Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-11-24
RIVER NAVIGATION.

LII Lib INA v1OA44VAs
Interesting Review of the Season-Table
Showing Opening and Close Of River
for Thirty-Seven Years.
The still water of Lake Pepin having frozen
over the season of navigation may be consid-
cred as closed, although the river above the
lake is still open, and in view of the improving
prospects of steamboating on the upper Mis-
sissippi, the GLOBE renews the custom of re-
viewing the season and comparing 1t with
those of which record has been kept-from
the spring of 1914 to this time, period of
thirty eight years. In this time steamboat
through great changes. First it developed
rapidly with the growth of Iowa, Wisconsin
and then Minnesota, reaching it's most profit
able seasons of large business twenty odd
years ago. Then the building OF railways
across the Mississippi, and afterwards parallel
with it, took away from the boatmen more
business than they gained from the increase OF
the country. Yet they still had great
deal of freight to carry, and a goodly share OF
the summer travel, so that since the railroads
have been in close competition with them,
two strong lines of boats have been main
tanned; and these have compelled the railroads,
during at least seven months of each year, to
give St. Paul and all shipping points along
the river their lowest of freight rates.
FUTURE PROSPECTS.
OF late years the season of navigation has
been shortened, and the river business has been
greatly reduced, by low water from midsum-
mer all through the fall months. This season
there has been an unprecedented stage OF high
water, throughout the season from it's open
ing to its close. Indeed, the Oldest inhabitants
of this region, and river men whose expert
ences date back thirty or more years, can
recall only one or two seasons like
it in respect of high water; SO that the
continuous flood of 1881 is quite as excep-
tional as were the low water seasons
preceding this year. A better surety of
good times again for steamboatmen is to be
had in the steady prosecution of the practical
work of river improvement being carried on
by the engineer officer of the national govern
ment. These improvements, above Lake
ieved with the river as low as it was in the fall
months of last year, (when lower river boats
ran to the mouth of the st. Croix, forty-seven
days longer than to St Paul. any boat which
can reach Prescott from below can come on to
st. Paul without touching bar. Other i'm
provements in progress in points below will,
it is thought, enable boats to run with full
cargoes the whole season through.
With the river channel cleared of obstruc-
tons, there is NO apparent reason why the
steamboat business of the upper Mississippi
should not develop to greater proportions than
in its best days OF the past. The country i'm
mediately along the river is yearly in
creasing it's productions. The river
towns are nearly all growing in commerce and
wealth, and the larger commercial cities are
fast approaching the point Of independence
where they can choose the river route of ship
ment, despite the combinations and influences
Of eastern transportation companies. Besides,
there is fast developing an exchange of pro-
ducts and manufactures between the river
towns, which cannot be carried by the rail-
roads. Furthermore, slowly but surely ex-
perience is proving beyond doubt what few
years ago was only theory-that the cheap
est and safest as we'll as the natural and de-
sirable route for exportiand import trade of
the Mississippi valley with foreign countries
is by way of New Orleans and the Gulf of
Mexico. The annual increase of exports of
products of the middle and northern valley
states from New Orleons and the success of
the barge lines, for carrying bulk grain, of the
lower river are proofs in point; and local
evidence in the same direction is the
shipment in bulk from st. Paul in June last of
$4,000 bushels of Minnesota wheat, by barge
to New Orleans, and thence by steamship to
Glasgow, Scotland, at 8 total cost less than
the same grain could have been sent to New
York by all-rail or rail and lake routes
The figures to show the river carrying trade
of this season at st. Paul are not yet at hand,
but it is not doubted they will be much larger
than for several years previous. 1t may be
said, also, that there would have been more,
both of freight and passengers to carry, if
there had been more boats. The season was
opened with one old line broken up and the
other little more than equal to the business it
had built up in the low water seasons below
Lake Pepin. The new line, however-which
has taken the place of the old Northern line
with Commodore VIM. F. Davidson at its head,
will not long be less than was the
line in the number of boats or regularity and
frequency of trips. It's first season has been
distinguished by the putting on of two fast
and fine passenger boats, the Gem City and
War Eagle, each to make the round trip be-
tween st. Louis aud St. Paul each week. The
old Diamond 10 line has also been improved
this season by addition of the large and fast
steamer Mary Morton; and further additions
to and improvements of both lines are to be
made this winter, in preparation for next sea-
sons business.
THE SEASON OF NAVIGATION.
Herewith we give tabulated statement, be.
-, ILL = a.