The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-05-31
MORNING STAR AND CATHOLIC xEssxHaER.
NEW ORLEANS. SUNDAY. MAY 81. 1853.
THE BARGE sYsTEn..

UdIkc 6ySU0uA "a UdAcYOAe~soAVAAs
The st. Louis Democrat Of the I'd inst.
contains an extract from letter by the
same gentleman, which further elucidates
this subject. A few more such men as Mr..
Elder would do more to reconstruct the
South, and place New Orleans in the posi-
ton which nature and natures God de-
signed her to occupy, than myriads Of
theoretical charlatans and time-serving
politicians. We hope the day is not distant
when our people will awaken from the
death-like apathy that now pervades this
community, and place practical men like
our respected correspondent at the head of
municipal affairs. Then the shameful spec
tacle of bankrupt treasury with ample
resources would not make us laughing
stock and disgrace in the eyes of the f.
nancial world.
But to the extract:
We have been permitted to make the
Thomas s. Elder, an old, well-known mer-
chant of New Orleans, to his brother, j. E.
Elder, an equally well-known and respected
commission merchant OF this city. There
are some thoughts evolved concerning the
barge system worthy of the attention of
CdpkUnAAoGb1 CAOuSMUc1 WV WAAOA osksAuP
their author as man of progressive ideas
and breadth of mind. We commend the
letter to the attentive perusal of ALL:
"NEw ORLEANS, May 13, 1868.
"Dear Brother: Inote your remarks about
the action of some of the members of your
chamber Of commerce on the barge, inter
est, and will be glad to receive copy of
their proceedings. 1 am thoroughly satisfied
the whole prosperity Of st. Louis and New
nvloorc 10 oufirolv ho,, nd nm in fho ovsfos,,
of freighting. If you draw the grain to
your city, even if it passes by without
breaking cargo, the producer will naturally
follow his products to purchase his supplies,
and you will divert an immense trade from
Chicago, Milwaukee, and Eastern cities,
back foreign and Southern products at pro-
portionately low figures.
elf salt were imported here in bulk and
elevated into barges, you would receive it
SO cheap, you could eventually supply even
lake ports to O considerable extent and if
molasses would be pumped into them at our
plantations, or from vessels from the islands
similarly prepared with tanks, which could
be so constructed as to carry grain also in
the same tanks. If this plan is feasible, it
would be great saving ,ig in packages, leak;
would lead to an immense traffic both ways.
I think q little ingenuity and capital would
readily develop such mode of transit and
traffic. Certainly, if st. Louis could once
establish her supremacy as the mart for
these two articles, all other trade would
centre around her. As heretofore mentioned
to you, my idea of full success would be
reached when every man of q few hundred
dollars could own a freight barge, and have
his own family aboard, and follow the
business for living AS our schooners
and small crafts are owned and managed,
an 1Onp q q the hnSlneaS confined To Cant
talists and monopOlies, we shall not reach
the point of low tfreights' that we require.
Wewant a river population who will know
no other mode of life; and we can then
laugh at railroads and canals. Whenever
this barge and towage system becomes
more in practice, then will the thousands of
tons of products interchange by the ex-
tremes of the rivers that are now entirely
neglected.
SOur early garden and field products and
fruits would be sent to you, and, in course
of season, yours would be sent to us. l
was at the ice works yesterday, and they
were turning out ice by the ton. could
not help thinking how easy it would be to
put one of those machines on q barge, and
keep the air up to any temperature required,
to preserve fish, oysters, and other perisha-
bles, while being transported to distant
markets. Indeed, the convenience of trans
portation by barges would lead to endless
interchanges which are now prevented by
having your motive power attached to
costly passenger boats, that cannot afford
to lay still while loading and unloading
bulky articles. How much Pittsburg coal
could we afford to Consume if it was trans
ported to us in costly passenger steamers
"THoMAs s. ELDER"
CHEAP Dry GooDs.-J. A. Braselman s. Co.,
5s6 and $50 Magazine street, have an adyer-
l,,nI, MI