE 3.-Principal commodities in order of volume, Tombigbee route 27. Prospective commerce and savings by 1950.-An analysis of the various factors which would influence commerce in the tributary area indicated that by 1950 (the year it is estimated that the proposed waterway would be completed), the activity in the territory will be |