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604 Status of Work on Inland Waterways Exact conditions of the inland water- ways of the Mississippi valley, and along the Guli of Mexico coast, in which great interest has been aroused because of the recent increase in the use of ~steamboats on these waterways in the South, are described in a statement sup- plied to New Orleans steamboat owners . and shippers by Maj. Gen. Lansing H. Beach, chief of engineers, as follows: Black Warrior river--Whole project about 99 per cent complete. It is re- ported as practicable to carry tows 50 feet wide and loaded to a 6-foot draft over the whole project. Mississippi between the mouths of the Chio and Missouri rivers--About 35 per cent completed. Between the mouth of the Ohio and St. Louis, the channel depth has been increased to 8 feet. Be-. tween St. Louis and the mouth of the Missouri river, the project depth of 6 feet has been maintained. Mississippi from the mouth of the Missouri to Minneapolis--About 52 per cent completed. Maximum draft at ex- treme low water 4 feet on Rock Islands rapids, one of the critical points. ' Mississippi from St. Paul to Minne- apolis--This improvement has _ resulted in slack-water navigation to Washing- ton avenue bridge, Minneapolis, with a minimum depth of 6 feet at low water, the project being now 99 per cent com- pleted. "Missours river, mouth to Kansas City (398 miles)--Systematic improvement of the 6-fooct channel, about 34 per cent completed. A 6-foot depth prevails for about 135 miles. During the fiscal year there was not a dependable depth in excess of 4% feet depth over this entire section of river for any considerable period. oe Missouri river, Kansas City to Sioux City (409 miles)--The maximum draft over the shoalest part of this section was 3 feet at mean low water, this depth occurring during the four months pre- ceding the close of the navigation season, Nov. 30. Intracoastal Waterway Mississippi river to Bayou Teche-- At end of the fiscal year a channel of the required dimensions measuring 40,785 feet had been obtained. Bayou Teche to Vermilion river-- There is no channel open to the pub- --jic. Proceedings for acquisition of Han- son canal are now in progress. Vermilion river to Mermentau river-- There has been obtained a depth of 5 feet and a width of 40 feet at the bottom. The controlling depth at mean low gulf on June 30, 1920, was 5 feet, available throughout the year. From Vermilion river to Schooner Bayou, La., Tae it has ever purchased. no operations were in progress, pend- ing acquisition of right of way." Mermentau river to Calcasieu river-- At the eastern end, 4000 feet of canal 5 by 40 feet have been constructed. The controlling depth at mean low gulf on June 30, 1920, was 3 feet on Lake Misere and Sweet Lake canals. Calcasieu river to Sabine river--The canal over this section was dredged to 5 x 40 feet in 1915, and is in fair con- dition. : Sabine river to Galveston. bay--There is no adopted project for this section. Galveston bay to Brazos river--The project was completed in 1910. ruling depth is about 4 feet at mean low tide. Brazos river to Matagorda bay--The project for the main channel was com- pleted in 1913. The ruling depth on June "30, 1920,: was about 3 feet at mean low tide, the shoaling in this channel resulting from the numerous freshets in Brazos river. Matagorda bay to Aransas Pass--The project was completed in 1909. Ruling depth about 5 feet. Aransas Pass to the Rio Grande-- There is no adopted project for this section. Buys U. S. Built Tanker Among the few ship sales reported in the market, none probably car- ried as much interest as that con- summated by the New York Ship- building Corp. with the United Fruit Co: In this instance, the transporta- tion company purchased from the shipyard a tanker which was _ laid down originally for builder's account. While the price paid was not an- nounced, it is understood to have been a figure in excess of $200 a deadweight ton, or higher than pre- vious quotations. The tanker measures 9820 dead- weight tons and will make 11%4 knots. According to the contract of sale she is to be delivered by Feb. 1, 1921. This ship is a. duplicate of the GuLr QuEEN which the New York (Ship- building Corp. built in 1915 for the Gulf Refining Co. An interesting phase of the sale is the fact that although the United Fruit Co. is. an American corporation, this is the first, large American-built ship The passenger fleet of this company has been built in British yards. Furthermore, this is one of the rare instances of a consumer of oil purchasing a tanker in order to assure itself of its own supply of fuel. The Southern Pacific Co. has for some time owned and operated its own tanker line, but it is the only consumer that made a practice until now of. trans- porting its own fuel. MARINE REVIEW The | November, 1920 German Seamen Desert During the recent passage of the Ger- man steamship Lucie WoERMAN through the Panama canal on the way from Ham- burg to Chile with some 688 seamen to man German sailing vessels to be re- turned to Europe under terms establish- ed by the reparations commission of the allies, a number of the seamen slipped overboard and swam ashore with the intention of deserting. They began going overboard in the Gatun lake section, approximately op- posite Frijoles, and continued through Gaillard cut. As soon as the matter was reported a police launch ran along- side the ship and prevented further de- sertions, while a call was sent out for the apprehension of all that came to land. Up to the time of the clearing of the Luct® WorrmMan from Balboa, 61 had heen returned aboard, and 5, taken later, are now held by the police. The master of the vessel was unahle to say how many had gone overboard or even to. state exactly how many had shipped on the vessel, as he had found a number of stowaways and in the muti- nous condition of the men had not been able to secure a check on their number. The Windward Island Steamship line, Mobile, Ala. is operating a fortnightly service between Mobile and Trinidad and other West Indian islands and Fritish Guiana. The vessels in _ the service are the LAKE GILTEDGE, LAKE Titre, Lake FLACSTAFF, LAKE S1TRYMON and. LAKE FELpEN. Direct service to the United States is being given from the sinaller West Indian islands which previously had difficulty in getting their preducts ic market. Westbound _ traffic is in articles such as limes, nutmegs, cacao and copra. Southern pine is fur- nishing a large part of the eastbound movement. When the Pacific Steamship Co. takes over its new passenger liners WE- NATCHEE and KerysToNeE State, it is planned to 'bring out two large par- ties of sightseers to the Pacific coast. E. G. McMicken, general passenger agent of the line, has gone to the Atlantic to make the preliminary ar- rangements. These vessels and others are to be operated in the Oriental route out of Seattle. Another addition to the fleet of river steamboats. placed in service on south- ern waters following the increase in rail- road rates, is reported from Ouachita river points in Louisiana. J. T. Lively, Monroe, La., has put a steamboat in service on the Ouachita, and the Mon- roe chamber of commerce is sponsoring a steamboat and barge line.