Assumptions of a course must not enter into a project of this kind. A person, who has practical knowledge of other streams, who actually navigates a boat and knows the fundamental principle of the stream is just like a doctor or any other professional man. Would any of your honorable body, if critically ill and an operation were necessary, call in a butcher? Not by any means! The finest surgeon available for that purpose would be selected. The same principle applies to this project. Practical river pilots and operators, should be consulted to help make up the cost of transportation, as far as navigation on these streams is concerned. Boat builders and marine designers for consultants on a project of this nature for navigating river speeds as stated in this report, such as two boats passing one another in bends and tangents at 3 miles per hour, most certainly proves conclusively that these consultants never had experience in navigating.

Two tows passing on a tangent with a 150-foot channel must clear the banks by 12 feet each, leaving 126 feet of channel for passing. The two tows, 52 feet wide, would only leave 22 feet between passing tows. At 3 miles per hour, the suction would be so great, the pilots would have a difficult time keeping the tows from side-slipping together with a wreck. Therefore, speeds must be reduced to 12 miles per hour, or less, in passing.

Pilot Rule 3: "When two steamers are about to enter a narrow channel at the same time, the ascending steamer shall be stopped below such channel until the descending steamer shall have passed through it; but should two steamers unavoidably meet in such channel, then it shall be the duty of the pilot of the ascending steamer to make the proper signals, and when answered, the ascending steamer shall lie as close as possible to the side of the channel the exchange of signals may have determined, as provided by rule 1, and either stop the engines or move them so as only to give the boat steerageway, and the pilot of the descending steamer shall cause his steamer to be worked slowly until he has passed the ascending steamer."

Inasmuch as river-transportation companies with different yearly tonnages, undoubtedly will choose boats of different power and speed, passing will become a hazard in 150-foot channels, on tangents, and 220 feet, approximate channels on bends. Rule No. 8 is incorporated below, outlining a great cause for time loss in these instances.

Pilot rule 8: "When a steamer is overtaking another steamer, and the overtaking steamer shall desire to pass on the right or starboard side of the steamer ahead, the overtaking steamer shall give one short blast of the whistle, and if the steamer ahead answers with one blast, the overtaking steamer may pass on the starboard side of the steamer ahead; or if the overtaking steamer shall desire to pass on the left or port side of the steamer ahead, she shall give two short blasts of the whistle, and if the steamer ahead answers with two blasts the overtaking steamer may pass on the port side of the steamer ahead; or if the steamer ahead does not think it safe for the overtaking steamer to attempt to pass at that point, she shall immediately signify the same by giving not less than four short and rapid blasts of the whistle, and under no circumstances shall the overtaking steamer attempt to pass the steamer ahead until such time as they have reached a point where it can be safely done, when the steamer ahead shall signify her willingness by blowing one blast of the whistle for the overtaking steamer to pass on the starboard side of the steamer ahead, or two blasts of the whistle, for the overtaking steamer to pass on the port side of the steamer ahead. Every steamer overtaking another shall keep out of the way of the overtaken steamer. Every steamer coming up with another steamer from any direction more than two points abaft her beam shall be deemed to be an overtaking steamer, and no subsequent alteration of the bearing between the two steamers shall make the overtaking steamer a crossing steamer within the meaning of these rules, or relieve her of the duty of keeping clear of the overtaken steamer until she is finally passed and clear, If the overtaking steamer is in doubt as to whether she is forward of or abaft this direction, she shall assume that she is an overtaking steamer and keep out of the way. The steamer ahead shall in no case attempt to cross the bow or crowd upon the course of the overtaking steamer."

Approximately 10 curves of short radius have rocks in the bends. In maneuvering tows around bends of this nature, pilots would feel their way around approximately 1 hour to the bend. This is, of course, delaying the up-bound boat and due to the fact that other boats are only 2 to 3 miles apart, there would be delay for the third, and successive boats.

These procedures would result in comparative degree throughout this stream. So many accidents would occur that insurance companies would hardly even

attempt to risk any insurance. If so, the rates, would be prohibitive; adding additional per-ton-mile cost. The marine insurance companies should also have been called in on this project to estimate rates that might be compiled, if any. Several marine agents interviewed did not want any part of these streams. Now, about to enter the Big Sandy River with the operations of some 30 to 35 boats in the Tug Fork stream, busy as bees in a comb, crawling over one another trying to pass, there in a little wider stream, but very congested because there will be some 50 to 60 boats out of the Levisa Fork. So it would seem that 7 boats with 4 barges each per day out of Tug Fork, 10 boats with 4 barges each per day out of the Levisa Fork, total of 17 boats down-bound, 17 up-bound, lock No. 2 will be rather busy locking 34 boats per day and 1 hour for each boat, because of congestion. So the days must be made longer by 10 hours or else two locks must be provided.

If the United States engineers' report is read rightly, in certain parts of the year water must be pumped back in order to keep the 9-foot channel. Or must tows bring back water from the Ohio River in empty barges, pumping them out as they proceed up the streams to furnish sufficient water to continue navigation. To whom shall the charge per ton-mile cost of transporting the water be made? Presumably, it would be the Government, under maintenance. Bottlenecks, due to extreme heavy traffic, will occur at lock No. 2, Big Sandy, and lock No. 4, Levisa, locks No. 7 and 8, Tug Fork; in fact, every lock on all three streams because of fog, wind, rain, storms, ice, navigating after dark, channel restrictions, and hundreds of sharp bends.

In regard to the Levisa Fork, although the radii on curves are longer than on the Tug Fork, so are the bend lengths. This, according to survey, doubles the time the up-stream tow has to wait for the down-stream boat to clear. Many of the actual tangents are so short that they have the effect of light-degree curves which are of sufficient degree to prohibit boats passing under power.

Results of measured curves and tangents prove that travel time on the Levisa Fork will coincide with that on the Tug Fork, except that greater tonnage will cause greater congestion, and fog seems to lay longer, according to records, in certain places; also, more numerous are the sand bars formed, in the Levisa Fork, and a greater amount of driftwood is evident in the stream, and in accumulation along the banks. Therefore, the greater the sand and drift, the greater the dredging, and damage to propeller blades and shafts.

With 50 to 60 boats of 4 barge tows to boat, 9,000,000 tons of coal out of Levisa Stream, bottlenecks will occur on this stream at locks No. 3, 4, 5, and 6, due to so many boats with the above-outlined delays causing them to pile up at the locks.

Now, just a reminder: The Kanawha River has only one extreme bend that has a radius of 1,800 feet at Pratt, W. Va. (see navigation charts, Kanawha River) with a channel width of 400 feet or more. Two boats with six barges will not pass in this bend, known as Dago Bend. The same applies to the Monongahela River, with one large bend below California, Pa., of 1,350 feet radius. No boats pass each other in any direction. The river is 500 feet or more in width.

The delays at these bends to upstream boats have been one-half hour to 1 hour and vice versa, depending upon conditions. Visualize the difference between real rivers that have a very economical towing condition. To try and make speeds and maneuvers on such small streams comparable will not work. The speeds on both the Monongahela and Kanawha Rivers are based on a per-year average of only 3 miles per hour, which includes all delays.

The Monongahela, the busiest river in the world for its size, requires 40 boats and 800 barges to bring out 21,000,000 tons per year with 6 barge tows, the distance being only 68 miles, and one company which brings out approximately 12,000,000 of this tonnage and only travels 56 miles; the average speed on this river per year including all delays, is 3 miles per hour. This river is 3 to 4 times wider than the streams of the Big Sandy.

Sixty-eight million dollars is the initial expenditure in the proposed canalization of the Big Sandy Valley.

This $68,000,000 could be so much more judiciously spent in improvements to navigation in the Ohio River, whose tonnage has almost doubled since the installation of the locks and dams. Huge quantities of war supplies, as well as oceangoing fighting vessels were transported down the Ohio; during World War II, oil was carried up this river to refineries which produced the 100-octane gasoline so vital to the Air Force. The Ohio, vital artery of commerce, life line in time of war, is more worthy to receive this aid than a stream whose studies of naviga

tion can produce so vast an amount of data in proof of its nonfeasibility of economical transportation.

In conclusion:

(A) The river alinement does not lend itself to navigation.

(B) Channel width, even at 12-foot stage, would not be sufficient for safe transportation.

(C) Excessive amount of boats with only four barges, causing too much congestion.

(D) Impracticability of any company or companies investing $24,000,000 for river transportation in competition with railroads.

(E) Inadequate harbor sites.

(F) Excessive maintenance cost due to silt, sand, and slides.

(G) Excessive current velocity due to mountain run-off.

(H) Limited season for navigation (10 months).

(I) Limited mining days not coordinated with navigation season.

(J) Railroads carrying coal 2 months of the year to off-set the saving, if any, on the river rate.

(K) The necessity of pumping water back to provide adequate channel depth. (L) Excessive river equipment to handle on these small streams 15,000,000 tons.

PHIL C. ELSEY,

Captain and Pilot, United States Coast Guard License No. 129471, Issue
No. 7, 8, January 24, 1944.

DETAIL 1.-Data pertinent to movement of 15,000,000 tons from ports on Levisa and Tug Forks-Big Sandy River with subsequent river

transportation rates [Recapitulation]

DETAIL A.-Estimated cost and annual charges for 1 Diesel towboat and 6 barges

Capital investment:

(a) 1 steel hull, twin-screw, 550 horsepower towboat, 27 x 100
feet at $400 per horsepower (approximately 25 percent
over prewar prices).

(b) 6 steel, all welded, standard coal barges, 26 x 175 x 11 feet
at $15,000 each (approximately 25 percent over prewar
prices) -

Total capital investment_-_

Fixed annual charges and operating expenses:

(a) Interest on total capital investment, 6 percent on
$310,000

(b) Sinking fund to amortize cost of towboat and barges in
20 years at 32 percent compound interest (0.03536 x
$310,000) -

$110,000___.

(c) Towboat insurance (fire, accident, etc.):
2.5 percent of average 20-year value
Protection and indemnity insurance, 1 percent of value
of tow--

Hull coverage; 6 barges at 50 cents per day-365 days,
per barge____

Crew coverage; 2.5 percent of annual pay roll
$42,241.68.

=

Cargo insurance; 1 percent of value of 4-barge coal
cargo (0.01 x 3580 tons, $3.10).

(d) Taxes: 2 percent of capital investment_

(e) Pay roll: 24 hours, 14-man crew, 10 months: 10 months at

$3,765, $37,656; 2 months at $2,292, $4,585.68_ Subsistence: 14 men at $1.25 per day, 297 days__. (f) Fuel: 0.0625 gallon oil per horsepower at 5 cents per gallon for actual running time (15 hours' service) (g) Lubrication (15 hours) 15 gallons per day by 297 at 40 cents per gallon__-.

(h) Supplies: Waste, rope, paint, miscellaneous, $20 per day-(i) Repairs: Towboat, 3.18 percent of first cost; barges, 2 percent of first cost__

(j) Overhead: Management, accounts, correspondence, office rent, etc.-prorated for 1 unit.

(k) Net annual expense_.

(1) Interest for 3 months, account collection period, at 6 per-
cent per year, 1.5 percent on net expense_
(m) Carrier's profit, at 5 percent of capital investment___

Total

$220,000.00

90,000.00 310,000.00

18, 600.00

10, 961. 60

2, 750.00

1, 510. 00

1,095. 00

1, 056. 04

110.98

6, 200.00

42, 241. 68 5, 197.50 7,656.66

1, 782.00 6, 000. 00

8,800.00

1, 500.00

115, 461. 46

1, 772. 71 15, 500.00

132, 734. 17

In computing the total expenses for the operations of 80 boats and 480 barges necessary for the movement of 15,000,000 tons, a unit consisting of 1 boat and 6 barges is used for a base in this detail.