1st Session.

No. 223.

PEARL RIVER, FROM BOGALUSA, LA., TO COLUMBIA, MISS.

LETTER

FROM

THE ACTING SECRETARY OF WAR,

TRANSMITTING,

WITH A LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, REPORT ON EXAMINATION OF PEARL RIVER FROM BOGALUSA, LA., TO COLUMBIA, MISS.

SEPTEMBER 5, 1913.-Referred to the Committee on Rivers and Harbors and ordered to be printed, with illustration.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, September 3, 1913.

The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a letter from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, dated September 3, instant, together with copy of a report, with map, from Lieut. Col. C. A. F. Flagler, Corps of Engineers, dated May 12, 1913, on a preliminary examination of Pearl River from Bogalusa, La., to Columbia, Miss., made by him in compliance with the provisions of the river and harbor act approved July 25, 1912.

Very respectfully,

HENRY BRECKINRIDGE,
Acting Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington, September 3, 1913.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,

From: The Chief of Engineers, United States Army.
To: The Secretary of War.

Subject: Preliminary examination of Pearl River, La. and Miss.

1. There is submitted herewith, for transmission to Congress, report dated May 12, 1913, with map, by Lieut. Col. C. A. F. Flagler, Corps of Engineers, on preliminary examination of Pearl River from Boga

lusa, La., to Columbia, Miss., called for by the river and harbor act approved July 25, 1912.

2. The existing project for improvement of Pearl River provides for securing a channel 2 feet deep at mean low water from Rockport to the mouth, a distance of 243.8 miles, by removal of snags and sunken trees from the river and overhanging trees from the banks. Bogalusa and Columbia are, respectively, 84.3 and 155.2 miles above the mouth. There is now a navigable channel having a depth at ordinary low water of about 3 feet to within 10 miles of Columbia and of 1 feet to the latter point. The district officer states that the improvement desired is one contemplating a mean low-water depth of 3 to 4 feet from Columbia to the mouth. As any improvement to be of value must provide a water outlet to the Gulf, he recommends that a survey be made of the river from Columbia to Bogalusa, and from the latter place to tidewater. For reasons fully explained, the division engineer is unable to regard the section of the stream between Bogalusa and Columbia as worthy of any improvement at this time beyond that already authorized.

3. This report has been referred, as required by law, to the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, and attention is invited to its accompanying report of August 13, 1913, concurring with the views expressed by the division engineer.

4. After due consideration of the above-mentioned reports, I concur in general with the views of the division engineer and the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, and therefore, in carrying out the instructions of Congress, I report that the improvement by the United States of Pearl River from Bogalusa, La., to Columbia, Miss., in the manner apparently desired by the interests concerned as described in the reports herewith, is not deemed advisable at the present time.

WM. T. ROSSELL, Chief of Engineers, United States Army.

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS.

[Third indorsement.]

BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS,
August 13, 1913.

To the CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY:

1. This is a report of preliminary examination of Pearl River from Bogalusa, La., to Columbia, Miss. This river is now under improvement from its mouth to Rockport, a distance of about 244 miles, by the removal of snags and sunken trees from the river bed and overhanging trees from the banks.

2. Bogalusa is 84 miles and Columbia is 155 miles above the mouth of the river, and therefore the 71-mile reach between these points is included within the limits of the existing project.

3. There is now a navigable channel at ordinary low water of about 3 feet for a distance of 145 miles, or to a point within 10 miles of Columbia. Over this 10 miles there is an available depth of 11 to 2 feet. The improvement desired and most needed, as stated by the district officer, is the removal of stumps, logs, snags, and fallen trees from the channel, the removal of bars where necessary, the closing of run-out bayous to confine the waters to a single channel, and the

maintenance of the stream by such snagging and other work as may become necessary from year to year.

4. The commerce of the river for the past eight years has ranged from about 22,000 to 75,000 tons, except for the year 1912, when it was considerably more, consisting almost entirely of logs and timber. 5. The district officer states that there appears to be little advantage in undertaking a local improvement from Columbia to Bogalusa, that any improvement to be of value must provide a water outlet to the Gulf ports, and believing that the river is worthy of continued improvement and perhaps of a modified project, he recommends a survey from Columbia to Bogalusa and from the latter place to tidewater. The division engineer does not believe that the information given justifies an improvement of this isolated section of the waterway beyond that involved in the existing project.

6. The board was not convinced by the data presented by the district officer of the advisability of the United States undertaking any additional improvement of the section of river between Bogalusa and Columbia, and interested parties were given an opportunity to present their views on the subject. One communication has been received, in which the writer states that any proposed improvement should start from navigable water.

7. The item of law directing this examination does not authorize a survey of the river below Bogalusa, as recommended by the district officer. It does not appear from the information available that there are any commercial, industrial, or navigation interests on the section of river between Bogalusa and Columbia that require better navigation facilities than does the reach below. The commerce is not confined to any particular part of the river, but is naturally connected with that of the Gulf ports, and no special benefit would result from additional improvement of the reach specified in the act, and therefore the board reports that in its opinion it is not advisable at this time for the United States to undertake any improvement of the Pearl River from Bogalusa to Columbia beyond that authorized by the existing project.

8. In compliance with law, the board reports that there are no questions of terminal facilities, waterpower, or other related subjects which could be coordinated with the suggested improvement in such manner as to render the work advisable in the interests of commerce and navigation.

For the board:

W. M. BLACK,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers,
Senior Member of the Board.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF PEARL RIVER, LA., AND MISS.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Mobile, Ala., May 12, 1913.

From: Lieut. Col. C. A. F. Flagler, Corps of Engineers.

To: The Chief of Engineers, United States Army

(Through the Division Engineer).

Subject: Preliminary examination of Pearl River, La. and Miss.

1. In accordance with instructions contained in letter from the Chief of Engineers, dated August 3, 1912, the following report is sub

mitted on the preliminary examination of Pearl River from Bogalusa, La., to Columbia, Miss., provided for in the river and harbor act of July 25, 1912.

2. The examination was conducted by Mr. N. A. Yuille, assistant engineer, quotation from whose report is made below.

3. Previous examinations.—An examination was made of Pearl River from Jackson, Miss., to the mouth at the Rigolets, La., in March, 1879, and report thereon is printed in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1879, page 879. This examination was made at a stage of 10 feet above low water. In 1906 a second examination was made of the river from Rockport, Miss., to its mouth. Report is contained in House Document No. 183, Fifty-ninth Congress, second session. In 1909 a third examination was made from Rockport to Jackson, Miss., report of which is contained in House Document No. 468, Sixty-first Congress, second session.

4. Projects. Based on the examination of 1879, a project was adopted in 1880 providing for a channel 5 feet deep from Jackson to the mouth, at an estimated cost of $95,940. It was found impracticable to obtain this depth, and the project was modified in 1885 to provide for a channel 2 feet deep at an estimated cost of $145,940. The examination of 1906 led to fixing the head of improvement at Rockport, as a fixed bridge at that point had been built under an act of Congress of April 21, 1900, and the estimate for completion was then placed at $100,000. The existing project provides for a channel 2 feet deep at mean low water from Rockport to the mouth.

5. Geographical features.-The source of Pearl River is in the north central part of the State of Mississippi. It flows in a southwesterly and then in a southerly direction for a distance of about 485 miles, emptying into the Rigolets, in eastern Louisiana. The section under improvement runs from Rockport, Miss., to the mouth, 243.8 miles. The lower part is divided into two principal streams, known as East Pearl River and West Pearl River. The former empties into Mississippi Sound near Dunbar, La., and the latter into the Rigolets, which connect Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain, and is the section included in the improvement.

6. The total area of the watershed of Pearl River is 7,500 square miles; that part of watershed above Columbia, Miss., is 5,650 square miles; between Columbia, Miss., and Bogalusa, La., is 900 square miles; and for that part of river below Bogalusa is 1,950 square miles.

7. Present conditions.-A minimum mean low-water channel, 3 feet deep and 50 feet wide, now exists from the mouth of the river up 145 miles; above this to Columbia, a farther distance of 10 miles, a maximum mean low-water draft of 1 feet can be carried; from Columbia up to Monticello, 56 miles, the river can be navigated by light-draft boats on a slight rise above mean low water. Above Monticello the river has never been available except on a rise of 7 feet or more. The river at Columbia rises to a height of 21 feet above mean low water. Work under the existing project is about 43 per cent completed.

8. Before and for a few years after the Civil War there was a very large amount of traffic on this river; a great quantity of cotton and other farm products were raised in the territory contiguous to the river, which were shipped on packet boats down river and across Lake Pontchartrain direct to New Orleans. Large quantities of pine and other timber and naval stores also moved over the river.

9. The sudden decline and almost complete cessation of this steamboat traffic was attributed (by Mr. H. C. Collins in his report published in Annual Report, 1879) to a great flood of the Pearl River in 1874, which destroyed a great many homes and nearly all the farming land on both sides of the river, causing the inhabitants to abandon the river and to move to the hill land or to other States. Mr. Collins mentioned in his report the great number of abandoned farms along the river he found at the time of his examination; in fact, there are still evidences of some of these farms, now grown into forests. While this explanation accounts for the sudden cessation of the river traffic, it does not account for its nonrevival, since such a flood has not been repeated during the 39 years that have since elapsed. While it may be true that this flood destroyed the good navigable river that formerly existed, by changing its bed in some places and filling the river with bars and other obstructions, still the river, in its present condition, permits the traffic of boats of 5-foot draft for about six months per year, and with snagging operations alone can be made to accommodate a 3-foot navigation the balance of the year to the head of the improvement at Rockport.

10. The building of railroads is, without doubt, the reason regular traffic has not been resumed on this river. Spasmodic efforts have been made during late years to rebuild the river traffic, but apparently without success. At present there are no regular packet or steamboats plying the improved river from the mouth to Rockport, Miss., though there are four gasoline passenger and freight boats that make regular trips from Jackson, Miss., upstream whenever the stage of river permits. The present traffic on this improvement is limited to the rafting of logs and timber and to towboats towing barges loaded with sand and gravel, railroad cross-ties, staves, and naval stores to the mouth of the river and from there to New Orleans, La., and Gulfport, Miss.

11. A few years ago the merchants of Columbia, Miss., bought a steamboat and put her in the trade of navigating this river, making regular trips between New Orleans, La., and Columbia, Miss. This boat developed a good business but was soon discontinued. A A representative of this office was informed by some of the merchants in Columbia that the competing railroad or railroads agreed to reduce their freight tariffs provided the merchants discontinued the river traffic. As the river was only navigable for about six or seven months a year, and as the reductions of the freight tariffs amounted to a saving of about $25,000 a year to the merchants of Columbia, they withdrew from the river traffic. Since this time the merchants and farmers have again become dissatisfied with the facilities furnished by the railroads and there is a movement to revive the traffic on the river again.

12. Nature of improvement desired. The improvement desired and most needed for this part of Pearl River is the removal of stumps, logs, snags, and trees from the channel; the removal of bars where necessary; the closing of run-out bayous, to confine the water of the river to a single channel; and the maintenance of the stream by such snagging work and repairs to dams closing run-outs as may become necessary from year to year. It is believed that a channel 3 to 4 feet deep at mean low-water stage of river can be obtained in this manner from the mouth of the river to Columbia, Miss.