Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-12-16
REVIEW OF TnE RIVER DUslN Ess
Or 1862.

REVIEW or THE RIVER DUslN EsS
Or 1852.
The season for navigation on the Upper
Mississippi has closed .snd oil its Assting craft
has retired from the trade. Auoh sf IL hss
gone on the ways" and 10 undergoing spsiss
preparatory for the ensuing ys.r's service. ssd
portion Of is.upon which repairing wss sonsid
cred Unnecessary. hss selected is usual
winter rssorls, vhils the remainder hes gons.
or is going. into government service, where
it will ofil slate through the unoavigsLls
season Of our trade.
The season just olossd has been ors Of the
most lucrative that our steamb0atmen have
experienced for many previoss yss.s. There
have been but very few boats. which have
regularly performed their ssason's service.
that have not uetted their owners snug little
fortune. Their success 10 almost wholly 81
.tributabls 10 the immsnse amount Of govern
nent transportation that has been psriornsd
on tho upper trade. Steanbostipg 10 GDs 81
the few professions to which the VA simss
have proved advantageous.
Travel outside Of military circles hss been
fully - dimiuutivs - that Of last sssson, but
freight shipments. 10 consequences Of the rsvi-
val Of commerce with Memphis and other im.
portant towns ON the lower trade. have not
But the benefits TO laccrus from st,ambossing
cn the Mississippi cannot be realised
until its waters are lrss. This natural chan.
mel washes the shores Of twelve Statss.
drains 90 area Of one million and two hundred
thousand square milss. four thousand and tive
hundred miIss in leugth. at an average width
Of half mile. and 10 timss Of peace 10 tbs
only economical outlet Of millions Of enter
prising inhatitants. Previous to the present
national troubles not lsss than sixteen Lan.
stsanboats vsrs 10 operation on The Me
sf,sippi aud its tributaries. the total value Of
shlrh was ss.imsied At sixty million dollsrs
since that tune the number that have foun
sctivs employ ment hss been greatly decreased.
No. more then two-shirds 0! the usual number
have been employed during the present season
in this trade
The blockade Of the Mississippi! has been
per>s,ra,ing its evils for The past eightsss
months TO an almost insstimabls degree.
Pr.Os:iog this period the only renunssasivs
market for bulky CONN. odi,ies. such - grain
hsy ana live stock. vAs Nes Orleans. Al ths
present tine. sueh ard other ar.icler
II expo rt, niue. fnd . market sastward. either
BY r.i)road or isks. TAess convaysncss noe
enjoy . mosopoIy. and the result 10 that the
high tariffs imposed by the corporations con-
trolling them have become 90 burthsD-
some 90 TO render the trade Improbable to
both producer and trader. These rsm~rks per
haps may not ssem proper under the caption
applied, bu, " slluds 70 them because the,
greatly injure. ~ the present time. the CON-
nsrciar interests sf the river { ade.
The ,teamboating season has been Of short
duration. Navigation vas not open st this
poiu. sa,il The 29th Of March. u which tim.
the Fred Lorenx made her appearance aI our
landing. She vas the 6rst boat Of the sssson
From that time ill the 18th Of November we
think there vas not . single day that Out
wharf vac not visitsd by . stssmbost. and on
The soth Of Nov.mb.r the Chirpswa Vs:lsy
mad. the farewell arrival and departure .
the season. The river. however. has oct been
eaectusi!y closed yetsnd usy not be for some
time 10 come. but navigation was suspended .,
that time. Thus it viii bs seen that the ses-
con embraced but two hundred and forty
seven days. Last season. nsvigs,ioa opened
on the fifth Of March. and did not susrsnd un>
iii the goth Of Dscsmbsr-a sessos Of TOO
hundred and ninty.t~ dsys--foriy- dsy'
longer th. The present hss bssn-lssving .
suspension Of ninty.sevsn days between the
tWo.
The whole number Of steamboat srrisals al
this port for the past essson show . smsllsr
total than fer many previous. The following
is the monthly and fetal list