3^ 



CONSERVATION 



"Under the head of 'Navigable Streams,' 

 I will say, it is probable the possible water 

 powers on unnavigable streams will be about 

 ten per cent of that on navigable streams." 



This question was asked : 



"To what extent can coal be saved by the 

 substitution of water power?" 



And to this question I responded as fol- 

 lows: 



"Ten and one-third tons per horse power 

 per annum. The estimated water power 

 available for Alabama, as shown above, is 

 as follows : 



"With unconserved streams, 436,000 H. P. 



"With practical conserved streams, 1,084,- 

 000 H. P. 



"This means that it would require 4,505,000 

 tons of coal per annum to produce by steam 

 the power of these streams in their uncon- 

 served state, and 11,201,000 tons of coal per 

 annum to produce by steam the power of 

 these streams in their practical conserved 

 state." 



If Alabama produced to-day 14,000,000 

 tons of coal, it would take 11,000,000 tons 

 of that coal to produce the power of these 

 streams that is now going to waste. Sup- 

 pose for a moment that the coal fields of 

 Alabama were sliding down and going over 

 a precipice into space at the rate of 11,000,- 

 000 tons per annum ; how long would it 

 take the people of this country to rise up and 

 demand that that waste be stopped in some 

 manner? What is being done is to let 

 our water go over the precipice, while we 

 burn up our coal. It offers, if you please, 

 a very great study and a very great op- 

 portunity for conservation. We hear our 

 coal experts say they are looking forward 

 to the time when our coal supply shall be 

 exhausted, and yet in Alabama the power 

 that is going to waste to-day is equivalent 

 to 11,000,000 tons of coal per annum. That 

 proportion would probably apply to every 

 State in the Union. Many of our States 

 will not be able to produce the power by 

 water that Alabama produces, while others 

 will produce a great deal more. 



That is the power side of the question. 

 In speaking of the advantages of the dual 

 system of navigation and power, I have 

 explained only the power. What can come 

 to navigation in conjunction with this mat- 

 ter? We have a condition in Alabama on 

 our streams, in the Alabama River especially, 

 which has been a great stumbling block in 

 the improvement of our streams, from the 

 fact that they flow through an alluvial soil, 

 and, with reference to the Alabama River 

 especially, are subject to change in formation 

 of sand bars. The able engineers of the 

 United States have reported plans for its 

 improvement, but they have never been san- 

 guine about the success of these plans, in 



consequence of the alluvial soil and the 

 formation of sand bars. 



As a result, a study has been made of the 

 question of impounding or storing the head- 

 waters of the Alabama River, with the idea 

 that during low water periods, those stor- 

 ages can be drawn on in aid of this navi- 

 gation, and at the same time the water 

 work its way through, turning the wheels 

 of commerce in the production of manufac- 

 tured goods. We find that our low-water 

 periods extend over about sixty to ninety 

 days on the Coosa and Alabama Rivers, 

 and that only about once in ten years. We 

 find that about 35,000,000,000 cubic feet of 

 water stored in the region of the headwaters, 

 will furnish a sufficient quantity, with inter- 

 vening showers, to guarantee a discharge 

 from that storage of about 4,000 cubic feet 

 per second, thus carrying us over the sixty 

 or ninety days of any low-water period that 

 has ever yet occurred. The stream in its 

 natural flow carries about 2,000 feet 

 per second. With the addition of 4,000 

 cubic feet per second, as I say, 

 which will only be necessary for sixty or 

 ninety days, probably in every ten years, the 

 stream then will carry a discharge of 6,000 

 cubic feet per second. With 6,000 cubic feet 

 per second flowing down the Coosa River 

 over the rapids, it will produce this addition- 

 al horse-power which I have just read from. 

 the report, by passing through the numer- 

 ous turbines which could be placed along 

 the stream. We find thus that it will furn- 

 ish on all parts of the Alabama eight and 

 one-half feet of navigation at all periods of 

 the year, except at one point, and that is 

 at the Canton bar, and at that particular 

 point it will furnish seven and one-half feet 

 of navigation. While the river is within 

 itself, we can hardly devise a scheme that 

 will guarantee over four feet of naviga- 

 tion; while with this storage or impound- 

 ing system, we have the promise, as I say. 

 of seven and one-half to eight and one-half 

 feet of navigation, which will solve the 

 problem of the Alabama River more effec- 

 tually than it is possible to solve it in any 

 other way. Those conditions as they apply 

 to Alabama would apply everywhere. 



We find our studies along those lines 

 hardly begun. The possibilities of the ad- 

 vantages that can be conserved by our wat- 

 erways probably will apply to everything 

 else — to our coal mines, ore mines, lands 

 and forests. While the duty has been rather 

 arduous, it has been very interesting. We 

 have had no money at our command to 

 enable us to obtain these results and this 

 information, so we have had to go after 

 it ourselves. We have done the best we 

 could, and hope you may find it will be of 

 some service and benefit. 



