STATEMENT OF OLIVER A. REYNOLDS, VICE PRESIDENT, CLEVELAND CHAMber of COMMERCE, CLEVELAND, OHIO

We are very happy to have this opportunity to appear before your committee in connection with the civil functions appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1955. We are interested in the Cuyahoga River improvement project at the port of Cleveland, Ohio, which has been before Congress for several years and is described in House Document 629, 79th Congress, 2d session.

The project has for its purpose the widening of the Cuyahoga River channel so as to permit larger lake vessels to move freely to the docks along the 51⁄2-mile navigable section. The project includes: replacement of a number of highway and railroad bridges; the cutting back of banks in a number of locations; and bulkheading along a considerable section of the waterfront.

The Defense Production Administration and the Munitions Board have declared these improvements necessary in connection with the national defense program. Most of these improvements have been completed as will be noted on the drawing which is before you. The checked sections are the ones that have been completed or financed. Construction in 1954 includes work on four railroad bridges which are blocked off in red on the map.

To continue the construction program during 1955 will require an appropriation of $1,200,000 to be spent in the following manner:

This appropriation has been approved by the Chief of Engineers and the Director of the Budget, and is included in the President's budget message to Congress. The capacity of the Cuyahoga River steel mills has more than doubled in the last several years and now is in excess of 4 million tons annually. The narrow openings of the four railroad bridges being replaced prevent the movement of large Great Lakes vessels which carry raw materials, and many shipments for Cleveland's three riverside steel mills must be unloaded at lakefront docks and moved by rail to the mills. With the completion of the project outlined in House Document 629, this delaying operation will be eliminated and vessels of 600 feet in length will be able to move freely along the Cuyahoga River.

The appropriation requested for the fiscal year 1955 will not complete construction of the four railroad bridges mentioned but will enable the Corps of Engineers to continue contracts with the railroads involved, and they, in turn, will be able to contract the work with bridge builders. In accordance with the recommendations of this committee, we are requesting only the amount of money that may be spent during the coming fiscal year. We will appear before this committee next year asking sufficient funds to complete these projects in the fiscal year 1956.

In order to save time, we have asked our speakers to file statements with the committee and make brief presentations regarding their interest in the project. We will have three speakers other than Members of Congress from Cuyahoga County. Mr. Harry Hobart, executive assistant to Mayor Anthony J. Celebrezze of Cleveland, will tell about the city of Cleveland's interest in the improvement. Adm. Lyndon Spencer, president of the Lake Carriers' Association-the organization that represents United States navigation companies on the Great Lakes, will discuss the need for these improvements from a navigation standpoint. Mr. Leonard Larson, district engineer for Republic Steel Corp. one of the three steel companies with mills on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, will discuss the need for the river improvements from the standpoint of steel-mill operations and its effect on delivery of raw materials at the port of Cleveland.

I want to again thank the committee for this opportunity to appear on behalf of this port of Cleveland improvement project. We hope most sincerely that you will approve the appropriation of $1,200,000 for the Cleveland Harbor so that work on these bridges might be continued in the coming fiscal year.

STATEMENT OF LYNDON SPENCER, PRESIDENT, LAKE CARRIERS' ASSOCIATION, CLEVELAND, OHIO

I appreciate the privilege of appearing before this busy committee to urge your approval of that item in the Federal budget for 1955 which would authorize $1,200,000 for the Cuyahoga River project at Cleveland, Ohio.

You will understand my interest in this matter when you know that the members of Lake Carriers' Association operate 328 large bulk cargo vessels on the Great Lakes. These vessels deliver more than 16 million tons of bulk cargoes such as iron ore, limestone, and grain, to Cleveland each year. Almost half of

this tonnage moves up the Cuyahoga River for delivery to steel mills and grain elevators.

Among other things the project approved by Congress for the Cuyahoga River calls for the rebuilding of six bridges across the river so as to make passage up the river possible for the bulk freighters which, for reasons of economy, are growing larger all the time. Two of the bridges have been replaced with new structures, work is progressing on two more, and plans for the remaining two are well along. This project is one from which full value cannot be obtained until the whole thing is completed. Each new bridge is an improvement but until all the old bridges are replaced, the larger vessels cannot take their loads up the river. It is imperative that the project be carried on continuously and to the fullest extent possible.

We have been before you so many times that we can tell you nothing new about this project. You have for the past several years provided the funds necessary to keep the work going along without interruption. That is all we ask this time. The Chief of Engineers, under whose supervision the work is performed, has indicated that he can properly and profitably use $1,200,000 during fiscal year 1955. The Bureau of the Budget has been convinced and approved this amount. We now request that you authorize this expenditure.

Thank you.

CITY OF CLEVELAND, February 15, 1954.

SUBCOMMITTEE, CIVIL FUNCTION APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

GENTLEMEN: As the city of Cleveland's share of the Cuyahoga River improvement program we have removed 5 old highway bridges and 1 railroad bridge. Three of the highway bridges have been replaced with new, while the other two and the railroad bridge, have not been replaced because of their interference with navigation.

In addition, large areas of land have been purchased and several thousand feet of sheet steel bulkheading has been installed, all in the process of carrying forward the widening of the river at various locations.

All of this work has been financed through the issuance of bonds by the city of Cleveland in the sum of approximately $14 million. Some additional property acquisition and bulkheading is necessary on the part of the city of Cleveland to complete its share of the improvement. Approximately $2 million of city of Cleveland funds are still available and some of the work is under way.

The improvements so far completed have reduced the navigating time to the head of the river by approximately 40 minutes. Because of some of the railroad bridges which have, as yet, not been replaced, we are not able to obtain the full advantage of the work already completed and considerable extra savings in time will be made when the entire project is finished.

Last year at the request of the United States Army Engineers, a traffic-control system looking toward the expeditious movement of vessels on the Cuyahoga River was worked out and put into operation. In the carrying out of this plan we had full cooperation of the United States Coast Guard, United States Army engineers, vessel owners and captains, and others connected with the industry. This system worked out so satisfactorily in the navigation of the river that it has been decided to put the same program into operation again this year. We feel that with our experience in 1953 it will be possible to do an even better job in 1954. The savings in time and damages which have been made up to the present, together with additional savings which will be accomplished upon completion of the whole project, benefit not only the plants immediately along the Cuyahoga River but, in addition, iron and steel industries over the entire area which are dependent upon the Cuyahoga River mills for their requirements.

We are all looking forward to the time when this entire Cuyahoga River project will be completed so that it will be possible to take the 600-foot vessels to the head of navigation, and on this basis we respectfully request that you give every possible consideration to our appeal for funds for this program for the fiscal year

1955.

Yours very truly,

HARRY N. HOBART, Executive Assistant to the Mayor.

STATEMENT OF LEONARD LARSON, CHIEF ENGINEER, CLEVELAND DISTRICT OF REPUBLIC STEEL CORP., CLEVELAND, OHIO

I have appeared before this committee on several occasions to emphasize the urgent need of following through with improvements on the Cuyahoga River to provide adequate transportation of ulk raw materials such as iron ore and limestone for the steel plants located thereon. The Cleveland steel plant of Republic Steel Corp., with major expansion and improvements made during the past 3 years involving expenditures of over $100 million, has developed a capacity of approximately 2,700,000 tons of ingots per year. Its pig iron producing capacity has been increased to 2,250,000 tons per year. Other steel-producing plants on the Cuyahoga River, including Otis Works of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. and American Steel Wire division of United States Steel Corp., have also materially increased their facilities during this period to a point where it approximates 60 percent of that noted above for Republic.

Although some of the elements of the Cuyahoga River improvement progra m have been completed, the rate of progress has not kept pace with the expanded needs of the steel plants as evidenced by our inability to realize our needs via economic water shipment direct to our docks, thereby necessitating that an increasing portion of these requirements must be unloaded at lakefront docks and transported via rail to destination, causing increase in transportation cost and penalty to our operations, inasmuch as our unloading and handling facilities are not designed for handling abnormal quantities via rail.

Within the next year it will become mandatory that we handle more of our limestone via water, due to fact that suitable stone now available via rail is nearing depletion and must be replaced by stone from new source available by water only.

With a combined current tonnage requirement of iron ore and limestone for the 3 companies located on the Cuyahoga River of approximately 12 million tons per year, the steel companies are vitally interested in having this program expedited.

FEBRUARY 15, 1954.

Hon. JOHN TABER,

Chairman, Committee on Appropriations,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

DEAR JOHN: Once again your Subcommittee on Civil Functions has before it for consideration legislation which includes funds to continue the construction program for the Cuyahoga River at the port of Cleveland, Ohio. To continue the construction program during 1955, approximately $1,200,000 will be required. These funds would be spent in the following manner:

I know of no project more worthy of favorable consideration than this. From a national defense standpoint, this project is essential to the steel companies located on the Cuyahoga River. The Defense Production Administration and the Munitions Board have declared these improvements necessary for national defense, and this appropriation has been approved by the Chief of Engineers and the Director of the Budget. It is also included in the President's budget message to Congress.

I strongly urge that the Subcommittee on Civil Functions approve this expenditure at this time.

Sincerely yours,

GEORGE H. BENDER,

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1954.

DILLON DAM PROJECT

WITNESSES

HON. ROBERT T. SECREST, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF OHIO

HON. SHERMAN JOHNSON, MAYOR, CITY OF ZANESVILLE, OHIO WILLIAM M. CORRY, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ZANESVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Mr. HAND. Now the committee will be delighted to hear from our colleague Congressman Secrest and his group of witnesses on the Dillon Dam project.

Mr. SECREST. I have a map here. These 14 marked in blue are already constructed as flood-control dams on the Muskingum River. The one in red

Mr. HAND. Is the only one required to finish it.

Mr. SECREST. Is the only one required to finish it. The other 14 have been in there and in operation since about 1938. That is a map of the whole area. I will refer to it a little later in my testimony and will be just as brief as I can, because I know you have heard this from the engineers themselves.

As a result of that dam not being completed there are many properties, and I have many pictures, of floods that would be totally eliminated, and here you can get an idea of what happens to property below the dam, because there are no basements in those homes and there are many of them in that area below that would have 100 percent flood protection from this project.

I would like to make just a few points and will be just as brief as I possibly can.

This project was authorized in 1938 too late for any appropriation. In fact, the President signed the authorization bill after we adjourned. By 1939, we were involved in defense construction and the engineers put all of their projects to the rear, and there was not any money for nondefense construction, and so the project rode until after World War II and then construction started. They have spent something over $9 million, and they estimated there was about $18 million more to go, which would give $1,100,000 in flood benefits and $99,000 of other benefits each year.

The fact is that we have spent over $9 million and do not have a penny for flood control out of the whole $9 million. In the second place, you are sustaining an extensive loss each year that this project is not completed. They have graded approximately 19 miles of railroad grading, but no rails and here [indicating on map] are the fills that go up through the valleys of maybe 60, 80, or 100 feet in height, and the rains are constantly washing away these great fills and damaging the cuts through the hills. And here is an example of what hap taken place in 3 years. All along the banks are gulleys and in places

you get gulleys that big [illustrating]. The rails would go about where my car is. And a hole like this [indicating] has to be filled up again. Those are the usual things which have come in this last year that you would naturally expect from a project that is graded and lying there. Mr. HAND. I think that is a matter that would appeal to my colleague, Congressman Riley, who does not like these postponements that cost money.

Mr. SECREST. That is right. I cannot give you the cost in dollars and cents, but I feel it costs plenty every year and it will be that much less if there is no postponement.

In the third place, I want to point out the abutments already built for 3 railroad bridges on this project, and the piers are already there; in 1948, 2 bridges were bought and delivered on the job. There is $84,000 invested in those 2 steel railroad bridges lying up there on the ground. The engineers have to go up and paint them and provide for maintenance, besides having this $84,000 lying there that has already been invested. I think those bridges need to be finished and turned over to the Baltimore & Ohio to operate and maintain, and they would not be a further problem from then on. And it is a loss to the United States Government not to do that.

I want to point out, fourth, that basically the Dillon project is not a local protection project. It is a major dam in the comprehensive flood-control plan for the Ohio River Basin, and was so authorized by Congress. The Licking River, on which the Dillon Dam is located, flows into the Muskingum River, which is a tributary of the Ohio River, and this 1 dam will hold back 4 feet from the crest of a flood in the Muskingum River.

Mr. HAND. That is the present project.

Mr. SECREST. Yes.

In the fifth place, I want to point out it ought to be completed in fairness to the landowners in this area. One hundred and thirty-one tracts of land have been acquired; 669 more are needed. On 292 of these tracts, flood easements will be taken permitting the land to continue in production, and they can farm that land in perpetuity with practically no loss of crop. On the remainder of the land, the owners do not feel justified in making extensive improvements to their property. I do not think a house has been painted in this area. for 6 or 8 years, because everyone figured the Government was going to build the dam. In addition to that, no one up there can sell his property. No one wants to buy a farm, because they figure that sooner or later the Government will take the land and they are not going to give them a profit should they have one that they could resell. They have stymied everything and I am convinced that all of the landowners who favored and practically all the ones who did not favor now want to get it over with. And I have a letter in here from General Van Voorhees who owns 300 acres of land up there, who wants to get out.

General Van Voorhees is retired now, but he had a long career with the Army.

In the sixth place, the President refers to this in his budget message and says there are two projects we should start up now, one in Iowa and this one. He says these two projects "represent sound Federal investments which should no longer be deferred."