The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1878-11-26
Navigation Of the Upper Arkansas.

We find in the Crowley County
(Kansas) Telegram, Of the 18th, the fol.
lowing letter, written at Arkansas City.
II shows that the people of that section
Of the country are determined to have
an outlet, BY water, for their surplus
grain. And it has been fully domon.
strated that boats OF light draft can pass
to and tro between Van Buren, and Ar
kansas City, with about the same trouble
that boats have between ane Little Rock
during low water. This is the letter.
ARKANSAS CITY, Nov. I. 1875
Ed. TELEGRAM To comply with your
request to send you anything of interest
from hero, | send you an account OF the
steamboat Cherokee, now being built at
this point. She was launched on Wed.
nesday afternoon, Nov. 9th, and is ahoat
in the Arkansas river, opposite this
town: The machinery will be put on
board during the next ten days. Nc
Closkey and Seymour are the owners,
and she was built by Cyrus Wilson-one
OF our own citizens-an old boat-build-
er. The hull is sixteen feet wide. and
eighty feet long on the bottom, and
eighteen feet wide and eighty-five feet
long on the main deck, with projecting
guards of two feet all misunderstanding
her twenty-five feet wide on deck. She
is four feet wider, and some feet longer
than the Aunt Sally, and having model
bow, looks more like a steamboat. She
is we'll built, strong and substantial. Her
draught, when empty, is four inches
With ninety men, and some children not
counted, she sunk to six and half in.
ches. That number Of men would
weigh as much, if not more, than her
machinery, and her draught, with every
thing on board, ready for trip, will he
less than seven inches, Fifty tons Of
freight will put her down one foot more,
making her draught, with that amount
of freight on board, nineteen inches. So
that she can carry at least one thousand
bushels of wheat on twenty inches of
water. AS the river, at its lowest stages
and shallowest fords, has never been
less than from eighteen inches to two
feet of water. We feel confident that
this boat can run ten months in the year
and carry at least one thousand bushels
Of wheat at trip.
The Arkansas river, once opened fol-
boats, will give Cowley county the best
outlet for her surplus crops that we can
hope to get. If this boat can make one
or two successful trips between Little
Rock and Cowley county, this winter
next spring other boats will follow, and
we will soon have line Of steamboats,
carrying Cowley county crops to market
Cowley county wheat, once started down
the Arkansas river will bring railroads
sooner than anything else can do
River navigation means, to all of Cow
ley and Sumner counties, increased pros
perity that good market always brings
1t means cheaper rates tor freight on al
we have to sell, and all we have to buy
higher prices on all we have to sell
and lower pr.ces on all we have to buy
being two-fold benefit to all. River
navigation has several advantages ovel
railroad lines, as freights can be carrlee
at less than onehaIf railroad charges
The river cannot be monopolized by any
company No combinations Gag e J b to Z
all. And it will give Cowley county
cheaper railroad rates, when the roads
do come, as the river would be u check
upon their charges, and will be able te
obtain better terms from the railroads
than we could possibly hope for if we
were entirely at their mercy. With raj
roads. north and east, and the river car
rying our crops south, Cowley county
will be in a fair position to advance tc
tho front ranks, and will soon be able tc
offer better inducements for newcomers
than any other county in the Southwest
Strike while the iron is hot, and secure
to our county all these much-needed ia
cilities. 1t can all be accomplished by &
united effort. "Now is the accepted
time; !" let us all 60 to work tor the true
interests Of tho whole county.
Most respectfully,
L.. II. BoNsALL.