The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-04
The Effect Of the Fort st. Philip Canal
on Grain and Products Of the North.
west.

l
on Grain and Products Of the North.
west.
| To the Editor of the Commercial:
The distractions of the bars continually
| forming at the mouths of the Mississippi
| River render it impossible for the largest
class Of steamers or merchantmen to reach
| the port of New Orleans for freights. Hence,
| all the imports of the North west are forced
| to come through New York, and pay high
tribute in freights to the various through
| lines of railroads to the West. Hence, a
lack of tonnage at New Orleans -the natural
outlet for the cotton of the Mississippi Val
| ley. and the grain, pork, flour, lumder, ETC.,
of the NOrthwest-makes it cost sixty five
shillings per ton Of fifty cubic feet from New
Orleans to Liverpool, against seventeen shll-
lings from New York. Yet, with this great
disparity in freghts against the Mississippi
River, | am told by shippers in the West
that they Can save twenty three cents per
bushel by this route over the overland route
via New York to Liverpool. And STILL for
want of tonnage at New Orleans, corn is
| forced over the overland route, or to be
burned for fuel on our Western prairies.
| And yet, with the great interest of the
Mississippi Valley and its natural drainage
in this question: Congress could hesitate for
v
dollars for the Fort St. Philip Canal, and
system of lighters OF floats on Colonel Cow
aus plan. The West and South can not
| wait ten years for the completion of this
canal (Which should be commenced at once)
| and Congress should see, rs the Russian
Government did, the feasibility Of Gowan's
plan, since he successfully raised every YES
| sci Of the Russian navy sunk at Sebastapol
to prevent their falling into the French and
English hands, and carried them safely into
port. He offers by his plan to rig two large
lighters connected by number of heavy
chains attached to steam capstans, to run
Oh either side of the largest vessel, tighten
the chains till the vessel is raised ten or
fifteen feet, pass over the bar, and let her
down in deep water with a full cargo. THIS
plan is practicable, and will meet the imne-
date want of commerce while the canal is
| being built. He did this for Russia, but
prophet is always without credit in his own
land. This temporarily, and the canal per-
manently, will relieve the West aud South
Of IS per cent. of present freights paid OH
imports and exports, both of which come off
| of the West, as we must compete with Euro
pean grain and breadstuffs. This is too
heavy a tax for any vast community to sub
init to ON a large scale, as the West and
South have endured for many years. And
yet Congress hesitates to do this justice to
this vast agricultural interest.
Is it because We have no powerful
moneyed ring to lobby it through! If SO,
let us raise the money or send men more
honest and mindful Of our interests there to
represent us. l know that negro BARRIERS
and parties from the South can have but
little influence, but cannot the West con-
troll this! One-half of the excess in the
cost of maintaining our little army with it's
ponderOus staff over the cost per man in
other years. for one year, will i've us both
these plans, secure ingress and egress to
and from New Orleans of vessels freighted
to thirty feet at all seasons. Gu cotton and
Western produce the reduction of thirty
five shillings on freights per ton of fifty feet,
will save annually double the cost Of the
entire work of the two plans, and add hun
dreds of millions to the wealth of the cOun-
! try in e. decade. Then, with our system of
steamboats, 1900 tons, and barges 5000 tons,
twenty cents per bushel can be saved from
freights by rail on corn, wheat and other
products, increasing the price that much,
and yet successfully compete with the
Baltic.
Our Western and Southern forests of tim
Der, now useless for lack of tonnage, will
then be worth 20 to SO cents per cubic foot
in the log, and will bring hundreds of mill
ions of material wealth into the country.
of this, have already organized, and have
an agent, DR.. Thomas D. Worrall in New
Orleans, "a and 26 Camp street, with
samples of general line of manufactures,
which they offer to exchange for all the
productions of the West and South, and at
figures truly tempting to the merchants
here. VIII not the West second this move
to bring themselves nearer to the mannfac-
turers in buying and selling, and thereby
cheaper all it consumes, while 1t enhances
fhe value of all it produces! Here is "A field
for Grange operations. The Improvement
of the mouth of the Mississippi is of more
Importance to the West and South than
the election OF all the Presidents Tor
twenty years. We should, then, compel
our representatives to do our will in this
matter, or resign. We are paying them
and they are our servants. We cannot
expect much hearty support to this improve
ment i'm the East. 1t is the South and West
that suffer. Besides, the West are g rwers
IF wood and drawers OF water" for the East,
and they desire we should continue so. The
railroad rings, too: will oppose it. for they
want their carrying charges on all Western
productions and cOnsnmptinns, and we may
exact all purchasable material in Congress,
to be piled with their checks. They ave in
imica, too to barge lines. The Alice Brown
and barges recently carried 10000 tons
Of freight from Pitt,burg to New Orleans, at
cost of $780, Il distance by water of 2OOO
miles. At lc per ton per mile, All air line of
1900 miles, the railroad freight on the same
would be s266, 800. Of course, then, they
will fight anything looking to the improve
ment of the mouth Of the Miss ssippi River
aud opening up barge lines. But must the
Valley of the Mississippi pay such tribute as
the above to any interest is the practical
question to the Oranges, and all Others, to
deal with now, and it should be done
promptly. j. w. HUGHES, Evansville.
The Cottage by the Sea.
Tho acfiOn Of the sea nnOn the recedinU