Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-07-30
THE WEEKLY HERALD
: TUESDAY, JULY %, IS7O.
THE MIssEssIPPI VALLEY
NAVIGATION COMPANY.

There has been no improve.
ment Of any Consequence in the
steam navigation Of the Western
waters within the last twenty-five
years. 1t is true that passenger
vessels in certain localities have
been made somewhat more ele.
giant; a few additional comforts
have been secured, but the great
wants have not in the main been
secured. These wants are safety
and speed.
In the great race which recent.
ly occurred between the two fast.
est steamers upon the Mississippi,
the Lee and Natehez, an average
Of seventeen miles an hour was
scarcely attained. This speed is
not sufficient for the age, either for
the transportation Of merchan.
disc or passengers. 1t must be
increased or all the profitable bust.
ness will be transferred to the
many competing railway lines.
The public will ere long prefer
dispatch to price, and as a result,
will pay more to railways than to
steamboats, for the sake of a gain
in time. Hence for the preserva-
ton of water transportation and
travel, increased speed must be
secured. This is a consideration
as devoutly to be wished for by
river men as by the public at large,
It is true those who have invested
largely in the present style vessels
do not desire to sacrifice what
they have invested, and will there
fore combat any scheme which
will tend to interfere. with
them. But the march Of science
cannot be controlled in the
interest of individuals. The
good Of the many must be con
suited without reference to- the
wishes and interests Of the few,
The question then is, can vessels
be run upon the Western waters
of superior speed to those at pres.
ent floating on them? The reply Is,
that upon the Hudson river there
are vessels which can make from
eight to ten miles an hour better
time than the Lee made in her re.
cent race. 1t is urged that the
peculiar character of the water in
the Mississippi and its tributaries
filed with sediment, make it i'm.
possible to run vessels Of this
kind here. Captain DeHaven,
however, claims to have dis
covered a process by which
this sediment can be "precipitated'
before it goes into the boilers
thus rendering the water perfectly
pure. His plan has been submitted
to and been endorsed by the frs
scientific men of the age, If it il
true as he urges, and they agree
then the speed Of the Hudson
river vessels will not be greater
than these of the Mississippi.
The next consideration is safe
ter Read the heart-rending &C
counts of loss of human life by
steamboat accident for the past tel
years and see if humanity doei
not demand some change thereo
to be made. Study the narrowing
accounts of women and children
burned to death or blown into
atoms while passengers upon thu
vessels on these waters! Should
not the public feel it an importan.
duty to foster and aid any enter
prise which extended the bart
possibility of relief from thes'
horrible calamities? All grea'
discoveries have at their outse.
met with decided opposition
Fulton, only under the severest anc
most trying of difficulties, sue
ceeded in applying steam fo'
the propelling of water craft
yet he patiently persevered
and what in his day wa
hooted at and derided, is nov
viewed simply ''as a matter o
course" If the system of loV
pressure application of steam cal
be successfully adopted here, tn
risk from explosion will be almos
entirely removed. Steamers now ii
these waters often carry as mucl
as two hundred pounds of steam
70 Tho anuara inch never hiQhe