The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-29
EADs' OPINION.
Progress Of the Barge and
Grain trade.
General information about
the River. IS

Captain James B. Eads on recent trip
to New York was interviewed as TO his
opinion and idea Of the grain trade upon
the Mississippi river. He was strongly of
the impression that the future of the river
was brighter than had been the past ex-
perience even in the palmy days when
steamboats, had full scope and controlled
the entire trade
THE GROWTH
Capt. Eads, in referring to the growth of
business on the Mississippi river since the
deepening of the water at New Orleans,
said: '1The shipments of grain from the
mouth of the river have increased forty
fold in six years. Before that time not
half a million bushels of grain were ship
ped from New. Orleans, while during the
past year the exports were between H.
900, 900 and 20s000,0o0 bushels. The cot
ton export has also greatly increased, and
the cost of transportation has been reduc
ed 81 to 81 25 a bale. The only drawback
at this moment to rapid and continuous
increase in the grain-caTying business is
the lack of barge capacity. Mr.. Jackson
president of the Elevator company of st.
Louis, tells me that they could do twice as
much shipping if they had the barges.a So
great is the pressure on their resources
that they have been forced to fix the price
of carrying grain at cents bushel when
it would pay them to carry it at 3 cents If
they had the accommodation; but of course
efforts are fast being made to meet the
wants of shippers and the present state of
affairs only goes to show that a strong and
widespread appreciation of the advantages
of the Mississippi river as a channel OF
transportation has taken hold out West.
RAILROAD IRON
from abroad intended for roads in the
Northwest now comes to New Orleans,
though it formerly went by way of New
York and the Erie canal. The Mississippi
threatens at no distant day to be a serious
rival of the Erie canal and in order. that
the latter's capacity may be enlarged, the
state ought to abolish the tolls on it.
People think it is an idle boast that the
deepening of the water at the mouth of the
Mississippi river saves the states tributary
to the river $25, 600, 900 year, but figures
prove that it does There were about two
thousand million bushels of grain produc
ed in the entire country last year, and
threefourths of that quantity came from
the states tributary to the Mississippi. A
saving of a cent bushel on that amount
would be SIS, 600, 900; but the actual saw
it were not there would be no induceme Mt
for the trade to go that way in preference
to other routes.
PRESENT CONDITION.
What is the present condition of the
mouth of the river?"
There are twenty nine feet of water at
low tide, so that the largest vessel can come
into port at any time day or night. This
they cannot do here, but must wait at San
dy Hook until the tide rises on the bar"
What improvements are contemplated
on the river above New Orleans?"
There was proposition originally to
devote So, 0o0, 600 to the improvement of
the river above, but this was cut down to
81 900, 600, which, under commission APP
pointed for the purpose. win be applied in
italy to the work of improvement at a
point in the river about 100 miles below
Cairo"
what average depth of water is it pos
sible to secure on the main portions of the
river?n
cit is perfectly practicable to secure 90
feet of water from Cairo down.
How long does low water interfere with
navigation to any extent?"
For three months of the year-SepteIn-
Der, October and November"
What other shipping points are there
on the river besides st. Louisg'
Cairo must become great shipping
point 1t is already doing large bust
ness Davenport, Rock Island and
other places are mentioned and as l said
before. there appears to be nothing to stop
the increase in the traffic on the river but
the want of sufficient means of convey
ance?"