Omaha daily bee., 1881-07-07
REFRIGBRATING BARGES.
An Invention Which Makes Hot
Corn Impossible.


An Invention Which Makes Hot
Corn Impossible,
| -
st. Louis Republican, July 4.
Some improvements are now being
made in the barge system on the Mis-
sissippi, which will not only awaken
renewed and deeper interest in the
great subject of river transportation,
but will strike terror in the Chicago
camp, and cause the papers of that
jealous and envious city to howl
louder and oftener. Whenever there
has been the slightest chance for
them to say anything against the barge
system they have magnified the small
lest matters into huge proportions.
The improvement alluded to above
in connection with the barges is a per-
feet system of ventilation. Capt. Hen
ry Lourey, the president of the St.
Louis and New Orleans Transporta-
ton company, has given this matter a
great deal of consideration, and at last
has hit upon a plan. Yesterday morn
ing that gentleman, n company with
Mr. j. r. Bull, of the st. Louis and
New Orleans Foreign Despatch COM
pany, Mr.. Il. A. Clayton, representing
Forstall, Ross & Clayton, the steam
ship agentsat New Orleans, and repre-
sentatives of The Republican, visited
the levee at the foot of Olive street to
inspect one of the immense barges now
being loaded for New Orleans. Its
dimensions are: length, 225 feet, &c.
foot beam and 9-foot hold in the
shoalest place, with a carrying capacl-
ty of LOO tons. In the upper part
of the barge were seen 292 hogsheads
of tobacco, averaging 1,450 pounds
each, arranged along the sides, and 90
more hogsheads to be added to this
shipment.
Capt. Lourey then proceeded to ex-
plain the ventilating process just add
ed, which consists of six openings on
each side. % a
THERE Is A PASSAGE Way
between the hull and the exterior of
the barge two feet wide clear around,
enabling a man to make the entire
circuit. Just owe the openings are
trap-doors, which fasten securely in
stormy weather to keepNthe water out
of the space between the hull and the
outer portion. There is also a space
underneath the hull and the bottom
of the barge, next to the water, which
is sixteen inches from the bottom. and
through which air is received. There
is a stiff current of air passing through
all the time, and the corn is kept
fresh and dry, and Capt. Lourey says
it can remain in N of these venti-
Iated barges all summer on the water,
if necessary, and would not receive
the slightest injury.
There is also an arrangement by
which water, should the barge spring
a leak, can be pumped out instantly.
The pump is encased in large wooden
spout, the whole so arranged that it
can be removed when not needed and
space is in demand.
At one end of the barge there is al
so a hatchway which can be used to
load package freight without distur-
ing the balance of the cargo. At the
other end of the barge there is a fun
nel-box running from the deck to the
grain room. There is a strong suction
going on all the time, carrying fresh
air through the grain room. With
the hatchway open at the far end and
the v%entilators on the sides, there is
constant current air, which precludes
any possibility of heated corn in future.
The barge system has worked very
well without these improvements, it
being the rarest occurrence that any
corn has become heated between St.
Louis and New Orleans; and even in
the few cases discovered it has been
proven beyond the shadow of a doubt
that the corn was shipped away from
here in a damaged condition.
Capt. Lourey has ordered all of the
barges in the line with which he is
connected to be Immediately
PROVIDED WITH v%ENTILAToRs.
The company now has 43 barges,
and more in process of construction.
Each one is capable of carrying LOO
tons of freight, including 10000 bu-
shells of grain stored in the hulls. 1t
is now no "infrequent sight to see a
steamer leave the wharf with six of
these immense barges connected ami
forming one tow.
/ The party yesterday morning visited
another barge lying alongside the one
just mentioned. 1t was being loaded
with miscellaneous products, some for
southern consumption, but the bulk of
it for export to European points. A
glance at the deck of this barge was
enough to fill the heart of amy true
st. Louisan with pride. Arranged in
rows were barrels Of mess pork, l1GG
in number. This was shipped here
from Chicago and is being transported
to New Orleans for southern use. The
barrels bear the brand of one of the
largest Chicago packing-houses. Then
there were 1000 sacks of -four, a part
of the Minneapolis consignment for
Glasgow. Hundreds of bales of hay
were piled up, the greater portion
coming from Iowa and Illinois. Hogs
heads Of tobacco from the state of
Missouri were included also in this load,
to say nothing of a quantity of. Iowa
oats. For all these exports through
bills of lading are given right here in
st. Louis. The total tonnage in the
single barge alluded to last, would
require one hundred andtwenty freight
cars to move it, or equal to six trains.
And yet n steamer-the Oakland
for nstanca-ca tow dawn fba rive,