Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-07-01
RIvRn TRArfIC.
lts EnOrmOus Increase Within
the Last SIX Years.

Now York Herald.l
Captain james B. Eads, the re.
moved engineer, was in New York
last Monday and made the following
statementwhich appearsin the Herald:
Captain Eads, in reference to the
growth Of business on the Mississippi
river since the deepening of the water
at New Orleans, said: "The ship
ments 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 shipped
from New Orleans, while during the
past year tho exports were between
seventeen and twenty million BUSH
els. The cotton export has also
greatly increased, and the cost of
transportation has been reduced 81 to
81 y bale. The only drawback at
this moment to rapid and continu-
Gus increase in the grain carrying
business is the lack of barge capacity.
Mr.. Jackson, President of the Eleva-
tor Company of St. Louis, tells me
that they could do twice as much
shipping if they had the barges. So
great is the pressure on their
resources that they have been forced
to fix the price Of carrying grain ct
eight cents bushel when it would
pay them to carry it at three 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 Of the
West. Railroad iron from abroad in
tended 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
serious rival of the Erie canal, and in
order that the latters 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
S25,0O0,0O0 a year, but figures prove
that it does. There were about two
thousand million bushels of grain
produced in the entire country last
year, and three-fourths of that came
from the States tributary to the Mis-
sissippi. A saving of cent a bushel
on that amount would be $l5,00O.000;
but the actual saving cannot be less
than five cents a bushel, and if it
we're not there would be be no induce
ment for the trade te go that way in
preference to other routes"
What is the present condition of
the mouth of the river?"
There are 20 feet of water at the
low tide, so that the largest vessels
can come into port at any time. day
or night. This they cannot do here,
but must wait at Sandy Hook until
the tide rises on the bar"
What improvements are contem-
plated on the river above New Or
leans?"
There was proposition originally
to devote five millions to the improve
ment of the river above, but this was
cut down to one million, which under
a commission appointed for the pur-
pose will be applied initially to the
work Of improvement at point in the
river about one hundred miles below
Cairo?'
What average depth of water is
Impossible to secure on the main por-
ton ofthe river2
1T is perfectly practicable to secure
twenty feet Of water from Cairo down. Z"
How long does water interfere
with navigation to any extent?"
For three months of the year
September, October and November"
What other shipping points are
there on the river besides st. LOUISE"
Cairo must become a great ship
ping point. 1t is already doing a
large business. Davenport and other
places are mentioned, and as said
before, there appears to be nothing to
stop the increase in the traffic on the
river but the want of sufficient means
Of conveyance"