The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-08-06

mage to be ninety thousand; their value pc
ton to be eighty dollars their aggregate val
ue to be seven million two hundred Thousand
dollars; the persons engaged In navlGatln!
, them to be fifteen thousand seven hundred
and fifty; and the expenses incidental t.
their navigation to be twelve millions two
hundred and eighty thousand dollars. 1t es
Inmates the number of fat-boats engaged If
the same navigation at four thousand, and the
persons employed in navigating them at TWEEN
ty thousand, and the annual cost and expense
of building and navigating them at one mil,
lion three hundred and eighty thousand dol
lars. 1t also estimates the amount Of freight
on the suppostion the boats 90 full freighted
at 81, 100000 annually, and the annual value
of the products of the valley transported on
the river and its tributaries at $12O,000,000
and that from other portions of the Union and
foreign countries at $1O0,000,00Q; making,
in the aggregate, $220,0OO,0OO.
Such was the estimate Of the commerce of
the Mississippi including its tributaries, made
by an intelligent committee to the citizens OF
Cincinnati,a lat the beginning of the year 1913.
1t has greatly increased since, as short as is
the interval, with the rapidly increasing pop
ulation and wealth of its valley. 1t appears,
by the last annual report of the Treasury De
partment on the commerce and navigation OF
the United States, that their steamboat toll
mage on the western water on the last of June,
1915, was 1871 tons. Itappears, from the
same document, that the number built during
the year ending on the 30th June, 1S45, on
those waters, was 119; making, in the aggre-
gate, ,633 tons, and an average of fraction
more than 10 to boat, instead OF 200, as
estimated by the Cincinnati committee. As
suming that to be the average tonnage of the
boats belonging to the river, their number then
would be 8S8, and their number now may be
estimated safely at 900 boats, and their tom
mage at 1877.
Assuming, then, that the number of per-
sons employed in navigating the Mississippi
and its tributaries, and the expense Of the
navigation, and the value of the boats and
cargoes, to be what the Cincinnati estimates
make it, and that their estimates are correct,
the present annual value of the commerce Of
the river and its tributaries would exceed
three hundred millions of dollars. But how
ever great it may be, it is but the beginning.
If the commerce of the valley shall increase
in proportion with its population, and nothing
should occur to impede that, it will in short
time be more than quadrupled. Looking be-
yond, to a not very distant future, when this
immense valley, containing within its limits
l 100000 square miles; lying, in its whole
extent in the temperate zone, and occupy-l
ing position midway between the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans; unequalled in fertility
and the diversity of its productions; inter-
,ectcd in every direction by this mighty
stream, including its tributaries, by which it is
Trained, and which supply continuous nayi-
ration of upwards Of 10000 miles, with a
coast, including both banks, of twice that
eneth shall be crowded with population, and
its resources fully developed, imagination it
self is taxed in the attempt to realize the mag
nitudc of its commerce. Such is the present
state of the commerce Of the Mississippi, in
Guiding its tributaries according to the best
data that can be obtained, and such its future
But as great as are the advantages which its
waters afford to the transit and intercourse OF
its vast valley, its navi cation is subject to scri-
Gus and heavy drawbacks. Few rivers are
more rapid and dangerous. 1t is obstructed,
not only by obstacles common to almost all
and sand bars-but its chan
nels are thick set, in many places and for a
long distance, with trunks of trees, called
snags, firmly fixed in the bed of the river,
with their points projecting at an angle well
calculated to penetrate the bottom OF vessel
which may be so unfortunate as to strike a.
gainst them. And what adds to the danger,
many of them have their points so far below
the surface as not to be visible, but at the
same time, so near as to pierce the vessel
which may come into contact with them
From these and other causes, the annual loss
bv the destruction of boats, with their cargoes,
or from damage to both, including the loss OF
life on the part Of passengers and crew, is
very great.
1t is much to be regretted that no certain
information can be had Of the amount OF
either loss or damage. The fullest and most
satisfactory data which your committee has
been able to obtain, is contained in supple
mental statement of a report Of the Secreta-
nv of the Treasury, transmitting copy OF
letter from the surveyor Of the port OF st.
Louis. 1t appears from his letter, that, OF
the 1926 steamboats, enrolled at st. Louis, and
trading with that port during the years 1871
and 1912, 20 we're lost OF these, 25 were
sunk; and of them 20 proved a total loss,and
five we're raised. OF the 20 lost, g were
sunk bv snags, A by rocks, and by ice, l by
storm, 2 by collision, by log, and . burnt
The total loss is estimated, including destruc-
ton and damage of boats and cargoes, at
s87e, zoo, and the loss of lives at AZ. The
value of the boats is put down at $1,529, 200,
(but this is stated to be much short of their
real value,) and the number of hands en-
ploved at 2,916. There is no estimate made
of the value of the cargoes. Assuming the
statement to be correct, and that the hazard
of the two years represents fairly the gene
raj hazard Of the steamboat navigation OF st;
Louis, and that again the general hazard OF
the navigation of the Mississippi, including
it's tributaries, which, from its POSITION ana
the wide extent of its commerce, is probably
not far from the truth, it would make the to-
tai average annual loss of steamboats, engaged
in its navigation to be very small fraction
less than II 1-2 per cent; the loss by snags
to be little less than 6 12 per cent. and
that by snags, rocks, and logs, Chat Is, OF OBJ
structions susceptible of being removed, to
bn vary nearly & Opr cent. These data