New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-04-02
Comprehensive Transportation.

TtOh ~ - HctA7
During the year 1866. when the PROPOSE
ton to establish the present st. Louis barge
line was under discussion, and strongly adj
vocated by the Democrat upon the ground
of bulk grain carriage alone. the measure
met the almost united opposition Of the
steamboatmen, and quite a number o.
merchants and shippers as well. The Ia
vorite arguments urged against barges at
that time were, first, the peril OF the freight
shipped in them: second, the delay Whlcn
freight would experience IN reaching ITS
destination. and third. the imposslbLlty OF
bringing the barges back against the strong
current of the river. Ii vas believed the
trade in bulk grain would never be large
enough to support the line. and a5 tor sue
cessfully competing with teaineT IN
carrying package freight, why. tAc
thing was simply rIeposterou5. 81!
the barses were pushed i7'to helng.
and have by several years @? I~ndlsputable
test convinced the insurance companies
thai goods on a barge are quite as safe as
goods on a boat. if not safer. Shippers are
also convinced that their goods are carried
forward by barges quite as quickly as by
boat, ana now every river man KNOWS that
barges receive and satisfactorily transport
all sort of trcight-every KIND a steamer
can carry, and bulk grain to boot. Inc
towboat Future City and three barges have
luOGt NlN hOlS " @NNF JUL NANA NAAN SNA
amounting to nearly 1890 tons, is made up
of the following items: St, O04 bushels balk
corn, 7349 barrels OF -four, 400 sacks OF
bran, 40 barrels apples, 30 barrels
corn meal. 100 tierces of lard. 80 kegs
of lard, 80 sacks malt, 4 packages
bacon, 5li barrels potatoes. 81 kegs
white lead, and 5l2 packages sundries.
This is an enormous load, and yet not
rs much as the barge line can take safely
at one tow either. The 5000 bushels Of
corn would make three pretty respectable
vessel loads for either lax or ocean tonnage.
and would load -S1 railway freight cars.
The iiOur would lOa4 seventv-fOur cars
more; the corn and the Hour would. there
fore. load 36l cars altogether. and would
require eighteen locomotives to move Il all
out of the city at one time. These eighteen
locomotives would need TO be changed at
the end of every 100 miles Of distance and
fresh ones substituted. Therefore, to move
this corn and -four at one time, from tbs city
to New Orleans, By rail, would need that $50
locomotives should be n readiness along
line to keep the train il continuous motion.
The rate of freight would not be less than
forty cents per HIsAel on corn and
81 per barrel on the hOnr. Yet low
easily one towboat transports this vast
load, with enough other freight thrown in
to load several freight trains, and the rate
will be twelve cents on the corn and pro
baby forty five cents per barrel for the
Hour. Ii any better evidence OF the supe-
riority of water transportation over rail
or of barge transportation over any other
means is needed than the above, we should
Ike to be told what is, And what is true
of freightiug between here and New Or
cans can he made quite as true of freight
ing between here and Lasalle, on the Hi
nois; Omaha. on the Missouri, and St.
Paul, on the upper Mississippi St. Louis
is undeniablv the coming city of the Amer
can continent, ana her growing CONNER
cial interests demand the earliest possible
provision OF cheaper transportation tor the
produce Of the Northwest 10 cur ware
houses,