The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-08-15
Arrival of the Pioneer Exploring Par.
~ to survey the Missouri River.

Arrival of the Pioneer Exploring Par
~ TO survey the Missouri River.
. kansas City Times, 81
Kansas City ard its vicinity received no
Congressional aid during the last session of
Congress for the improvement of its river
anu harbo- i-cilities and Tor the protection
OF the Gag county shore opposite this city.
For nearly four months past Kansas City
has been cut off from Clay and Platte coun-
ties, by wagon traffic on account OF the over
flow of the bottoms opposite the city. This
was caused by the inroads made by the Mis-
souri, river upon the farms on the Clay
county side in the horse shoe bend formed
BY the changes in the river current. The
last Congrers made an appropriation OF
sol, 900 for a survey of the Missouri river
from Fort Leavenworth to the junction OF
the river with the Mississippi.
An expedition is now forming ut Lesv-
enworth, under competent management 10
make the first survey of the river. The
pioneer party under charge of Col. Donald
W. Campbell, Civil Engineer, arrived in
WY W lHt
mouth of the Missouri. The business of
the pioneer corps is to establish gauges and
make records at the various principal
points along the river between LeavenwUrth
and st. Louis. Col. Campbell RENAME d
here last night with his boats, and to-day
will continue his trip 10 ST. Louis. His
trip is merely preliminary to the survey
now being organized in Leavenworth.
Col Campbell Is gentleman fully post
ed upon the duties he has been detaiI,d
upon. He has taken upon himself the
task Of making preliminary survey oi
the grea; Missouri prior TO the official sur
| vey, which will follow after him. lie
III kes soundings and establishes agencies
! for keeping a record OF the rise and fall Of
\ the river at each important point between
Leavenworth and St. Louis
| To the people OF Kansas City the result
| OF this survey is OF great Importance, a:
| upon the report made b. the surveyors will
| depend upon the amount and character oi
| the appropriation 10 be made by the ncxt
| Congress Col. Crisp the next Democratic
representative from this district, has p'.dg.
! ed himself to the promotion of all leg:sla-
| ton contributing TO the improvement Ci
| the Missouri riv,r. 1t ia dependent 10 a
large extent upon the report of these pre-
| linIinary surveys whether the appropria-
tioas necessary 10 the Improvement uf tha
Missouri river are made.
The barge line experiment has been
made successfully under great difficulties
, The fourth fleet or tow OF barges il now on
ia way up the river from ST. Louis 20 Kan,
-as City, 10 convey between fifty and oEt
hundred thousand bushels Of wheat to The
.raboari This is only the b ginning Oi
a great but nov undeveluped trade, which
can only be promoted by the improvement
I'll the river. With an ample and assured
d,pth OF water from Kansas City to the
,nUa,h Of the Missouri, and with the sue
cgs. Of the Eads jeitieS at the mouth Of the
Mississippi, the river trade OF this Missouri
valley will become immense. The prob
lem ot cheap trans oFiltion will then be
solved The fertile and prolific prairies Of
Kansas and Colorado are being converted
into vas. wheat and corn fields. The far
mers OF he eastern States, the civilized Eu
ropeaus and the industrious wheat-grow-
ing Mennonites from southern Russia, are
pouring ato the plains by thousands and
converting them from buffalo grazing
grounds 10 immense wheat fields. These
people ,tire that facilities shall be Ir,-
vided f. lie movement Of their surplus
crops to less favored sections Of their coun-
try, and to the great grain martS OF the
world. Nowhere on the globe is the nsces-
sity of cheap transportation so urgently
needed or so imperatIvely demanded as 10
the Valley OF the Missouri; nowhere in a
like erea are such vas; quantities to be
moved, and nowhere has nature provided
such facilities by flowing streams Tor their
removal Ii but needs the aid Of capital
guided by the skill Of the engineer TO de-
velop the possibilities Of this water trans
portatiUn, to revolutionlze the commerce Of
the West, and To create traffic that will
enlarge the agricultural territory OF the
country, and will increase its commerce.
The exports from the United States last
year were upwards Of lIi.OO0,G00 bushels
vi grain, an amount largely increased dur
ing the prescn. year; the States bordering
on the Western rivers furnished the bulk , /
this export, and only few cents reduction
per bGsiel in the cost OF freight, would ena-
Bile America to rival al her com
peiitofs in foreign markets. The peo-
pie who can be most cheaply
supplied with foreign commedi-
ties through the port Of New Orleans, con
sumed last year $40, 600 tons Of sugar and
30 90 tons Of coffee, and used other i'm
ported articles to large extent; yet but
$4,000 tons of sugar and i2,00O tons OF col
fee were imported by way OF New Orleans
Nearly one-halt of the population OF the
United States east of the Rocky Mountains
should be supplied with the foreign pro-
duets and manufactures they require
tb,,vrh Navu nrlaap- th. ~
New York, Baltimore, Boston, and Phila-
deiphia last year exceeded S3l3, GOO, 900,
while the imports at New Orleans were bat
20 522g, 40; and the value Of the exports
from that port were bat little more than
10 par cent. Of the total value OF all Ameri-
can exports. and less than one quarter OF
the exports from New York, and Of that
export % per cent. was of cotton alone.
New York exported over Si3, 600. 900, and
New Orleans less than $1,000 900 worth OF
breadstufis during the same time.
With these facts before the people the ar
rival Of the first government surveying par
~ at this port for the purpose OF ascertain
ing the requirements and necessaries for
river improvements should be regarded as
a welcome historical event The Missouri
river has never been officially surveyed by
the government. Lewis and Clark made |
the first pioneer survey of the upper river
more than half century ago. They were
followed by the Canadian boatmen Of the |
American fur companies, and later by the |
pilot, who made his chart Of |
survey from memory, by steering his boat |
by landmarks upon points, bluffs and sand |
bars. The present survey is being made |
with view OF obtaining accurate official |
informal, concerning the adapt
ability Of the Missouri river to safe and |
profitable navigation. ..Upon the report
made by this survey will depend the
amount Of government aid granted by the
iext Congress for the improvement Of the
Missouri river. The expedition which
caves Leavenworth next September, will
consist Of about ninety men under the
barge OF competent United States officers.
lat boats are being built and camp equip
ge prepared for the trip which will last
wo months. This will be welcome news
0 those interested in the barge lire trade
= well as the farmers of Kansas and
i issJI!ri valley generally