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ing the great industrial middle west on salt water. To carry on work on the improve- ment of the St. Lawrence to provide a channel depth on the American side between Ogdensburgh and Lake Ontario, a sum of $350,000 was allot- ted March 12 by the secretary of war. Great Lakes-to-Mississippi Waterway HE Great Lakes-to-Gulf waterway will utilize the route of the IIli- nois and Mississippi canal, the IIli- nois river, the Illinois and Michigan canal, the Chicago Sanitary canal and the Chicago River and when completed will provide a_ through waterway from Chicago to the Missis- sippi. The state of Illinois in 1908 voted a bond issue of $20,000,000 for the construction of an 8-foot waterway from Lockport to Utica, Ill., connect- ing the Chicago Drainage canal with the upper limits of the Illinois river improvement, being carried out by the federal government. This canal is to have minimum bottom width of 200 feet and five locks 110 feet in width, 600 feet in usable length, and 14 feet depth over miter sills. Substan- tial progress is now being made on this improvement. The Illinois river, another section of this waterway flows from a point 50 miles from La Salle and empties into the Mississippi at Grafton, Ill. Before improvement, the _ [Illinois river in higher stages was navigable by the larger Mississippi boats as far as Utica, 230 miles. The last project (under way fiscal years 1929 and 1930) provided for a channel with least dimensions of nine feet in depth and 200 feet in width from the mouth to Utica. Work on the nine-foot proj- ect of the Illinois river between the mouth and Utica, Ill., was carried on vigorously during the fiscal year end- ing June 30, 1930. Dredging was completed for a total of ten miles of the river and partially completed for a total distance of about 27 miles, re- sulting in the project from the mouth to Utica being about 47 per cent com- pleted. Cost of work during the year amounted to $737,164.60 all for new’ work. Controlling depth at the end of the year was 6% feet. By the terms of the rivers and har- bors act of 1930, the federal govern- ment assumes responsibility for com- pletion and operation of the Illinois waterway and its appurtenances, but requires the state of Illinois to con- struct or reconstruct all necessary highway bridges. Improvement of the fllinois river was also authorized up- stream from Utica, Ill., by way of the Illinois and DesPlaines rivers for a distance of about 65 miles to a con- nection with the main channel of the Chicago sanitary and ship canal, which extends from Lockport to Lake Michigan a distance of about 35 miles. Subsequent to the end of the fiscal year June 30, 1929 work on the proj- ect has been going ahead to secure the projected nine-foot depth and to re-build locks and dams at La Grange and Kampsville. A total of $2,361,985 was allotted on March 12 by the sec- retary of war for work on this water- way. Of this sum, $33,685 was allot- ted for work on the Illinois & Missis- sippi canal and $2,328,300 for work on the Illinois river. The Great Lakes and Ohio river are to be connected by another link to be known as the Beaver-Mahoning-Shen- ango waterway. Surveys are going ahead at the present time, and work is to begin in the near future. This waterway will begin at Beaver, Pa., on the Ohio river and enter Lake Erie at a point near Ashtabula, O. The length of this waterway is approxi- mately 101 miles. Channel dimensions are to be 188 feet width and 12 feet depth. Reports of tonnage available for this waterway estimate that it would be about 20,000,000 annually. The total estimated savings on this amounts to $12,425,000. Gulf Intracoastal Waterway HE Gulf Intracoastal waterway when completed, will extend from New Orleans to Corpus Christi, Tex., covering a distance of some 720 miles. Beginning at New -Orleans it will pass through the Port Arthur canal, through Galveston and thence to Corpus Christi. Construction of this waterway was deemed necessary be- cause of the fact that water borne commerce of southern Louisiana can- not reach suitable markets by all- water route without risking the dang- ers of open navigation on the Gulf of Mexico unless inland canals and waterways are constructed. The por- tion of Louisiana bordering on the Gulf is well adapted to such canals and waterways due to a great many lakes and streams as well as the low elevation of the land itself. On the stretch between the Atcha- falaya and Vermilion rivers, the im- provement contract was entered into under date of June 26, 1930. On the section between Vermilion and Mer- mentau rivers the contractor began work on Aug. 26, 1929 and at the end of the year had carried on dredging operation a distance of 13.9 miles. Maintenance dredging was also car- ried on on the former 5 x 40-foot canals. Total cost of work during the year amounted to $464,059.87. In the section between the Sabine river and Corpus Christi, Tex., no work has yet been done since local interests have not furnished the necessary rights of way. Maintenance dredging of the 5 x 40-foot channels of this section was carried out during the year at a cost of $86,708.42. In the allotment made March 12 by the secretary of war approximately $1,484,000 was for work on this waterway. MARINE REview—April, 1931 Atlantic Intracoastal W aterway E HE Atlantic intracoastal waterway extends from Miami, Fla., through Jacksonville to Savannah, Ga.. Charleston, S. C. and the Cape Fear river, N. C., a distance of about 850 miles. Eventually improvement will pro- vide a channel eight feet deep and 75 feet wide between Miami and Jack- sonville, one 7 feet deep with vary- ing widths of from 75 to 150 feet be- tween Jacksonville and Beaufort, S. C. (includes natural channel through St. Johns river with existing depths bet- ter than the projected ones); a chan- nel 7 feet deep at mean low water and not less than 75 feet wide between Beaufort and Charleston, S. C.; a channel four feet deep at mean low water and 60-70 feet wide between Charleston and Georgetown; and a channel eight feet deep and 75 feet wide between Georgetown, S. C. and the Cape Fear River, N. C. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1930, work of maintenance on the section of the waterway between Win- yah bay and Charleston was carried on at a cost of $44,221.03. Controlling depths in this section of the water- way were 3% to 4 feet, for widths of 40-50 feet. In the section between Charleston and Beaufort, S. C., shoals were dredged, the cost being $4306.07. Controlling depth is seven feet for a width of 75 feet except in two places where recent shoals have developed limiting the depth to five feet and the width to 50 feet. Between Beau- fort, S. C., and the St. Johns river, Fla., dredging operations were carried on at a cost of $72,077.96. Controlling depth over this section is five feet. Be- tween Jacksonville and Miami, dredg- ing was done to restore original proj- ect depths in the Florida-East Coast canal. Cost during the year amounted to $128,930.86. On March 12 the sec- retary of war allotted approximately $2,791,000 for work on the Atlantic intracoastal waterway. In the 1930 river and harbor bill, the secretary of war is authorized and directed to have made preliminary examinations and surveys for a water- way for barge traffic across southern Georgia and northern Florida to con- nect this Atlantic intracoastal water- way with the proposed Gulf intra- coastal waterway by the most practic- able route. Additional examination and survey is authorized for a water- way from Miami, Fla., to Key West, with a view to constructing an exten- sion to the Atlantic intracoastal water- way. Examination and survey is also authorized for waterway connections from the Mississippi river to the At- lantic intracoastal waterway and also a channel from Palacos, Tex., through Matagorda bay to a connection with the Gulf intracoastal waterway. 73