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In the formation of the party it was considered important to employ a pilot, Capt. A. Fry, who had been engaged for twenty years in navigating the rivers, and whose knowledge of the position of shoals, bars, rocks, &c., saved much valuable time.

The Chattahoochee River is a navigable stream from Columbus, Ga., to the junction with Flint River, a little above Chattahoochee, Fla., a distance of one hundred and sixty-two and one-half miles, sixty-two and one-half miles of which were surveyed in the year 1871, under the direction of General Simpson.

The country along the river for nearly its whole length consists of extensive plantations having plenty of timber and water, but at the present time sadly neglected, yet capable of the highest state of cultivation. Its banks are composed of limestone and sand, and are protected by a thick growth of trees of different kinds. At Eufaula they rise to a height of fifty feet, and gradually diminish till they become only 10 feet at its junction with the Flint. The fall per mile at Eufaula is inches, at Gordon 5 inches, and at its mouth 9 inches, while the width at the former place is 250 feet, and at the latter 500 feet.

Freshets occur annually in January, February, or March. The highest known occurred in 1831, 1841, and 1872; that in 1872 raised 70 feet above ordinary low water at Eufaula, and 20 feet at the mouth of the river, overflowing the country for a great distance. The usual rise does not exceed 43 feet at Eufaula. The soundings have

been reduced to the low water of 1872.

There are at present engaged on this river, as well as on the Apalachicola and Flint, five stern-wheel steamers, owned and controlled by the Georgia Central and Southwestern Railroad Company. These vessels draw from 3 to 5 feet of water, depending upon the weight of their cargoes. The citizens of Eufaula, and others equally interested in the commerce of the rivers, are discussing the propriety of establishing another line of boats, and are anxiously awaiting the action of the Government in relation to their improvement.

The former commerce of the Chattahoochee, Apalachicola and Flint Rivers, which centered principally at the city of Apalachicola, will be best understood by a reference to the report of Maj. A. N. Damrell, Corps of Engineers, United States Army, on the survey and examination of the mouth of the Apalachicola, to be found in Ex. Doc. No. 241, House of Representatives, Forty-second Congress, second session.

The following shoals and bars, thirty-four, were found between Eufaula and the mouth of the river:

I. Preston Bar, (see sheet No. 1,) three and a half miles below Eufaula. By a reference to the soundings taken there, it will be seen that only 3 feet of water is given at ts head. It is formed of sand and gravel, with large isolated rocks scattered over it. By forming a dam between the island and main-land, and removing the rocks, 6 feet of water would be obtained.

II. Barbour Shoals, (see sheet No. 2,) one and one-sixth miles below Preston Bar, is composed of sand, and gives at the shallowest places 4 feet of water.

III. Shorter's Bar, a little below Barbour Shoal, is a solid rock, and although soundings show at the least 5 feet of water in the channel, which, it will be observed, is Sarrow, yet the rock projects at points, and leaves in many spots only 1, 2, and 3 feet. This bar, too, is the cause of forming the shoal above it-Barbour's.

IV. Hightown Shoal, (see sheet No. 3,) two and one-half miles below Shorter's. This is a rock formation in the center of the river. Four feet of water is the least found.

V. Morgan Shoal, (see sheet No. 3,) seven and one-half miles below Hightown, is situated a little above Otho's Landing, and considered dangerous, being of solid rock. The least water is 4 feet.

VI. Hardiger's Shoal, (see sheet No. 3,) seven and a half miles below Morgan. This shoal is of solid rock, and one of the most dangerous on the Chattahoochee River, occurring at a crooked point, where the river is also narrow.

As at Shorter's Bar, portions of rock project above the bed of the stream. It is located at the foot of Prospect Bluff.

The following steamers were sunk here, viz: Swan, Sumter, Wabash, and Columbus. VIL Franklin Bar, (see sheet No. 4,) two miles below Hardiger's, and situated a few hundred yards above Franklin, Ala., which is opposite Fort Gaines Landing. A dam, connecting the island with the main land, would help to widen the channel, which is all that is needed. It is composed of sand and gravel.

VIII. Rob-Roy Shoal, (see sheet No. 4,) one and three-quarter miles below Franklin, s of solid rock, and reduces the channel to a narrow limit, 80 feet. The steamers RobRoy, Tuscaloosa, and Lowell were sunk here on projecting rocks.

IX. Calf-Pen Shoal, (see sheet No. 5,) one and one-half miles below Rob-Roy, is a edge of pretty hard solid rock. The narrowness of the channel is the principal trouble. X. Cou-Pen Shoal (see sheet No. 5) is only 700 feet below, and also composed of rock, formed in such a manner as to render the channel crooked and intricate.

XI. Whim's Shoal, (see sheet No. 6,) half a mile below Cow-Pen, is composed of a oft limestone. The channel is straight, but not over 100 feet wide. The current here

is very strong-seven or eight miles per hour-and said to be stronger than at any point between Eufaula and the mouth of the river. The steamer C. D. Fry was sunk here.

XII. Gilmore's Shoal, (see sheet No. 6,) one and one-half miles below Whim's. The upper end is composed of rock, which projects at places above the bed of the river, while the lower portion is formed of gravel. It is situated near Clark's Landing.

XIII. Bennet's Bar, (see sheet No. 6,) one and one-quarter miles below Gilmore's, is a gravel one, formed on the Georgia side of the river, and reduces the channel to about 80 feet.

XIV. Bar below Bennet's, (see sheet No. 6.) This is a little below the last-mentioned bar, and composed of rock with a few bowlders scattered over it. By removing the loose rock, a channel of 6 feet of water would be had.

XV. Wood's Shoal, (see sheet No. 7,) five and one-half miles below Bennet's and near Wood's Landing. The channel at the narrowest point is 80 feet wide. The shoal is of rock, some of which is projecting above the bed of the stream.

XVI. Kottler's Shoal, (see sheet No. 7,) half a mile below Wood's and about one mile above Howard's Landing, is 800 feet long and of solid and loose rock. The channel is crooked and not very wide, but gives 6 feet of water.

XVII. Howard's Shoal, (see sheet No. 8,) a little below the landing of the same name, is a solid rock. This shoal, occurring at an abrupt bend in the river, often arrests snags, which is all the trouble it gives to the passing vessels.

XVIII. Howard's Bend Shoals, (see sheet No. 8.) a short distance below the last named, and composed of solid rock, where the river is both narrow and crooked, occasions considerable danger.

XIX. Atkin's Sand-Bar, (see sheet No. 9,) six miles below Howard's and abont five hundred yards above Battle Bend, is composed of gravel and sand, giving in portions of the channel only 3 feet of water. The channel, too, is narrow.

XX. Gayner's Shoal, (see sheet No. 9,) one and one-half miles below Atkins, is solid rock and reduces the river from 400 to 200 feet in width, with a channel varying from a little over 4 feet to 74 feet.

XXI. Mercer Shoal, (see sheet No. 10,) five miles below Gayner's. This shoal occurs a little below Columbia Landing. It is of solid and loose rock and situated at a severa bend in the river; the loose rock or bowlders are very dangerous. The steamers Bandy More, Alabama, and South Carolina, were sunk here.

XXII. Shriver's Bar, (see sheet No. 11,) one and a quarter miles below Mercer, is composed of gravel and sand, and located in the center of the river. There is over 4 feet of water in the channel.

XXIII. Steubenville Bar, (see sheet No. 11,) two miles below Shriver's, and similar to it, but gives only 4 feet of water in the channel for its whole length. These two bars would be improved by narrowing the river, which could be effected with very little cost.

XXIV. Shackelford's Bar (see sheet No. 11) is formed of sand, a little above Smith's Bend, one of the most abrupt bends in the river. As it is the bend that forms the bar, straightening alone would permanently remove it, which could be most easily effected on the Georgia side, composed as it is of sand, with the low lands, while the Alabama side is of rock with high banks.

XXV. Smith's Bar, (see sheet No. 12,) a little below the bend of the same name, is also of sand, but gives no trouble whatever.

XXVI. Suphold's Bar, (see sheet No 12,) six and three-quarter miles below Smith's, is of gravel and sand and reduces the channel to a width of 100 feet, with over 6 feet of water.

XXVII. Bryant's Bar, (see sheet No. 12,) thirteen miles below Saphold's, is also of gravel and sand. It is 800 feet long, and gives a crooked channel. There was over 4 feet of water found when sounded, but it is said to be changeable, giving at times not more than 3 feet.

XXVIII. Widow Brown's Bar (see sheet No. 13) is a little below Bryant's, and composed of sand, with some rock. The width of channel at the narrowest point is 50 feet, with from 4 to 8 feet of water.

XXIX. Rambo's Bar, (see sheet No. 13,) two and one-half miles below Bryant's, is formed at the island of the same name, and consists mostly of sand. There are, how ever, a few loose rocks to be found here, on one of which the steamer Retrieve was lost. Four and seven-tenths feet of water was the least found. There is another sand-* bar

XXX. Below Rambo's Island, (see sheet No. 14,) which narrows the channel to 100 feet and gives about the same depth of water.

XXXI. Shoal below Belleview, (see sheet No. 14,) otherwise known as King's Rocks. The rocks are large, and a sand-bar has formed below them. The steamer Apalachicola was sunk on a rock here.

XXXII. Mist Bar, (see sheet No. 15,) ten miles below Belleview. The wreck of the

steamer Mist, sunk by a snag, forms this bar of sand. Remove the wreck and the bar will disappear.

XXXIII. Rock Island, (see sheet No. 15,) three-quarters of a mile below Mist Bar, is formed in the center of the river with a sand-bar at its lower end, which together make a length of 800 feet. The island is about 80 feet in diameter at its base, and of solid rock. The channel is shoalest below the island.

XXXIV. Chattahoochee Bar, (see sheet No. 15,) is the last on the river, and extends from its mouth for more than half a mile up. It is composed of gravel and sand, and is formed by the freshets on the Flint River, which take place after those on the Chattahoochee have subsided.

Of the shoals and bars described, it will be seen that fourteen are of solid rock; thirteen of gravel and sand; six of rock and sand, and one of a soft limestone.

With a single exception, that of Atkin's sand-bar, there was not less than 4 feet of water found in the channel for the whole distance. At Atkin's sand-bar, the least found was 3 feet.

In addition to the shoals and bars named and shown on the accompanying sheets, numbered from one to sixteen, there are a great number of isolated rocks. These rocks, owing to the limited time and means at command, could not be located. The numerous snags existing in the river were also overlooked for the same reason.

The following partial list of steamers wrecked on snags on the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers will forcibly impress the necessity of their removal as one of the first steps toward the establishment of a safe navigation, viz:

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Steamer Van Buren, at Blountstown.

Steamer Palmetto, at Hurricane, a little above Apalachicola.
Steamer Magnolia, at Hurricane, a little above Apalachicola.

Steamer Falcon, at Bloody Bluff.

The sunken steamers in turn become obstructions, and one instance is given when the steamer Laura was lost on the wreck of the J. C. Calhoun, at Bristol.

The following estimates, four in all, it is judged will secure the desired results:

Estimate No. 1.

services of snag-boat for one season of six months, at $5,000 per month. Judging that a snag-boat, if built, or purchased, would be also used on the Flint and Apalachicola Rivers, it would be proper to charge onethird of her cost ($100,000) to the Chattahoochee improvements...

Total......

$30,000 00

33, 333 33

63,333 33

One first-class snag-boat, in a favorable season of six months, would be able to renove all the snags and loose rocks, as well as the remains of such sunken steamers as are now the cause of danger to navigation.

Estimate No. 2.

For a channel of 4 feet of water with the widening and straightening of the present channel in many places:

Removal of 25,000 cubic yards of gravel and sand, at 75 cents per cubic

yard.....

Removal of 2,250 cubic yards of rock, at $12 per cubic yard.
Construction of 1,640 feet of dams, at $14...

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$18,750 00

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Estimate No. 3.

Removal of 62,398 cubic yards gravel and sand, at 75 cents per cubic
yard.

Removal of 93,600 cubic yards of rock, at $10 per cubic yard
Construction of 2,290 feet of dams, at $14...

Add estimate No. 1 for removal of snags, &c.
Engineering

Total.

Estimate No. 2 in detail.

$46,798 30

936,000 00

32,060 00

1,014,858 50

63,333 33

50,000 00

1, 12, 191 3

1,200 cubic yards of gravel and sand, at 75 cents...

The shoals and bars are named in the order of their importance-the most dangerous being named first:

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$2,400 00
900 00

Rob-Roy Shoal:

3,300 (0

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7,200.00

3,605 60

500 cubic yards gravel and sand, at 75 cents.

Bennet's Bar:

$2,800 00
375 00

3.175 (0

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