Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-01-29
SsE Vol. ", No. "a.

renee, 3,97o miles; capacity 100000
tons.
The Lakes and Erie Canal, 4, 800 miles ;
capacity, if enlarged, 10, 100000 tons.
The Lakes, st. Lawrence, Champlain
ship cana, IS 200 miles; capacity, ,OOO,-
900 tons.
The lakes and canal via Philadelphia,
4, 800 miles.
Lake Michigan and Erie ship canal,
via Erie canal, 4,500 miles.
The distance from st. Paul Minn., to
Liverpool via the Southern routes, would
be about as follows:
Mississippi River, around FLORIDA (, 400
miles; capacity unlimited.
The same through Florida ship canal,
$500. A-1 @-
MississippiRiver and Atlantic & Great
Western ship canal, $3.50 miles.
Mississippi & Ohio Rivers, and Kama
wha ship canal, $500.
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
For many years past the system of
transportation by barges has been in
practical operation on the Hudson. A
mode which necessity compelled the
carriers to adept has since been found to
be the pest one that has yet been dis
covered. Every one who has passed up
or down the Hudson in the navigation
season has seen the large and powerful
tug-boat drawing its train ofcanal-boats.
These tugs take in tow from forty to fif-
ty canal-boats at time, each carrying
from 225 to 240 tons, equal to thirty or
forty loaded freight trains on the Hud-
son River Railroad. The system of
barge transportation was adopted on the
lakes as far as practicable, and at later
period on the Rideau Canal, from King
stem to Ottawa. 1t has since been been
adopted on the Mississippi, when it
promises to accomplish the greatest re-
suits. A company called the Mississ-
ippi Valley Transportation Company
has been organized, whose business is
to carry grain in bulk and in sacks from
st. Louis and st. Paul to New Orleans
by means Of barges drawn by power
full steam-tugs. The steam-tugs carry
no freight, but are used only as a mo-
tive power. They take enough fuel for
the round trip and thus prevent delay.
The barges are laden in the absence Of
the motive power, which is another saw
ing. The tugs usually take ten barges
in tow, each barge carrying 600 tons,
equal to 5000 tons in one tow. The run
has been made from st. Louis to New
Orleans, 1,247 miles, in six days. By
eeonomizing time the barges equal the
speed of steamboats,. The manage
ment OF the barges is precisely like that
OF freight cars. The motive power, in
stead of lying idle for days at time
while the steamboat is loading, is away
working for its owner. The number OF
men required to manage tug is much
smaller than the number needed on a
large steamboat, and the hands engaged
in running the tug need never be idle
This new system of transportation bids
fair to revOlutionize the carrying trade
on the Western rivers, and 1t is believ-
ed by the people of st. Louis and New
Orleans that its effects will be to turn
the tide Of the trade of the Northwes-
tern States down the Mississippi. 1t is
the cheapest mode of transportation
that has yet been devised. 1t is claimed
that tug-boat and enough barge to
carry 5000 tons cost only$70, ,0OO, where
as steamboat which carries only I,5OOI
tons costs 100000; and that the daily
running expenses of the former are on
ly 5000, against 81 900 for the latter
The insurance must be lighter, as in |
case of fire the barges can be cut adrift |
from each other. There are some SER
Gus objections to the Mississippi route.
1t is very long and it carries the grain |
too far out of its latitude into warm
and moist climate.
The TRUNK RAILROADS..
Vast as is the amount of work per-
formed by the railroads of the United
States each year, it was settled long ago |
that they can never be. depended upon
to convey all the marketable produc-
tions of the West to the seaboard. They
cannot attempt to do it now, and for
them to keep pace with the growing
West would require new trunk line to
be built every year. One river train a
day on the Hudson and Mississippi
would carry nearly as much grain as
the Erie Railway can bring from Lake |
Erie with all its 1000 locomotives and
1000 freight cars.
THE GrEAT INCENTIVE TO RAILROAD
BUILDING.
In 1870 Congress established a prece-
dent, in the case of the Illinois Central
and Mobile and Ohio railroads, of grant
ing to States, in aid of construction of
railroads, alternate sections of public
lands OF $40 acres each over the line of
the proposed road. Although these
grants were generally made to the'State'
they were in most cases at once turned
over to the railroad company. Up to
January l, 1873, 2l7,si7, 1875 acres had
been granted to States and corporations
as follows:
Acres.
Illinois 1855 O5S