172 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL

 DOCUMENT NO. 101 (FILES OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPRO-
 PRIATIONS), JANUARY 15, 1936

 STATEMENT or REPmRENTATIVE J. HARDIN PEzERsON BEFORE THE SUB-
 COMMrITIE OF THE HOUs CoxMMIrrr ON APPROPRIATIONS IN CHANGE
 or WAn DEPARTMENT APPROPRIATION BILL, 1937, JANUARY 15,1936

 On January 15, 1986, Representative J. Hardin Peterson appeared
 before the above subcommittee and made the following statement:
 Mr. PAua& Mr. Peterson, we will be glad to hear you at this time.
 Mr. Prmow. Mr. Chairman, I am here with reference particularly to the
 contemplated appropriation for rivers and harbors. The Acting Chief of Engi-
 neers has advised me that in the Item of $129,000,000 for allocation to rivers and
 harbors projects, authorized by Congress, and also under the provisions of the
 Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1985, it is not contemplated that funds
 will be allocated speefically to the Atlantic-Gulf waterway.
 Without attempting to go into details, I will refer to various reports that I
 would like to call to the attention of the committee. It is clear that this project
 has not been authorized by Congress. The reports show that the estimated cost
 is a varying amount from $146,000,000 to figures running around $200,000,000.
 At the present time It has not been definitely determined whether it should be a
 sea-level canal or a lock canal. They are apparently proceeding on the theory
 that it will be a sea-level canal. The report of the district engineer, and the
 division engineer, upon which there has not yet been open hearings before the
 Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, is adverse, and the first report of
 the joint Board of Public Works engineers and of the Army engineers is adverse.
 The analysis of the final report of the joint board of engineers does not show
 that it is economically sound. I would like to go on record as opposing any
 portion of the appropriation for rivers and harbors being used for this canal,
 unless the canal is previously authorized by an act of Congress.
 Mr. DocExwarm You mean unless it is previously authorized.
 Mr. PezIroN. Yes.
 Mr. PAns. Is this in your district?
 Mr. Prr ow. My district Is south of the canaL
 POSSm IB rracr OF THE CANAL ON WATER SUPPLY
 We are greatly apprehensive of the effect of the canal on the water supply.
 Mr. PAKe. Have the engineers made any report on that?
 Mr. Parsson. There is a report by the Chief of the Geological Survey and
 by our State geologists, and those reports caused us great concern. From the
 so-called Pirnie report some claim that it is negligible, but we are concerned in
 view of the magnitude of it, and do not agree that the report, when analyzed,
 warrants this conclusion. In other words, it is feared that a vast area will
 suffer by the Infiltration of salt and by drainage. The report of the Geological
 Survey calls it a vast drainage canal, and this recent report shows that there
 is considerable danger.
 Mr. DocxwzaXm. I read an article that seemed to be a very comprehensive
 discussion of the subject, and, as I remember, it concluded with the idea that
 while either end of the canal would be salt water, and while there would be the
 intrusion of salt water from the ocean and the Gulf, in the central or middle
 portion of the canal there would be practically fresh water. The article claimed
 that it would be fresh water in the middle and central portion. It appears
 that you have a peculiar subsoil there that carries water, so that the home-
 steader or home owner by boring down a comparatively few feet always finds a
 source of fresh water. I know that they are worrying because they fear they
 will lose that source of fresh water for the farmers and other people living in
 that region.
 Mr. Pmasso. Yes; we have two important water-bearing strata, the Ocala
 limestone strata and the Hawthorne formation. These underground waters are
the source of many large springs. One of them, Silver Spring, has a flow that
is equal to the daily water supply of New York City. These strata are porous,
and in many instances the seepage will cause limestone to disintegrate, pro-
 it what we call pot holes or sink holes. Those sink holes are of very