The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-09
THE MIAMI CANAL.
What Those Interested Think Of the
Propriety to Abandon the City Part.

A STAR reporter met this morning Mr..
Moore, of the canal boating firm of G, B.
Moore & Co., Miami Canal, and made some
inquiries as to the talk lately heard about
suppressing the canal and devoting its bed
10 railway, boulevard or other purposes
below the Brighton House in this city.
Mr. Moore was most emphatic in opposing
this scheme, which he said was one calcula-
ted to destroy what remained of value in
the canal would be wholly in the interest
of railroad monopoly, and must do irrep-
arabic damage to vested interests along the
canal and to the business men of this city.
Mr.. Moore stated that there is between
fifteen and twenty million dollars of capi-
tai Invested in manufacturing between here
aud Toledo; that between here and Dayton
there are upwards of twenty paper mills
and that the cost of freight on
their products would be more
than doubled If the canal should
be cut off as suggested. The extra drayage
on goods carted to the Brighton House
would equal tile canal freight to Middle
town or Dayton and on some through
freights from Eastern roads would make it
impracticabe to use the canal at all. He
instanced case in point by saving that
now the inaccessibility of the Southern
Railroad depot made impossible for many
shippers to avail themselves of it in COM
petition with the Louisville & Nashville for
points South, since the greater convenience
of the Shortline Kentucky Railroad Depot
and Mail Line Steamboat Landing gave those
routes an important advantage over the
Southern Road.
He said that the great value of the canal
was in keeping down rates of freight by
competing railroads and instanced the
former freight rates on grain from La
fayette, Ind, during the existence OF the
old Wabash Canal. This rate rose suddenly
to treble former rates on the suppression of
the canal. and the same would follow the
discontinuahce of this. His view was that
the railroads now competing with the
Miami Canal would promptly raise their
rates at least 100 per cent. if it were wiped
out of existence.
He stated that the canal is at present in
bad condition from the state in which i
was left year or so ago by the late lessees,
but there is an improved feeling among
those having occasion to feel interested in
it, and unanimous sentiment against
parts, and the State is rapidly restoring it
to its former condition.
He spoke of the damage to the manufac
turing interests at Middletown alone. In
case it was abandoned, where something
like dozen establishments use water
power chiefly for running their machinery
at nominal cost If steam had to be
wholly substituted in place of water power
from SIS to 500 per day would not more
than cover the increased cost to each one
of these companies Or the starch facto.
ries north of the city, who would hardly be
able to compete successfully with other es.
tablishments elsewhere without the advan-
tages of the cheap canal transportation for
corn, coal and their manufactured pro-
ducts.
Mr.. Moore reported business lively on the
canal, but Of course affected more or less by
the sharp and sometimes ruin us competi
ton with the railroads. This, however, the
shippers would be able to stand as long as
| the forwarders 'uld. .....
On the subject of running a railroad
down the canal bed, the gentleman was of
the opinion that every property holder
upon its whole length through the city
would protest most vigorously against any
such scheme, since he felt sure that ii
would infict a severe and irreparable dam
age to all parties concerned, while its con-
version to street purposes was In no wise
demanded, would entail heavy cost upon
the city, and when done could offer moth
ing to in any wise compensate anybody fol
the damage to b.siness of tne city and tc
| the interests of the State in the canal itsell
by the suicidal acts of its suppression.