river banks, is before governmental authorities for solution, it should be given preferred attention. The people of Sebewaing Village cannot cope with the conditions which for years have confronted them and will continue to threaten their lives and property, and the Government certainly should do everything within their power to give aid to remedy such conditions. Under date of May 3, 1939, the Secretary of War submitted to the Congress a voluminous report of the Chief of Engineers, dated April 20, 1939, in behalf of improvements to the Sebewaing River, which was printed as House Document No. 286, Seventy-sixth Congress, first session, from which I quote the following: (* * * It is recommended that Sebewaing River, Mich., be improved for flood-control purposes by providing and maintaining a channel, with a bottom width of 70 feet and a maximum depth of 8 feet below low water datum on Lake Huron extending from a point in Saginaw Bay about 4,500 feet lakeward of the Pere Marquette Railroad bridge to the junction of State and Columbus Drains; by increasing the clearances under existing bridges within the project limits to permit free passage of floating ice; by removing the existing dike on the south side of the river lakeward of the railroad bridge; and by constructing a retaining wall and sheet-pile revetment to support the foundations of existing buildings in the vicinity of Center Street bridge * * at an estimated cost of $261,000 for new work and $2,000 annually for maintenance. The work will require 1 year for completion. Your study of the full report, above mentioned, with its accompanying papers and illustrations, is urgently recommended. Last session the Senate combined with a river and harbor bill provisions for flood control. This, however, was considered impracticable and the bill (H. R. 6264) was divided into three separate parts. Their flood-control portion of this bill, with which you are familiar, included provision for Sebewaing River, Mich., based upon the recommendations of the Secretary of War and the Chief of Engineers, as contained in House Document No. 286, mentioned above. I sincerely trust, therefore, that this item may be included in your current bill. Sincerely yours, JESSE P. WOLCOTT. The CHAIRMAN. The following statement is submitted for the record: CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, To the Chairman and Members Flood Control Committee, House of Representatives, We are appearing as members of the Louisiana delegation in the interest of the State as a whole. H. R. 9004, which is now being considered by your committee, we think would be detrimental to the interest of Louisiana. This bill proposes to construct levees on the Yazoo Basin, so as to keep the water out of the Yazoo Basin. Common knowledge would teach us that anytime the water is restricted on one side of the stream the result and effect would be to raise the water level in the river, and consequently to raise the water level in other backwater areas on either side of the Mississippi River. We shall be glad to cooperate with Mississippi in getting any benefits, so long as such action does not hurt the State of Louisiana. In this case the engineers testified that the construction of the levees on the Yazoo would raise the water level in other backwater areas, and particularly the Red River back water area, at least a foot or more. We assume that if the backwater area in the Red River section will be raised, it will be also raised to some extent down the river, and therefor, will affect the lowlands in other regions. We do not see how Louisiana could be expected to agree to the proposal. The engineers are now preparing a comprehensive report on the lower Mississippi River, and they are also preparing a comprehensive report on the Red River, and will in due time be able to make constructive suggestions for protecting not only the east bank of the river but the west bank. It seems to us that it would be the part of wisdom to hold up this bill for the time being, and work out the best program for both sides of the Mississippi River, as soon as the engineers have made their reports and recommendations. Louisiana will be glad to cooperate to this end, but if it is insisted at this time that this bill be passed, then Louisiana will be left no other course than to oppose it. We, therefore, respectfully request your honorable committee not to give favorable consideration to H. R. 9004 at this time. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Snyder is here and we shall be glad to have your statement. STATEMENT OF HON. J. BUELL SNYDER, REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS, TWENTY-FOURTH DISTRICT, PENNSYLVANIA Mr. SNYDER. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am glad for the privilege of appearing before you and to express my deep appreciation of the splendid consideration you have given to any suggestions I may have made from time to time with reference to flood control for my district or for the Nation. I wish to further state that it is a real help to my committee-the Committee on Appropriations for Flood Control, to have this able and efficient committee make the recommendations and authorizations. We know that when this committee authorizes a flood control project that it is worthy-and as far as possible you will find my committee always willing and anxious to make the appropriations for same, if and when we can find the money to do so. I shall be very glad indeed Mr. Chairman, if you and your committee will give consideration to H. R. 9289, which I shall hand to the reporter and ask that it be made a part of the record. The two streams mentioned-Redstone Creek and Dunlap Creekin Fayette County, Pa., have caused tens of thousands-if not hundreds of thousands of dollars damage because of the overflow when we have heavy rains. These streams run right through the soft coal district. The timber has all been removed from the hills and very little farming is carried on along these streams. Therefore, the ground is hard and baked and when we get rain at all out of the ordinary, these streams overflow their banks and cause great damage to the property of those who live along these streams. Most of those living in this section are engaged in mining and therefore any loss to them is a great loss. I wish to thank you for your time and interest. [H. R. 9289, 76th Cong., 3d sess.] A BILL To authorize a preliminary examination and survey of the Redstone Creek and Dunlap Creek and their tributaries, Fayette County, in the State of Pennsylvania, for flood control, for run-off and waterflow retardation, and for soil-erosion prevention Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to cause a preliminary examination and survey to be made of Redstone Creek and Dunlap Creek and their tributaries, Fayette County, in the State of Pennsylvania, with a view to the control of floods, and the Secretary of Agriculture be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to cause a preliminary examination and survey to be made for run-off and water-flow retardation and soil-erosion prevention on the watershed of said waterway, in accordance with the provisions of the Flood Control Act approved June 22, 1936, the costs thereof to be paid from appropriations heretofore or hereafter made for such purpose. I know of no plans that are more nearly perfect than those that have been so carefully and thoroughly worked out by the Army engineers and adopted from time to time by your committee. The purpose of this statement is to urge your consideration of the lower Colorado River project in Texas. The Marshall-Ford Dam, above Austin, when completed, will afford a great deal of protection on the lower river, but a system of levees is necessary to complete the job. Many disastrous floods have originated below the Marshall-Ford Dam. These levees have been recommended by the Chief and Board of Engineers in House Document 312, Seventy-sixth Congress. I also call attention to House Document 361 of the Seventy-first Congress, from which it will be seen that from 1900 to 1913, 17 floods occurred, causing the loss of 61 human lives and damages to the extent of $61,400,000. From 1896 to 1916 I was county judge of Colorado County, which is on this section of the river. I had supervision over the roads and bridges during that time. There were four large steel bridges over the river, all of which were destroyed one or more times during that 20-year period, involving a loss of many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Two bridges of the Southern Pacific Railroad were destroyed, one of them several times, involving a loss of several millions of dollars. The loss to the Southern Pacific was so great from one flood that the Railway Commission of Texas authorized an increase in rates on all traffic crossing the river for several years to partially reimburse the company for this loss. The rich alluvial valley of the Colorado is from 1 to 8 miles in width on the lower section of the river, all subject to overflow in the large floods. There are several hundred thousand acres involved, and the farm losses have been tremendous, many millions, as shown by the estimates of the Army engineers. The cities of La Grange, Columbus, Wharton, and Bay City have been inundated, and many homes have been destroyed. In 1913 the waterworks plant at Columbus was destroyed and remained out of commission for several months. I am sorry that I do not have the data before me at this time to give you details of some of the tremendous losses on this section of the river, but call attention to the estimates in House Document 361. I will say that of the many rivers that have come under my observation in the past 24 years, I know of none involving more serious flood conditions. Very sincerely, J. J. MANSFIEld. The CHAIRMAN. At this point, I submit for the record a letter to me from F. C. Harrington, dated April 10, 1940, with the lists therein mentioned attached hereto. (The matter referred to follows:) WORKS PROGRESS FLOOD-CONTROL PROJECTS FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY WASHINGTON, D. C., April 10, 1940. The Honorable WILLIAM MADISON WHITTINGTON, MY DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: In accordance with your telephone request of April 8, there is submitted a series of tables, outlining in detail and summary form projects for flood-control purposes other than those specifically authorized by Congress which have been approved by the President under the various E. R. A. acts, for operation by this Administration and by the War Department, Corps of Engineers, as a participating agency under such acts. The summary tables for this type of work indicate that under the various E. R. A. acts, 2,071 projects were approved for operation by this Administration, authorizing Federal funds of $137,003,872, or an average of $66,153 per project, and further, under these same acts, 197 projects were approved for operation by the War Department, Corps of Engineers, authorizing Federal funds of $209,885,337, or an average of $1,065,408 per project. These summary tables include all adjustments in Federal funds through April 3, 1940. The detailed tables which are submitted cover approvals of projects by the President made during the period April 1, 1938, through April 3, 1940, and undertaken directly by this Administration, as well as those that have been undertaken with funds allocated by this Administration to the War Department, Corps of Engineers. As the time allotted for the preparation of these presentations was limited, the detailed listings prepared for you as of April 27, 1938, were not revised to reflect changes which occurred subsequent to the submission of that report. However, the summary tables do reflect such changes. Yours very truly, Att.: By special messenger. F. C. HARRINGTON, Commissioner. Number and estimated Federal cost of W. P. A. projects approved by the President under the Emergency Relief Administration Acts of 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939, through Apr. 3, 1940, for operation by the War Department, Corps of Engineers, for flood control (showing average cost per project) Number and estimated Federal cost of State W. P. A. projects approved by the President under the Emergency Relief Administration acts of 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939, through April 3, 1940, for flood control 1 (showing average cost per project) 1 |