people have suffered acutely time after time. Their parish priest said at the hearings:

These people are always living in fear. They have lived for the last 2 years in constant fear and apprehension. They have hoped for the last 2 years that something would be done to relieve them. Nothing was done. The loss of property is inestimable. After the last flood they went to a lot of trouble rebuilding their homes and trying to rehabilitate themselves. What happened? A couple of hours, and their whole work was washed away.

There is one angle of the Thames River Valley situation that should not be forgotten, and that is the stake that the Southland has in these industrial plants. In one mill alone nearly half a million dollars' worth of raw cotton is consumed annually.

As a result of the survey directed by the Chief of Engineers, the district engineer has forwarded through channels his report dated December 22, 1939. This report is now awaiting the final approval of the Chief of Engineers before its transmittal to Congress, and the bill H. R. 9260, introduced by me, would authorize the construction of the flood-control works recommended in the report.

The report provides for a comprehensive plan for flood control in the Thames River Basin with a system of seven flood-control reservoirs, and channel enlargement of the Shetucket River at Norwich.

Four of the reservoirs would be located in Massachusetts, at Hodges Village, Buffumville, East Brimfield, and Westville; the other three would be in Connecticut, at Mansfield Hollow, South Coventry, and Andover. As the channel-improvement works at Norwich afford essentially local benefits the local interest would bear the cost of necessary lands, easement and rights-of-way, the cost of replacement of the Laurel Hill Bridge, and the cost of maintenance after completion.

According to the report the annual cost to the United States would be $673,800, while the benefits to the area are $747,380. The total estimated cost to the United States is estimated at $13,210,000. The people of the area are in dire need of flood protection, but they are cognizant of the problems of this committee in allocating Federal funds, and they would I know be deeply grateful if the committee could see its way clear to at least approve the plan as reported, and authorize a portion of the amount estimated for the initiation of the project.

The CHAIRMAN. We are glad to have your statements, Mr. Ball, and we know you have been very much interested in the Thames River project since the hearings began.

Mr. BALL. Thank you.

CHATTANOOGA, TENN., AND ROSSKILLE, GA.

STATEMENT OF HON. TOM STEWART, A UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF TENNESSEE

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Stewart, the committee will be pleased to hear you.

Senator STEWART. Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen of the committee, I want to make only a brief statement with reference to the flood conditions at Chattanooga, Tenn., and, of course, the authorization for appropriation for money needed for that area, which includes Rossville, Ga., and the territory surrounding Chattanooga.

I would like, with the permission of the committee, to read just a brief excerpt from the reports that have previously been made on this subject and I also would like to have the privilege of filing the reports made by the Army engineers, which is a brief report.

The CHAIRMAN. You are referring to Document 479, Seventy-sixth Congress, second session?

Senator STEWART. Yes; which is a report on both Chattanooga and Rossville, Ga.

The CHAIRMAN Yes.

Senator STEWART. And which includes a letter from the Secretary of War.

The CHAIRMAN. I might say for your information, Senator, that we have already conducted rather extensive hearings on this project when the Tennessee River was up for consideration as a tributary of the Ohio River, at which time the Chief of the Engineers, the Assistant Chief of Engineers, and other representatives of the Corps of Engineers appeared and the committee went into rather detailed discussion of the project and the report was filed.

Senator STEWART. Then with your permission I will just read very briefly from it.

The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed.

Senator STEWART. Simply for the record because of the difficulty of retaining in my mind the figures and facts set out in the report. Chattanooga, the largest city in the Tennessee River Basin, is located on the river 464 miles above its mouth. The city proper which extends along both sides of the river has a corporate area of 27.42 square miles and a population of approximately 150,000. Rossville, Ga., which adjoins Chattanooga on the south, is located on the headwaters of Chattanooga Creek, a small stream which joins the Tennessee River at the western edge of Chattanooga. The town has a population of about 3,800. Chattanooga with its metropolitan area is an important and growing industrial center producing a wide variety of products. It is the commercial and trading center for a large area and is an important rail center. The Tennessee River is under improvement for navigation and navigable depth of 6.8 feet is available from Chattanooga to the mouth.

The drainage area of the Tennessee River above Chattanooga is 21,400 square miles. Topography of this upper basin is rugged to mountainous and in general conducive to rapid run-off of flood waters. Floods are normally the result of general rains over a considerable area of the watershed and are most frequent in the winter and early spring. Flood stage at Chattanooga is 30 feet. During the 64year period from 1875 to 1938 this stage has been reached or exceeded 71 times. On 43 occasions stages were between 30 and 35 feet; 17, between 35 and 40 feet; 8, between 40 and 45 feet; and 3, between 45 and 54 feet. The largest flood of record is that of March 1867, which reached a stage of 57.9 feet and an estimated discharge of 459,000 cubic feet per second. This is believed to have been the largest flood during the 113 years of historical record. Based upon studies of storm characteristics and topography, it is estimated that the maximum probable flood will reach a stage of 77 feet and a peak discharge of 730,000 cubic feet per second.

There is a great deal more information given in this report.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator, from your reading of this report are you able to advise what reductions in flood height have occurred as a result of the construction of reservoirs on the river?

to?

Senator STEWART. The Tennessee Valley Authority dams you refer

The CHAIRMAN. The dams above the city; yes.

Senator STEWART. I am not able to give you definite information, but it has been indicated there would be a reduction of 10 to 12 feet, or will be when the dams are completed, or when the system is completed.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you gotten any flood benefits from those dams?

Senator STEWART. Of course, there has been some aid given to the conditions there, or will be when the dams are completed, but so far as the rainfall that exists above the city of Chattanooga is concerned and in the district as far north as the Norris Dam-of course, we have gotten great benefit from that, there is no doubt about it, but Chattanooga as you know, Mr. Chairman, is in a sort of basin. I mean by that, that the territory around Chattanooga is much higher than the city proper, due to the fact that the city is located in this basin, much of the residence section.

On the northwest of Chattanooga is what is known as Signal Mountain; on the southwest is Lookout Mountain, and these mountains range from a thousand to fifteen hundred feet higher than the city itself.

Then, on the east is Missionary Ridge, which is from 300 to 400 feet higher, I imagine, than the city itself, so that the danger resulting from local rainfall, Mr. Chairman, is serious and we do have, the city of Chattanooga does have a great deal of rainfall, pretty heavy rainfall in that mountainous country.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator, if you desire to make any additional statement or change in your statement with respect to the amount of protection that will accrue from the reservoirs under construction above Chattanooga, along the Tennessee River, we will leave that to you but personally I think you are quite optimistic.

Senator STEWART. I am stating this now from memory. I have discussed that with those interested in the flood-control problem of the city, however I would like to leave that testimony to be given by the engineer who is here and who can give you accurate information, when he testifies as I am not an expert and I do not attempt to recall all the data.

The CHAIRMAN. That was the occasion for my suggestion.
Senator STEWART. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. And I can understand that.

Senator STEWART. Now, this report of the Army engineers is concluded in these words [reading]:

I recommend construction of levees and flood walls with necessary appurtenant works for protection of the main sections of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Rossville, Ga., substantially as outlined in the report of the district engineer, at an estimated first cost to the United States of $13,500,000; subject to the provisions that responsible local interests give assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of War that they will provide without cost to the United States all lands, easements and rights-of-way for the construction of the projects, hold and save the United States free from claims for damages due to construction work, and maintain and operate all the works after completion in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of War.

That is signed J. L. Schley, major general, Chief of Engineers. As you have probably had called to the attention of the committee, a few years ago an enabling act was passed by the State Legislature of Tennessee setting up the Chattanooga Flood Control Organization. The CHAIRMAN. That was in 1929?

Senator STEWART. I believe it was. There were two acts; I do not recall whether it was the last one, but that commission, that floodcontrol commission, was organized under this Tennessee Act and is operating, and I am advised that it will be able to provide the necessary amount of funds that will be required to be raised locally, which would be from three to four million dollars.

Now I want to call to the attention of the committee another excerpt, or rather I want to read a paragraph from House Document 91, Adequate Flood Control, Message from the President, with respect to the Tennessee Valley, in 1933, and I just want to call attention to the statement in this report by the T. V. A. engineer who states that the flood menace at Chattanooga is one of the most serious existing in the country, and the proportion of this menace is not at first appreciated because the largest flood of record occurred long ago when Chattanooga was a small town, and an appraisal of the flood damage at that time indicates if the past floods are repeated within the city of Chattanooga at the present stage of development it would cause a damage, a tangible loss of approximately $1,700,000 and so far as the intangible loss is concerned that amount mignt be doubled. An appraisal of the flood-protection benefits has not been made, but a rough estimate based upon such damage as is available indicates benefits from complete protection against floods which the city might face of from seventy to eighty million dollars.

That recognizes the fact that Chattanooga does have one of the greatest flood hazards of any city in the entire United States.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator, do you recall approximately the amount that has been authorized for the construction of dams and reservoirs under the supervision of the Tennessee Valley Authority along the Tennessee River?

Senator STEWART. You mean the entire program?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes; I mean the amounts that have been thus far authorized and spent.

Senator STEWART. That figure is not in my mind and it is pretty difficult for me to recall the figures.

The CHAIRMAN. I understand.

Senator STEWART. And I do not recall just what the amount is. Of course, as you know, in all the appropriations that have been made, a portion of it has always been allocated to other things than merely flood control, and in the building of dams, the Tennessee Valley Authority dams and certain other projects that have been appropriated for, the cost of construction of these dams has been allocated to flood control in part, to power, and in part to navigation.

I do not recall the exact figure. But, I do not want to be misunderstood, and I think I am not, and I do not intend to say that the building of T. V. A. dams, will be of no benefit to the city. These dams will be of benefit to the city of Chattanooga, but they do have a great many floods and have had that are due to rainfall below these dams and when the rain falls in that hill country it brings the water rapidly into Chattanooga and into the territory adjacent to Chat

tanooga, adding seriously to high waters and we do have heavy rainfall in that section.

The CHAIRMAN. If you are able to ascertain from any reports made to the Congress as to the amount of space in any reservoir above or below Chattanooga that is definitely allocated to flood control, in feet or inches, we will be glad to have such statement added when revise your remarks.

you

Senator STEWART. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Because frankly the committee has not had that information submitted.

Senator STEWART. Both above and below.

The CHAIRMAN. Or the ones above.

Senator STEWART. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. I am asking particularly about what provision has been made, not in law, but in fact been made for flood control, either in feet or inches at any of the dams either constructed or under construction in the Tennessee Valley.

Senator STEWART. I perhaps misunderstood you. The only thing that I know about it is the fact they have allocated a certain percentage of the cost of construction to flood control.

The CHAIRMAN. I do not question that, but the allocation in getting an appropriation is one thing, but what I am trying to find out is whether any allocation has actually been made for flood control. Senator STEWART. I understand.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee has not been supplied that information.

Senator STEWART. I understand that Congressman Kefauver will insert this information in the record.

Now, I want to call the committee's attention to one more matter before I conclude, and that is to an excerpt from a letter written by Dr. Arther E. Morgan, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, in which he stated [reading]:

Although existing under the greatest flood danger of any city in the country today, of which I have knowledge, Chattanooga is in an advantageous situation because of its peculiarly favorable position with regard to Tennessee-Georgia resources, its connections with other cities in the South and the numerous and varied industries already located there. And, if its welfare is properly guarded it may continue to develop into a city of great importance.

Now I simply want to state to the committee, in conclusion: I have some feeling of temerity when I undertake to appear before your committee and testify because of the fact that I am not an expert engineer and I do not retain in my mind the figures that are essentially necessary. However, they are set out in these reports and this is more a matter, of course, for the testimony of technical experts or engineers, but I think these reports, with which the committee is familiar, show there is a constant danger of flood at Chattanooga and that it will continue to be there until the local condition can be improved.

It is the tributaries to the Tennessee River, small rivers and creeks running into the river below the dam, between the dams and Chattanooga that are the source of added great danger around the city.

As I say, I do not mean to be understood as saying that the construction of the dams and the work done by the Tennessee Valley Authority will not be of benefit; they will be of immeasurable benefit to the city itself when there is generally heavy rainfall in the mountains