The new era., 1860-11-29
The Use of the Mississippi.
BENTON COUNTY, Nov. %. go.

nAn oih'--As you are pieascd to |
put SO indulgent, not to say Aattering,
an estimate on my simple lucubrations,
cdturally feel all the mo~e disposed to
address to my fellow citizeus. through |
your friendly columns, such thoughts as
occur to me, on subjects of public in
terest. 1t is not, assure you, in any
presumptous idea Of superior kno wledge
or experience as compared with those
who dwell around me, but on the con-
trary, with considerable diffidence, that
venture, as a stranger, on the forth
coming remarks, which of course must
be understood as subject to any reason
able animadversion, from persons of
greater local knowledge. But having
spent several months this summer in lit
orally nothing but observation and re-
Election, and naturally instituting in my
own mind, if / thought the case admit
ted it, a comparison between what ]
saw here and what | had seen in Eng
land, one Of the most interesting sub
jects coming tefore me, was the caPa-
bilities of the Mississippi.
Perhaps my thoughts were drawn to
it all the more from the bracing and re-
freshiny influence on my physical frame
of the daily cold baths which took for
several months, often, indeed, in one or
other Of the Lakes with which the coun-
try is dotted, but always preferring the
river when within my reach-and one
constantly recurring thought was, How
comes it that this noble river is made so
little use Off Certainly in England,
with all its vast and intricate network of
Railways, Rivers, and Canals, so obvi-
Gus highway would not be left, as the
Upper Mississippi is left, in we'll nigh
primeval solitude Its surface would
be covered with a vast number of craft,
ranging from 100 tons to 800, and there
by affording the cheapest possible mode
Of conveyance for all the internal traffic
of the surrounding country To speak
Of one English River, of much about the
same volume of water in It's lo,cer course
as this in its upper, may perhaps be bet
ter than mere generalizing. From
Threwsburg to its mouth in the Brit
ish Channel the river Severn affords
the cheapest and most frequented
highway for articles of heavy merchan-
disc for those countries through which
its course runs. 1t is hardly ever that
Steamer is seen upon it-for the OBJ
vious reason that goods requiring speedy
transit go by Railway, but iron-ores,
Goals, dye-goods, heavy groceries etc.,
ETC., are towed up daily at far less than
half the cost Of Rail transit, in Flat Bot
toned and very broad Barges, drawn by
one, two or three horse, against the
current Of the river. Now, the Severn,
rising among the Welsh mountains, be-
tween 1000 and 5000 feet above tie lev
ell Of the sea, and having to make all
that descent in somewhere about $50
miles, of which the lower 200 is naviga-
BILE, unavoidably has very strong cur
rent, fully as strong in proportion to its
extent as that Of the Mississippi itself.
There are, moreover, numerous shallow
places and numerous rapids. But the
boats are constructed to draw so little
water that they get along without diff
Guilty at all times, winter and summer,
excepting now and then for a few days
in an occasional food, after having rains,
or the melting Of the winter snow.
The river runs for the most part
through a very narrow valley, often
hemmed in by steep rocks within few
yards of its banks. Sometimes the tow
ing path for the horse is one side the
river, sometimes on the other it chang
es according to the convenience Of the
ground--sometimes at bridge, some
times at ferry, sometimes without
either-but there are very few bridges
; there do not appear to me to be any
greater difficulties to Towing Boat on
} the Mississippi than were easily over
come, at very little expense, on the
Severn.
Now here, you have lumber at a
third or fourth the cost il is in Eng
land, and skilled labor to build boats is
little if any higher-and yet the farm.
ers Of the Upper Mississippi country
must lose go, 20 or 80 per cent Of the
market value Of the wheat they raise
in the cost of carriage alone, and all be.
cause in point of fact there is MORGAN.
lied system except the Teamsters, who
can only lug 25 to 80 cwt over sand,
op1 1oor r,,4foI rc,ls ccl .l-