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were modified to provide for a chan- nel of nine-foot depth. For carrying out this work a sum not exceeding $15,000,000 was authorized and the recommendation was made that all permanent structures on the upper Mississippi to be built under existing projects be carried out with a view of being adapted without reconstruc- tion or relocation to plans for an ul- timate nine-foot depth. On March 12, 1931, approximately $6,860,000 was alloted by the secre- tary of war of work on this river. Commerce on the Mississippi river during recent years has been develop- ing with. rapid strides. Among the most important commodities moving by boat over this waterway are: Grain, coal and coke, iron and steel, petroleum products, bauxite, etc. To give some idea of the growth in commerce over the Mississippi, sta- tistics are given as follows for the section of river between. Cairo, Til., and Memphis, Tenn.: COMMERCIAL STATISTICS—BETWEEN CAIRO-MEMPHIS Year Short Tons Value Passengers VOD ae eisscaae 1,153,021 $87,404,116 109,987 105,818,559 68,092 95,261,086 106,393 126,507,317 113,639 136,714,907 55,077 150,050,769 17,721 Ohio River HE Ohio river is formed by con- SD sctinn of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Pittsburgh and empties into the Mississippi river at Cairo, Ill. The Ohio drains one of the world’s most highly developed in- dustrial sections and has a total nav- igable length of 981 miles, with a depth of nine feet. Width varies from about 890 feet at a point about 105 miles below Pittsburgh to about 5910 feet at a point 946 miles below Pitts- burgh. The cost of lock and dam construction when the Ohio river project was formally opened Oct. 19, 1929, was approximately $126,000,000. Cost of operation and maintenance of locks and dams has been estimated at $2,250,000 annually with cost of chan- nel maintenance $500,000. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1930, work was carried on at various locks and dams comprising a part of the system. Cost of this work during the year amounted to $2,683,084.83. In addi- tion to this, the sum of $1,590,607.95 was spent on open channel work, con- sisting mainly of dredging and $2,- 181,261.38 for operation and care of completed locks and dams. A sum of $2,328,000 was alloted March 12 by the secretary of war for maintenance work on the Ohio river. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS—OHIO RIVER Short Tons Value Passengers Year 1924 *10,866,682.91 $128,356,018.00 1,882,961 1925 *15,737,072.00 151,622,242.00 1,374,268 1926 *19,754,978.00 150,086,223.00 1,677,476 1927 *20,128,518.00 168,422,904.00 2,004,513 1928 *20,938,267.00 191,519,168.00 1,990,143 1929 *21,955,148.00 192,808,473.00 1,803,528 *Freight and passengers carried through locks and open river. Does not include ferry traffic across Yriver. 70 Improvement of the Ohio river has resulted in a marked increase in ton- nage during recent years. Savings in river transportation compared with rail charges during re- cent years have served to substantial- ly offset the actual investment in river improvement. It has been es- timated that the annual net saving on the Ohio river system amounts to approximately $15,000,000. Monongahela River HE Monongahela river is the most TE orate tributary of the Ohio river and each year millions of tons of steel products pass over its waters whence they enter the Ohio river, thence on to the Mississippi river and ultimately reach tidewater at the Gulf of Mexico. The Monongahela rises near Fairmount, W. Va., and joins the Allegheny river at Pittsburgh to form the Ohio. Various improvements have been made and the existing project pro- vides for further improvement by con- struction of 14 locks and dams to af- ford slack’ water navigation from Pittsburgh to four miles above Fair- mount, W. Va. Cost of work during year ending June 30, 1930 was $126,- 680.83. Cost of maintenance of com- pleted locks and dams was $856,540.25. The secretary of war on March 12 al- lotted $375,000 for work on the Mon- ongahela river. Improvement has made water transportation thoroughly dependable and has established a heavy traffic of about 26,000,000 tons annually. The river is navigable throughout the year except for a few days annually on ac- count of high water and ice. Follow- ing is a comparison by years of the commerce: COMMERCIAL STATISTICS—MONONGA- HELA RIVER Year Short Tons Value Passengers 1924 21,878,815 $123,355,072 815,358 1925 23,716,121 121,322,310 1,818,625 1926 26,374,682 117,805,525 1,293,033 1927 25,873,029 135,760,330 1,165,117 1928 27,412,143 170,974,558 765,943 1929 28,907,614 166,121,576 592,130 Missouri River Te Missouri river flows a distance of 2550 miles across or along seven states from north central Montana and empties into the Mississippi river 17 miles above St. Louis. Work on the improvement of the Missouri between Kansas City and the mouth during fiscal year ending June 30, 19830 was carried on at a rate never before attained. The cost of work on this section amounted to $15,- 605,546.32 and between Kansas City and Sioux City $2,823,381.66. The project for a six-foot depth below Kansas City is about 70 per cent com- pleted. From the opening of naviga- tion early in March to the close of August, the ruling depth generally fluctuates between four and nine feet. During the low water season, a chan- nel depth of not exceeding 3% feet MARINE REview—April, 1931 obtains in the unimproved 01 In the section between Kats Oe and Sioux City there is not a tioned. able depth in excess of three feet dur. ing the period of low water nor of 3% feet for any considerable length of time at any season. For the reach of the river Sioux City and Fort Benton see improvements have been rather ion limited to be of very extensive bene- fit to navigation. Over this stretch drafts of 22-30 inches aré practicable from April to October. A sum of $7, 059,800 was alloted March 12 by the secretary of war for work on the Mis. souri river. = STATISTICS —-HANSAS Short Tons Value $831,084 ‘730,778 974,408 1,207,405 2,055,247 5,255,688 Tennessee River fe Tennessee river rises in east- ern Tennessee and enters the Ohio river at Paducah, Ky., a distance of 652° miles. Improvements have been going ahead on the 188-mile section be- tween the head and Chattanooga to provide 6-foot navigation at extreme low water for 24.6 miles of the sec- tion and to secure throughout the re- mainder of the section by excavation and dredging a channel 150 feet wide and three feet deep at extreme low water. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1930, work on projects in force prior to the one adopted by the 1930 river and harbor act was car- ried on, the cost amounting to $71,- 211.63 for new work and $178,741.42 for maintenance. Completed locks and dams were operated and main- tained at a cost of $82,011.36. On March 12, the secretary of war al- lotted $360,000 for work on the Ten- nessee river. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS (Between Knoxville, Tenn. and Paducah, Ky.) Year Short Tons Value Passengers 1926 1,968,226 $18,708,351 28,081 1926-3455 2,042,975 16,748,541 29,530 LOOT 2,291,519 18,922,423 31,115 1698) 43 2,269,192 14,074,538 21,795 1929. oe 2,185,540 15,058,526 5,308 In the recent river and harbor bill, permanent improvement of the main stream of the Tennessee river was authorized to secure a _ navigable depth of nine feet for the first 83 miles upstream from Paducah, Ky., to- tal expenditures including surveys and investigations for low dams for navigation only for that portion of the river below Hales Bar dam not to exceed $3,500,000. Cumberland River T... Cumberland river rises in south central Kentucky and emp- ties into the Ohio near Smithland, Ky. The latest project for improvement